Levi Meyerle

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Levi Samuel Meyerle (July 1845 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - November 4, 1921) was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball. His debut game took place on May 20, 1871. His final game took place on April 26, 1884. During his career he played for the Athletic of Philadelphia of the National Association, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Stockings of the National League and Keystones of Philadelphia of the Union Association. He died in Philadelphia.

Meyerle holds the record for the highest batting average in any major league if the NA is considered a major league. He hit .492 in 1871. Major League Baseball does not consider records from the NA, however many historians do. Meyerle also led the NA in hitting in 1874.

His fielding average in that historic 1871 season was a .646. After that season, he saw extensive action in the outfield in 1872. After '72, he was traded to Philadelphia and played most of his games in his career at third base. His career batting average was around .350 and his career fielding average was .791.

Meyerle also pitched three games in his career, once with the Athletics in 1871 and twice with the Athletics in the NL in 1876. He went 0-2 with a 6.25 ERA in two starts.