Max Butcher, baseball player, 1936-1945

Max Butcher

Born: 9/21/1910 in Holden, WV, USA

Died: 9/15/1957 in Logan, WV, USA

MLB Debut: 1936-04-20 | Final Game: 1945-09-11

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 220 lbs

Full name: Albert Maxwell Butcher

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Biography

Max Butcher was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1945. Born in 1910, Butcher established himself as a competitive presence on the mound during a time when the sport was marked by both the tail end of the Great Depression and the onset of World War II. Over the course of his career, he recorded a win-loss record of 95-106, showcasing his resilience and ability to compete against some of the best hitters of his era. His earned run average (ERA) of 3.73 indicated his effectiveness in limiting runs, while his 485 strikeouts demonstrated his capability as a strikeout pitcher. Butcher's career spanned a transformative period in baseball, where the game began to evolve with changing player dynamics and strategies. Though he may not have reached the heights of superstardom, his contributions and performances were significant in shaping the competitive landscape of the era. With a total of 9 saves, he also demonstrated versatility as a late-inning option, adding depth to his team's pitching staff. Although he retired in 1945, Max Butcher remains a notable figure in the history of baseball, remembered for his dedication and skill on the field.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
95 106 334 229 104 14 9 1786.3 1935 741 100 583 485 3.73 0

Career ERA 3.73 vs. league average 4.00 across their career seasons — 6.6% 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
1936 BRO NL 6 6 38 15 5 0 2 147.7 154 65 59 55 3.96 4.59 (+14%) -812.7
1937 BRO NL 11 15 39 24 8 1 0 191.7 203 91 75 57 4.27 4.34 (+1%) -1673.8
1938 BRO NL 5 4 24 8 3 0 2 72.7 104 53 39 21 6.56 4.35 (-51%) -2636.5
1938 PHI NL 4 8 12 12 11 0 0 98.3 94 32 31 29 2.93 4.35 (+33%) 111.7
1939 PHI NL 2 13 19 16 3 0 0 104.3 131 65 51 27 5.61 4.28 (-31%) -2688.7
1939 PIT NL 4 4 14 12 5 2 0 86.7 104 33 23 21 3.43 4.28 (+20%) 1333.3
1940 PIT NL 8 9 35 24 6 2 2 136.3 161 91 46 40 6.01 4.21 (-43%) -1674.2
1941 PIT NL 17 12 33 32 19 0 0 236.0 249 80 66 61 3.05 3.94 (+22%) 1183.0
1942 PIT NL 5 8 24 18 9 0 1 150.7 144 49 44 49 2.93 3.57 (+18%) 474.6
1943 PIT NL 10 8 33 21 10 2 1 193.7 191 56 57 45 2.60 3.50 (+26%) 674.6
1944 PIT NL 13 11 35 27 13 5 1 199.0 216 69 46 43 3.12 3.57 (+13%) 505.6
1945 PIT NL 10 8 28 20 12 2 0 169.3 184 57 46 37 3.03 3.67 (+17%) -160.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
342 598 43 110 14 0 1 37 0 16 92 0.184 0.205 0.212 0.418 -2742.2

Career AVG .184 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — 31.1% below league average.

Career OBP .205 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 38.7% below league average.

Career SLG .212 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 43.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.418 vs. league average 0.710 across their career seasons — 41.2% 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
1936 BRO NL 42 48 6 6 1 0 0 1 0 2 16 0.125 — — — — -515.5
1937 BRO NL 40 62 3 10 3 0 0 3 0 2 17 0.161 .276 (-42%) .342 (-45%) .398 (-47%) .740 (-46%) -515.1
1938 BRO NL 25 25 3 4 1 0 1 3 0 0 5 0.160 — — — — 0.0
1938 PHI NL 12 35 2 9 0 0 0 1 0 1 8 0.257 — — — — 0.0
1939 PHI NL 19 38 1 7 0 0 0 3 0 0 6 0.184 — — — — 0.0
1939 PIT NL 14 31 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 0.097 — — — — 0.0
1940 PIT NL 36 50 6 15 3 0 0 10 0 2 7 0.300 .267 (+12%) .335 (-2%) .387 (-7%) .722 (-5%) -47.8
1941 PIT NL 33 82 4 15 0 0 0 3 0 3 9 0.183 .262 (-30%) .332 (-36%) .373 (-51%) .705 (-44%) -598.6
1942 PIT NL 24 49 3 7 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1943 PIT NL 33 61 1 10 2 0 0 4 0 2 5 0.164 .255 (-36%) .324 (-41%) .346 (-43%) .671 (-42%) -421.3
1944 PIT NL 36 63 4 12 2 0 0 5 0 2 8 0.190 .261 (-27%) .325 (-34%) .357 (-38%) .683 (-36%) -375.7
1945 PIT NL 28 54 6 12 1 0 0 2 0 1 2 0.222 .260 (-15%) .328 (-28%) .354 (-32%) .683 (-30%) -268.2

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 334 0 98 402 13 25

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1936 BRO P 38 0 5 25 2 1
1937 BRO P 39 0 17 53 1 4
1938 BRO P 24 0 4 21 1 2
1938 PHI P 12 0 5 19 1 3
1939 PHI P 19 0 2 13 0 0
1939 PIT P 14 0 1 28 0 2
1940 PIT P 35 0 5 34 2 2
1941 PIT P 33 0 17 48 0 2
1942 PIT P 24 0 11 33 1 0
1943 PIT P 33 0 11 40 2 4
1944 PIT P 35 0 12 51 2 3
1945 PIT P 28 0 8 37 1 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 335