Spud Chandler, baseball player, 1937-1947

Spud Chandler

Born: 9/12/1907 in Commerce, GA, USA

Died: 1/9/1990 in South Pasadena, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1937-05-06 | Final Game: 1947-09-26

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 181 lbs

Full name: Spurgeon Ferdinand Chandler

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Biography

Spud Chandler was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, known for his exceptional talent and competitive spirit during his career from 1937 to 1947. Born in 1907, Chandler established himself as one of the leading pitchers of his time, amassing a career record of 109-43 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.84. His prowess on the mound was complemented by his ability to strike out batters, totaling 614 strikeouts over his career, alongside securing 6 saves. Chandler was recognized for his contributions to the game with four All-Star selections and was honored as the TSN Guide MVP during his playing days. Playing in an era that bridged the pre- and post-World War II period, Chandler's style was characterized by precision and control, making him a reliable ace for his teams. His performance helped solidify his legacy as one of the standout pitchers of the time. Chandler's career not only reflected the competitive nature of baseball during a transformative era but also set a benchmark for future generations of pitchers, showcasing the importance of skill and strategy in the game.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
13.0 12.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 0 1.0 4.0 0 2.0 0 0.167 0.167 0.500 0.667

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
2.0 0 0 2.0 0 0 0 0.0 28.0 11.0 9.0 2.0 0 0 2.19

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1946 13.0 12.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 0 1.0 4.0 0 2.0 0 0.167 0.167 0.500 0.667

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1946 2.0 0 0 2.0 0 0 0 0.0 28.0 11.0 9.0 2.0 0 0 2.19

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
109 43 211 184 109 26 6 1485.0 1327 468 64 463 614 2.84 0

Career ERA 2.84 vs. league average 3.91 across their career seasons — 27.4% 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
1937 NYY AL 7 4 12 10 6 2 0 82.3 79 26 20 31 2.84 4.34 (+34%) -
1938 NYY AL 14 5 23 23 14 2 0 172.0 183 77 47 36 4.03 4.35 (+7%) -
1939 NYY AL 3 0 11 0 0 0 0 19.0 26 6 9 4 2.84 4.28 (+34%) -
1940 NYY AL 8 7 27 24 6 1 0 172.0 184 88 60 56 4.60 4.21 (-9%) -
1941 NYY AL 10 4 28 20 11 4 4 163.7 146 58 60 60 3.19 3.94 (+19%) -
1942 NYY AL 16 5 24 24 17 3 0 200.7 176 53 74 74 2.38 3.57 (+33%) -
1943 NYY AL 20 4 30 30 20 5 0 253.0 197 46 54 134 1.64 3.50 (+53%) -
1944 NYY AL 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 6.0 6 3 1 1 4.50 — -
1945 NYY AL 2 1 4 4 2 1 0 31.0 30 16 7 12 4.65 3.67 (-27%) -
1946 NYY AL 20 8 34 32 20 6 2 257.3 200 60 90 138 2.10 3.59 (+42%) -
1947 NYY AL 9 5 17 16 13 2 0 128.0 100 35 41 68 2.46 3.97 (+38%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
211 548 53 110 18 2 9 45 0 20 154 0.201 0.234 0.290 0.524 -2092.9

Career AVG .201 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 24.0% below league average.

Career OBP .234 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 29.6% below league average.

Career SLG .290 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 21.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.524 vs. league average 0.705 across their career seasons — 25.6% 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
1937 NYY AL 12 30 2 4 0 0 0 6 0 1 7 0.133 — — — — 0.0
1938 NYY AL 23 69 10 14 1 0 3 4 0 1 23 0.203 .272 (-26%) .341 (-37%) .392 (-11%) .734 (-23%) -295.6
1939 NYY AL 11 5 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0.400 — — — — 0.0
1940 NYY AL 27 60 5 9 1 0 2 7 0 4 31 0.150 .267 (-44%) .335 (-36%) .387 (-31%) .722 (-33%) -343.8
1941 NYY AL 28 60 4 11 0 0 0 4 0 1 18 0.183 .262 (-30%) .332 (-41%) .373 (-51%) .705 (-46%) -456.7
1942 NYY AL 24 71 6 15 2 0 0 5 0 8 14 0.211 .253 (-17%) .323 (-10%) .349 (-32%) .672 (-21%) -219.7
1943 NYY AL 30 97 9 25 5 0 2 7 0 1 22 0.258 .255 (+1%) .324 (-12%) .346 (+7%) .671 (-2%) -59.2
1944 NYY AL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1945 NYY AL 4 12 1 4 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1946 NYY AL 34 94 9 14 5 2 0 3 0 2 27 0.149 .256 (-42%) .328 (-49%) .358 (-32%) .687 (-40%) -663.8
1947 NYY AL 17 49 5 12 3 0 2 4 0 1 10 0.245 — — — — -54.2

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 10 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0.200

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1947 WS NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1943 WS NYA 2 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.167
1942 WS NYA 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1941 WS NYA 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.500

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 2 6 4 1 33.3 28 6 9 16 1.62

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1947 WS NYA 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 2 2 3 1 9.00
1943 WS NYA 2 0 2 2 0 18.0 17 1 3 10 0.50
1942 WS NYA 0 1 2 1 1 8.3 5 1 1 3 1.08
1941 WS NYA 0 1 1 1 0 5.0 4 2 2 2 3.60

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 211 0 106 385 10 28

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1937 NYA P 12 0 9 23 0 1
1938 NYA P 23 0 18 50 0 3
1939 NYA P 11 0 1 7 0 0
1940 NYA P 27 0 4 50 2 3
1941 NYA P 28 0 15 42 1 1
1942 NYA P 24 0 25 46 2 8
1943 NYA P 30 0 10 63 3 4
1944 NYA P 1 0 0 3 0 0
1945 NYA P 4 0 5 5 0 0
1946 NYA P 34 0 13 60 1 7
1947 NYA P 17 0 6 36 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 211

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1943 Most Valuable Player
1943 TSN All-Star P
1943 TSN Guide MVP
1943 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1942 Baseball Magazine All-Star P5

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Georgia Athens GA 1930, 1931, 1932

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1946 Most Valuable Player AL 16th 12.0 336 0
1943 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 246.0 336 12
1942 Most Valuable Player AL 27th 3.0 336 0