Al Benton, baseball player, 1934-1952

Al Benton

Born: 3/18/1911 in Noble, OK, USA

Died: 4/14/1968 in Lynwood, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1934-04-18 | Final Game: 1952-09-21

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 215 lbs

Full name: John Alton Benton

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Biography

Al Benton, born in 1911, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who enjoyed a career spanning from 1934 to 1952. Known for his competitiveness on the mound, Benton finished his career with a record of 98-88 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.66. He recorded 697 strikeouts and notched 66 saves, demonstrating his versatility and effectiveness as both a starter and a reliever. Throughout his career, Benton was selected as an All-Star twice, highlighting his recognition among his peers during an era that witnessed the transition from the deadball era to a more offense-oriented game. Benton's playing style was characterized by his ability to control the game, relying on a mix of pitches that kept batters off balance. He played in a time when the league was beginning to see the emergence of power hitters, yet he managed to maintain a respectable ERA, reflecting his skill in navigating the challenges of evolving offensive strategies. His contributions to his teams and the sport as a whole have solidified his legacy in baseball history, marking him as a significant figure among pitchers of his time.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
98 88 455 167 58 10 66 1688.3 1672 686 106 733 697 3.66 0

Career ERA 3.66 vs. league average 4.03 across their career seasons — 9.3% better than 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
1934 PHA AL 7 9 32 21 7 0 1 155.0 145 84 88 58 4.88 4.29 (-14%) -2041.7
1935 PHA AL 3 4 27 9 0 0 0 78.3 110 67 47 42 7.70 4.35 (-77%) -1535.2
1938 DET AL 5 3 19 10 6 0 0 95.3 93 35 39 33 3.30 4.35 (+24%) -1643.0
1939 DET AL 6 8 37 16 3 0 5 150.0 182 76 58 67 4.56 4.28 (-6%) -94.5
1940 DET AL 6 10 42 0 0 0 17 79.3 93 39 36 50 4.42 4.21 (-5%) 584.5
1941 DET AL 15 6 38 14 7 1 7 157.7 130 52 65 63 2.97 3.94 (+25%) -1101.5
1942 DET AL 7 13 35 30 9 1 2 226.7 210 73 84 110 2.90 3.57 (+19%) 1986.4
1945 DET AL 13 8 31 27 12 5 3 191.7 175 43 63 76 2.02 3.67 (+45%) 1250.6
1946 DET AL 11 7 28 15 6 1 1 140.7 132 57 58 60 3.65 3.59 (-2%) -842.3
1947 DET AL 6 7 36 14 4 0 7 133.0 147 65 61 33 4.40 3.97 (-11%) -2400.8
1948 DET AL 2 2 30 0 0 0 3 44.3 45 28 36 18 5.68 4.10 (-39%) -1717.6
1949 CLE AL 9 6 40 11 4 2 10 135.7 116 32 51 41 2.12 4.12 (+48%) 1364.0
1950 CLE AL 4 2 36 0 0 0 4 63.0 57 25 30 26 3.57 4.36 (+18%) -511.7
1952 BOS AL 4 3 24 0 0 0 6 37.7 37 10 17 20 2.39 3.70 (+35%) 640.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
455 512 22 50 7 0 0 14 0 7 200 0.098 0.112 0.111 0.223 -2902.3

Career AVG .098 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 63.2% below league average.

Career OBP .112 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 66.8% below league average.

Career SLG .111 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 70.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.223 vs. league average 0.716 across their career seasons — 68.9% 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
1934 PHA AL 32 55 1 6 0 0 0 2 0 0 22 0.109 .278 (-61%) .340 (-68%) .392 (-72%) .733 (-70%) -661.0
1935 PHA AL 27 25 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 11 0.040 — — — — 0.0
1938 DET AL 19 33 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 13 0.121 — — — — 0.0
1939 DET AL 37 44 5 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 15 0.091 — — — — 0.0
1940 DET AL 42 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1941 DET AL 38 50 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 20 0.060 .262 (-77%) .332 (-82%) .373 (-79%) .705 (-80%) -676.6
1942 DET AL 35 67 3 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 32 0.075 .253 (-71%) .323 (-77%) .349 (-74%) .672 (-76%) -816.5
1945 DET AL 31 63 2 4 2 0 0 3 0 2 21 0.063 .260 (-76%) .328 (-72%) .354 (-73%) .683 (-73%) -748.2
1946 DET AL 28 49 3 9 1 0 0 3 0 0 17 0.184 — — — — 0.0
1947 DET AL 36 39 1 6 1 0 0 2 0 0 10 0.154 — — — — 0.0
1948 DET AL 30 11 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 6 0.182 — — — — 0.0
1949 CLE AL 40 38 1 5 0 0 0 1 0 1 11 0.132 — — — — 0.0
1950 CLE AL 36 12 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 0.083 — — — — 0.0
1952 BOS AL 24 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1945 WS DET 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 3 0 0 4.7 6 1 0 5 1.93

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1945 WS DET 0 0 3 0 0 4.7 6 1 0 5 1.93

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 455 0 97 301 26 18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1934 PHA P 32 0 11 28 1 3
1935 PHA P 27 0 2 12 1 0
1938 DET P 19 0 3 25 1 0
1939 DET P 37 0 6 27 2 0
1940 DET P 42 0 5 11 3 1
1941 DET P 38 0 9 27 3 4
1942 DET P 35 0 18 39 5 0
1945 DET P 31 0 11 44 2 4
1946 DET P 28 0 16 26 2 0
1947 DET P 36 0 6 24 4 1
1948 DET P 30 0 2 8 1 1
1949 CLE P 40 0 4 17 0 2
1950 CLE P 36 0 1 8 0 2
1952 BOS P 24 0 3 5 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 455

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1945 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 6.0 336 0
1941 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 8.0 336 0