Earl Caldwell, baseball player, 1928-1948

Earl Caldwell

Born: 4/9/1905 in Sparks, TX, USA

Died: 9/15/1981 in Mission, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1928-09-08 | Final Game: 1948-09-15

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 178 lbs

Full name: Earl Welton Caldwell

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Biography

Earl Caldwell, born in 1905, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1928 until his retirement in 1948. Throughout his time in Major League Baseball, Caldwell established himself as a reliable arm on the mound, finishing his career with a record of 33-43 and an earned run average (ERA) of 4.69. His longevity in the sport allowed him to accumulate a total of 202 strikeouts and secure 25 saves, showcasing his ability to both start games and come in as a late-inning reliever. Caldwell's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, bridging the late deadball era and the beginning of the modern game. Known for his competitive spirit and effective pitching style, he contributed to various teams over the years, adapting to the evolving strategies of the sport. While his win-loss record may not have placed him among the elite pitchers of his time, Caldwell's contributions and experience were invaluable to the teams he played for, and he remains a notable figure in the annals of baseball history.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
3.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 0 0 0 18.00

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1936 3.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1936 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 0 0 0 18.00

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
33 43 200 49 18 5 25 587.7 656 306 44 259 202 4.69 0

Career ERA 4.69 vs. league average 4.09 across their career seasons — 14.6% 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
1928 PHI NL 1 4 5 5 1 1 0 34.7 46 22 17 6 5.71 4.13 (-38%) -1711.6
1935 SLA AL 3 2 6 5 2 1 0 36.7 34 15 17 5 3.68 4.35 (+15%) -619.5
1936 SLA AL 7 16 41 25 10 2 2 189.0 252 126 83 59 6.00 4.59 (-31%) -3609.3
1937 SLA AL 0 0 9 2 0 0 0 29.0 39 22 13 8 6.83 4.34 (-57%) -882.0
1945 CHW AL 6 7 27 11 5 1 4 105.3 108 42 37 45 3.59 3.67 (+2%) -
1946 CHW AL 13 4 39 0 0 0 8 90.7 60 21 29 42 2.08 3.59 (+42%) -
1947 CHW AL 1 4 40 0 0 0 8 54.3 53 22 30 22 3.64 3.97 (+8%) -
1948 CHW AL 1 5 25 1 0 0 3 39.0 53 23 22 10 5.31 4.10 (-29%) -
1948 BOS AL 1 1 8 0 0 0 0 9.0 11 13 11 5 13.00 4.10 (-217%) 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
200 157 14 28 4 0 1 16 0 8 43 0.178 0.218 0.223 0.441 -429.7

Career AVG .178 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — 34.1% below league average.

Career OBP .218 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 35.6% below league average.

Career SLG .223 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — 41.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.441 vs. league average 0.723 across their career seasons — 38.9% 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
1928 PHI NL 5 9 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1935 SLA AL 6 11 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.182 — — — — 0.0
1936 SLA AL 41 58 5 11 1 0 1 6 0 0 16 0.190 .283 (-33%) .349 (-46%) .404 (-36%) .753 (-41%) -429.7
1937 SLA AL 9 9 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 0.222 — — — — 0.0
1945 CHW AL 27 37 4 8 1 0 0 4 0 0 8 0.216 — — — — 0.0
1946 CHW AL 39 18 2 3 0 0 0 2 0 5 4 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1947 CHW AL 40 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1948 CHW AL 25 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1948 BOS AL 8 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 200 0 25 125 7 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1928 PHI P 5 0 0 10 0 0
1935 SLA P 6 0 3 13 0 0
1936 SLA P 41 0 6 32 5 3
1937 SLA P 9 0 0 6 0 0
1945 CHA P 27 0 8 34 1 3
1946 CHA P 39 0 5 19 0 0
1947 CHA P 40 0 1 6 1 0
1948 CHA P 25 0 2 5 0 0
1948 BOS P 8 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 200

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1946 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 18.0 336 0