Herman Besse, baseball player, 1940-1946

Herman Besse

Born: 8/16/1911 in St. Louis, MO, USA

Died: 8/13/1972 in Los Angeles, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1940-04-19 | Final Game: 1946-05-22

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Herman Anthony Besse

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Biography

Herman Besse was a professional baseball pitcher who played from 1940 to 1946. Born in 1911, Besse's career unfolded during a tumultuous time in American history, as the nation was embroiled in World War II. His contributions to the game came during an era when many players were drafted into military service, impacting the rosters of major league teams and creating opportunities for players like Besse to showcase their talents on a national stage. Throughout his career, Besse recorded a win-loss record of 5-15 and maintained an earned run average (ERA) of 6.79 over his time in the major leagues. He struck out 118 batters and recorded 2 saves, demonstrating his ability to contribute both as a starter and a reliever. Although his career numbers may not reflect dominance, Besse's perseverance and commitment to the game during a challenging era remain noteworthy, as he played a role in keeping the sport alive when many of his contemporaries were serving their country.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
5 15 65 25 5 0 2 242.7 298 183 24 128 118 6.79 0

Career ERA 6.79 vs. league average 3.76 across their career seasons — 80.5% worse 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
1940 PHA AL 0 3 17 5 0 0 0 53.0 70 52 34 19 8.83 4.21 (-110%) -3511.7
1941 PHA AL 2 0 6 2 1 0 0 19.7 28 22 12 8 10.07 3.94 (-156%) -1249.0
1942 PHA AL 2 9 30 14 4 0 1 133.0 163 91 69 78 6.16 3.57 (-73%) -569.2
1943 PHA AL 1 1 5 1 0 0 0 16.3 18 6 4 3 3.31 3.50 (+6%) -529.2
1946 PHA AL 0 2 7 3 0 0 1 20.7 19 12 9 10 5.23 3.59 (-46%) 19.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
71 90 8 18 2 0 0 15 0 9 20 0.200 0.273 0.222 0.495 -179.9

Career AVG .200 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 22.8% below league average.

Career OBP .273 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 17.1% below league average.

Career SLG .222 vs. league average .363 across their career seasons — 38.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.495 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — 28.5% 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
1940 PHA AL 17 19 1 5 1 0 0 7 0 4 6 0.263 — — — — 0.0
1941 PHA AL 6 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1942 PHA AL 34 53 7 12 1 0 0 7 0 4 10 0.226 .253 (-11%) .323 (-13%) .349 (-30%) .672 (-22%) -179.9
1943 PHA AL 7 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1946 PHA AL 7 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 65 0 1 34 1 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1940 PHA P 17 0 0 5 0 0
1941 PHA P 6 0 1 4 0 1
1942 PHA P 30 0 0 18 1 0
1943 PHA P 5 0 0 4 0 0
1946 PHA P 7 0 0 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 65