Clay Bryant, baseball player, 1935-1940

Clay Bryant

Born: 11/16/1911 in Madison Heights, VA, USA

Died: 4/9/1999 in Boca Raton, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1935-04-19 | Final Game: 1940-09-26

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Henry Claiborne Bryant

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Biography

Clay Bryant was a talented pitcher who made his mark in Major League Baseball during the late 1930s. Born in 1911, he played from 1935 to 1940, a period marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more offense-driven approach in baseball. Throughout his career, Bryant showcased his ability on the mound with a record of 32 wins and 20 losses, complemented by an earned run average (ERA) of 3.73. His strikeout tally reached 272, indicating his effectiveness in overpowering batters, while he also contributed to his teams with 7 saves. Bryant's playing style was characterized by his strong pitching mechanics and his ability to maintain composure under pressure. He was known for his versatility, able to adapt to the changing dynamics of the game during a time when pitchers were beginning to leverage more specialized roles. His contributions to the teams he played for during his career left a significant impact, especially as baseball began to evolve in the years leading up to World War II. After retiring from professional play on September 26, 1940, Bryant's legacy lived on as a reflection of the dedicated pitchers who laid the groundwork for future generations in the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
32 20 129 45 23 4 7 543.3 511 225 13 262 272 3.73 0

Career ERA 3.73 vs. league average 4.35 across their career seasons — 14.3% 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
1935 CHC NL 1 2 9 1 0 0 2 22.7 34 13 7 13 5.16 4.35 (-19%) -
1936 CHC NL 1 2 26 0 0 0 0 57.3 57 21 24 35 3.30 4.59 (+28%) -
1937 CHC NL 9 3 38 10 4 1 3 135.3 117 64 78 75 4.26 4.34 (+2%) -
1938 CHC NL 19 11 44 30 17 3 2 270.3 235 93 125 135 3.10 4.35 (+29%) -
1939 CHC NL 2 1 4 4 2 0 0 31.3 42 20 14 9 5.74 4.28 (-34%) -
1940 CHC NL 0 1 8 0 0 0 0 26.3 26 14 14 5 4.78 4.21 (-14%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
185 192 48 51 5 2 5 28 0 7 21 0.266 0.291 0.391 0.682 -406.7

Career AVG .266 vs. league average .276 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .291 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 14.9% below league average.

Career SLG .391 vs. league average .396 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.682 vs. league average 0.738 across their career seasons — 7.6% 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
1935 CHC NL 12 6 2 2 0 0 1 2 0 2 2 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1936 CHC NL 32 12 4 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0.417 — — — — 0.0
1937 CHC NL 47 45 13 14 2 1 1 7 0 2 4 0.311 — — — — 0.0
1938 CHC NL 50 106 16 24 2 1 3 15 0 2 10 0.226 .272 (-17%) .341 (-30%) .392 (-11%) .734 (-20%) -406.7
1939 CHC NL 28 14 9 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0.214 — — — — 0.0
1940 CHC NL 16 9 4 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0.333 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

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

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1938 WS CHN 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 1 1 0 5.3 6 4 5 3 6.75

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1938 WS CHN 0 1 1 1 0 5.3 6 4 5 3 6.75

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1 0 3 0 0 0
P 129 0 28 74 7 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1935 CHN P 9 0 2 3 0 0
1936 CHN P 26 0 6 13 2 0
1937 CHN P 38 0 4 13 2 3
1938 CHN P 44 0 9 38 2 4
1939 CHN OF 1 0 3 0 0 0
1939 CHN P 4 0 4 2 1 0
1940 CHN P 8 0 3 5 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 129
Center Field 1

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1938 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 16.0 336 0