Vern Bickford, baseball player, 1948-1954

Vern Bickford

Born: 8/17/1920 in Hellier, KY, USA

Died: 5/6/1960 in Richmond, VA, USA

MLB Debut: 1948-04-24 | Final Game: 1954-04-24

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Vernon Edgell Bickford

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Biography

Vern Bickford was a professional baseball pitcher who made his mark in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1954. Born in 1920, Bickford played during an era that was transitioning from the post-war years into a more competitive and diverse league. His career showcased a solid performance on the mound, culminating in a record of 66 wins against 57 losses and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.71. Over the course of his career, he struck out 450 batters and recorded 2 saves, demonstrating his effectiveness as a reliable pitcher during his tenure. Bickford's talent earned him an All-Star selection, highlighting his recognition among peers and fans alike. He was known for his competitive spirit and an ability to handle pressure situations, qualities that endeared him to teammates and spectators. While his career was relatively brief, Bickford's contributions to the game and his performance in the early 1950s left a lasting impression, exemplifying the skills of pitchers in an era defined by both emerging talents and established stars.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
66 57 182 149 73 9 2 1076.3 1040 444 76 467 450 3.71 0

Career ERA 3.71 vs. league average 4.05 across their career seasons — 8.4% 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
1948 BSN NL 11 5 33 22 10 1 1 146.0 125 53 63 60 3.27 4.10 (+20%) -22.3
1949 BSN NL 16 11 37 36 15 2 0 230.7 246 109 106 101 4.25 4.12 (-3%) -612.7
1950 BSN NL 19 14 40 39 27 2 0 311.7 293 120 122 126 3.47 4.36 (+20%) 2565.0
1951 BSN NL 11 9 25 20 12 3 0 164.7 146 57 76 76 3.12 4.04 (+23%) 1863.5
1952 BSN NL 7 12 26 22 7 1 0 161.3 165 67 64 62 3.74 3.70 (-1%) 1207.6
1953 ATL NL 2 5 20 9 2 0 1 58.0 60 34 35 25 5.28 4.14 (-28%) -
1954 BAL AL 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 4.0 5 4 1 0 9.00 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
182 365 23 57 4 0 0 28 0 10 85 0.156 0.179 0.167 0.346 -3109.0

Career AVG .156 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 40.3% below league average.

Career OBP .179 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 47.1% below league average.

Career SLG .167 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — 56.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.346 vs. league average 0.724 across their career seasons — 52.2% 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
1948 BSN NL 33 49 3 10 2 0 0 7 0 2 12 0.204 — — — — -284.1
1949 BSN NL 37 81 7 15 0 0 0 8 0 2 20 0.185 .262 (-30%) .343 (-40%) .384 (-52%) .727 (-46%) -652.8
1950 BSN NL 40 116 9 16 0 0 0 6 0 3 24 0.138 .265 (-48%) .346 (-54%) .401 (-66%) .747 (-60%) -1244.6
1951 BSN NL 25 52 1 6 1 0 0 4 0 2 12 0.115 .260 (-56%) .336 (-56%) .385 (-65%) .721 (-61%) -535.6
1952 BSN NL 26 51 2 9 1 0 0 3 0 0 9 0.176 .252 (-30%) .326 (-46%) .369 (-47%) .696 (-46%) -391.9
1953 ATL NL 20 15 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 0.067 — — — — 0.0
1954 BAL AL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 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
1948 WS BSN 1 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 1 1 1 0 3.3 4 1 5 1 2.70

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1948 WS BSN 0 1 1 1 0 3.3 4 1 5 1 2.70

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 182 1 68 202 6 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1948 BSN P 33 0 6 22 1 0
1949 BSN P 37 0 7 50 1 3
1950 BSN P 40 0 26 45 2 5
1951 BSN P 25 0 14 38 1 4
1952 BSN P 26 0 12 32 1 4
1953 ML1 P 20 0 3 14 0 3
1954 BAL P 1 1 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 182

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1950 Most Valuable Player NL 30th 4.0 336 0