Considered by Bill James to be the best minor league baseball player of his era, Bill Krieg compiled a .343 lifetime batting average in 3,000 minor league at-bats. This skill failed to translate to major league success, as a four-year career produced a .237 average. As far as the major leagues are concerned, Krieg's career ended with Washington in the 1887 season. The N172 set includes three poses labeled with that team, all dating to 1887, followed by seven more for his time with teams in the Western Association, Minneapolis and St. Joseph. His ten poses likely reflect the fans who appreciated those gaudy minor league batting stats.

This SGC VG+ 3.5 grade is one of the best-balanced Old Judge cards one might find, with even borders, touched corners, and a vibrant image that shows off his contrasting uniform, and even those lighter bootlace hooks stand out. Its surface speckling and a bit of handling wear on the reverse explain its technical grade without detracting from its wonderful photo. Combined population reports show this as one of Krieg's tougher poses, with just one graded by SGC and none called out by PSA as a batting pose! That makes this one of the best combinations of scarcity and clarity offered in the 100+ N172 listings by Love of the Game.