Wally Berger, baseball player, 242 home runs, 1930-1940

Wally Berger

Born: 10/10/1905 in Chicago, IL, USA

Died: 11/30/1988 in Redondo Beach, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1930-04-15 | Final Game: 1940-07-04

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 198 lbs

Full name: Walter Anton Berger

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Biography

Wally Berger was a prominent American baseball player born in 1905, whose career spanned from 1930 to 1940. As a position player, he made a significant impact in Major League Baseball during the pre-war era, showcasing his skills as an explosive hitter and a reliable run producer. Over the course of 1,350 games, Berger amassed 1,550 hits, including 242 home runs and 898 RBIs, while maintaining an impressive batting average of .300. His ability to combine power with consistency established him as one of the top offensive players of his time. Berger was selected as an All-Star four times, highlighting his status among the elite players of the league during the 1930s. Known for his aggressive playing style, he also demonstrated speed on the bases, recording 36 stolen bases throughout his career. Berger's contributions to the game were significant during a period that saw evolving offensive strategies and the rise of new baseball stars. His legacy remains as a testament to the talent that flourished in the early 20th century, making him a memorable figure in baseball history.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
28.0 25.0 4.0 8.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 4.0 3.0 0 0 0.320 0.393 0.600 0.993

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1930 16.0 14.0 2.0 4.0 0 0 0 2.0 2.0 0 0 0.286 0.375 0.286 0.661
1934 8.0 7.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 0 1.0 2.0 1.0 0 0 0.286 0.375 0.857 1.232
1935 4.0 4.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500 0.500 1.250 1.750

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1350 5163 809 1550 299 59 242 898 36 435 694 0.300 0.359 0.522 0.881 19376.6

Career AVG .300 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — +8.3% above league average.

Career OBP .359 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — +5.2% above league average.

Career SLG .522 vs. league average .396 across their career seasons — +31.6% above league average.

Career OPS 0.881 vs. league average 0.737 across their career seasons — +19.4% above 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
1930 BSN NL 151 555 98 172 27 14 38 119 3 54 69 0.310 .293 (+5%) .354 (+6%) .429 (+43%) .784 (+26%) 3030.7
1931 BSN NL 156 617 94 199 44 8 19 84 13 55 70 0.323 .276 (+17%) .338 (+12%) .388 (+32%) .726 (+23%) 2822.0
1932 BSN NL 145 602 90 185 34 6 17 73 5 33 66 0.307 .275 (+12%) .335 (+3%) .391 (+20%) .726 (+12%) 1346.4
1933 BSN NL 137 528 84 165 37 8 27 106 2 41 77 0.312 .270 (+16%) .329 (+11%) .377 (+50%) .707 (+32%) 3090.8
1934 BSN NL 150 615 92 183 35 8 34 121 2 49 65 0.298 .278 (+7%) .340 (+4%) .392 (+39%) .733 (+23%) 2642.8
1935 BSN NL 150 589 91 174 39 4 34 130 3 50 80 0.295 .279 (+6%) .342 (+3%) .399 (+37%) .742 (+22%) 2494.9
1936 BSN NL 138 534 88 154 23 3 25 91 1 53 84 0.288 .283 (+2%) .349 (+3%) .404 (+20%) .753 (+12%) 1346.2
1937 BSN NL 30 113 14 31 9 1 5 22 0 11 33 0.274 .276 (-1%) .342 (avg) .398 (+27%) .740 (+15%) 256.8
1937 NY1 NL 59 199 40 58 11 2 12 43 3 18 30 0.291 .276 (+5%) .342 (+5%) .398 (+38%) .740 (+22%) 256.8
1938 NY1 NL 16 32 5 6 0 0 0 4 0 2 4 0.188 — — — — 0.0
1938 CIN NL 99 407 74 125 23 4 16 56 2 29 44 0.307 .272 (+13%) .341 (+4%) .392 (+28%) .734 (+17%) 0.0
1939 CIN NL 97 329 36 85 15 1 14 44 1 36 63 0.258 .274 (-6%) .342 (avg) .393 (+11%) .735 (+6%) 381.4
1940 CIN NL 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1940 PHI NL 20 41 3 13 2 0 1 5 1 4 8 0.317 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 18 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1939 WS CIN 4 15 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0.000
1937 WS NY1 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 13 0 106 4 0 7
OF 1296 0 3324 87 91 21

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1930 BSN OF 145 0 307 10 11 3
1931 BSN 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1931 BSN OF 156 0 457 16 11 5
1932 BSN 1B 11 0 102 4 0 7
1932 BSN OF 134 0 396 10 3 3
1933 BSN OF 136 0 382 6 9 4
1934 BSN OF 150 0 385 9 9 2
1935 BSN OF 149 0 458 8 17 1
1936 BSN OF 133 0 384 10 14 1
1937 BSN OF 28 0 51 1 0 0
1937 NY1 OF 52 0 107 4 4 0
1938 NY1 OF 9 0 29 0 0 0
1938 CIN OF 98 0 192 7 7 2
1939 CIN OF 95 0 158 6 5 0
1940 PHI 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1940 PHI OF 11 0 18 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 13
Left Field 347
Center Field 938
Right Field 11

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1935 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1935 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1933 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1933 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1933 TSN All-Star OF

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1936 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 4.0 80 0
1935 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 20.0 80 0
1934 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 13.0 80 0
1933 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 44.0 80 0
1932 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 6.0 80 0