Pete Appleton, baseball player, 1927-1945

Pete Appleton

Born: 5/20/1904 in Terryville, CT, USA

Died: 1/18/1974 in Trenton, NJ, USA

MLB Debut: 1927-09-14 | Final Game: 1945-09-20

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Peter William Appleton

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Biography

Pete Appleton was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1927 to 1945. Born in 1904, Appleton made his mark in an era characterized by evolving pitching styles and the increasing specialization of relief pitchers. Over his 18-year career, he compiled a record of 57 wins and 66 losses, showcasing his durability and competitiveness on the mound. With a career earned run average (ERA) of 4.3, he demonstrated the ability to navigate the challenges of hitting in a time when offense was beginning to flourish. Appleton struck out a total of 420 batters and recorded 26 saves, indicating his capability not only as a starting pitcher but also as a reliable option in late-game situations. His contributions to the game were significant during a period that saw the transition from the deadball era to the more offensively driven styles of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Though he may not have achieved the legendary status of some of his contemporaries, Appleton's commitment to the game and his effectiveness on the mound solidified his place in baseball history as a skilled pitcher of his time.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
3.0 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
2.0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.0 4.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0.00

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1939 3.0 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1939 2.0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.0 4.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0.00

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
57 66 341 71 34 6 26 1141.0 1187 545 76 486 420 4.30 0

Career ERA 4.30 vs. league average 4.15 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1927 CIN NL 2 1 6 2 2 1 0 29.7 29 6 17 3 1.82 4.08 (+55%) -391.5
1928 CIN NL 3 4 31 1 0 0 0 82.7 101 43 22 20 4.68 4.13 (-13%) -942.8
1930 CLE AL 8 7 39 7 2 0 1 118.7 122 53 53 45 4.02 4.80 (+16%) -1191.6
1931 CLE AL 4 4 29 4 3 0 0 79.7 100 41 29 25 4.63 4.10 (-13%) 268.2
1932 CLE AL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 5.0 11 9 3 1 16.20 — 0.0
1932 BOS AL 0 3 11 3 0 0 0 46.0 49 21 26 15 4.11 4.13 (avg) -858.9
1933 NYY AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 3 0 1 0 0.00 — -
1936 WSN AL 14 9 38 20 12 1 3 201.7 199 79 77 77 3.53 4.59 (+23%) -
1937 WSN AL 8 15 35 18 7 4 2 168.0 167 82 72 62 4.39 4.34 (-1%) -
1938 WSN AL 7 9 43 10 5 0 5 164.3 175 84 61 62 4.60 4.35 (-6%) -
1939 WSN AL 5 10 40 4 2 0 6 102.7 104 52 48 50 4.56 4.28 (-6%) -
1940 CHW AL 4 0 25 0 0 0 5 57.7 54 36 28 21 5.62 4.21 (-33%) -
1941 CHW AL 0 3 13 0 0 0 1 27.3 27 16 17 12 5.27 3.94 (-34%) -
1942 CHW AL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 4.7 2 2 3 2 3.86 — -
1942 SLA AL 1 1 14 0 0 0 2 27.3 25 9 11 12 2.96 3.57 (+17%) 128.3
1945 SLA AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.3 3 4 7 1 15.43 — 0.0
1945 WSN AL 1 0 6 2 1 0 1 21.3 16 8 11 12 3.38 3.67 (+8%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
343 374 30 87 8 7 0 34 0 8 66 0.233 0.249 0.291 0.540 -1054.5

Career AVG .233 vs. league average .274 across their career seasons — 15.1% below league average.

Career OBP .249 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 26.6% below league average.

Career SLG .291 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 24.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.540 vs. league average 0.727 across their career seasons — 25.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1927 CIN NL 6 11 1 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.545 — — — — 0.0
1928 CIN NL 32 31 3 10 2 1 0 3 0 0 4 0.323 — — — — 0.0
1930 CLE AL 39 40 4 8 1 0 0 2 0 3 9 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1931 CLE AL 30 24 1 5 0 1 0 1 0 1 3 0.208 — — — — 0.0
1932 CLE AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1932 BOS AL 11 17 3 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 5 0.176 — — — — 0.0
1933 NYY AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1936 WSN AL 38 76 7 19 1 1 0 8 0 0 15 0.250 .283 (-12%) .349 (-29%) .404 (-28%) .753 (-28%) -397.2
1937 WSN AL 35 59 3 11 0 1 0 7 0 0 12 0.186 .276 (-33%) .342 (-46%) .398 (-45%) .740 (-45%) -471.6
1938 WSN AL 43 59 4 15 2 2 0 9 0 1 8 0.254 .272 (-7%) .341 (-22%) .392 (-9%) .734 (-15%) -185.7
1939 WSN AL 40 25 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.160 — — — — 0.0
1940 CHW AL 25 17 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.176 — — — — 0.0
1941 CHW AL 13 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1942 CHW AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1942 SLA AL 14 6 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1945 SLA AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1945 WSN AL 6 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.200 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
P 341 0 58 266 12 25

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1927 CIN P 6 0 4 8 0 2
1928 CIN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1928 CIN P 31 0 3 28 0 3
1930 CLE P 39 0 6 30 2 4
1931 CLE P 29 0 4 16 2 1
1932 CLE P 4 0 0 1 0 0
1932 BOS P 11 0 5 19 0 0
1933 NYA P 1 0 0 1 0 1
1936 WS1 P 38 0 9 42 1 1
1937 WS1 P 35 0 8 43 1 4
1938 WS1 P 43 0 9 29 4 4
1939 WS1 P 40 0 4 17 1 2
1940 CHA P 25 0 4 8 1 1
1941 CHA P 13 0 1 6 0 0
1942 CHA P 4 0 0 2 0 0
1942 SLA P 14 0 1 11 0 1
1945 SLA P 2 0 0 2 0 0
1945 WS1 P 6 0 0 3 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 341
Right Field 1

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 1924, 1925, 1926