Ben Chapman, baseball player, 1930-1946

Ben Chapman

Born: 12/25/1908 in Nashville, TN, USA

Died: 7/7/1993 in Hoover, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1930-04-15 | Final Game: 1946-05-12

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: William Benjamin Chapman

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Biography

Ben Chapman, born in 1908, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1930 to 1946. He made a significant impact in the Major Leagues during an era marked by the transition from the deadball era to a time of greater offensive output. Chapman played a total of 16 seasons, during which he distinguished himself with a career record of 8-6 and an earned run average (ERA) of 4.4. His ability to strike out batters was notable, as he recorded 65 strikeouts throughout his career. Although he did not register any saves, his contributions on the mound were recognized with four All-Star selections, highlighting his status as one of the prominent pitchers of his time. Chapman's playing style was characterized by a blend of finesse and strategic thinking, allowing him to navigate the challenges posed by some of the most formidable hitters of the era. He competed during a transformative period in baseball history, witnessing the integration of the sport and the evolution of pitching strategies. His legacy is remembered not only through his statistics but also through his resilience and adaptability in a rapidly changing game. As a four-time All-Star, Chapman remains a respected figure in the annals of baseball history, symbolizing the enduring spirit of competition that defined his generation of players.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
8 6 25 16 8 0 0 141.0 147 69 7 71 65 4.40 0

Career ERA 4.40 vs. league average 3.61 across their career seasons — 22.0% 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
1944 BRO NL 5 3 11 9 6 0 0 79.3 75 30 33 37 3.40 3.57 (+5%) -378.5
1945 BRO NL 3 3 10 7 2 0 0 53.7 64 33 32 23 5.53 3.67 (-51%) -1189.4
1945 PHI NL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 7.0 7 6 6 4 7.71 — 0.0
1946 PHI NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 1 0.00 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1717 6478 1144 1958 407 107 90 977 287 824 556 0.302 0.383 0.440 0.823 17359.4

Career AVG .302 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — +10.8% above league average.

Career OBP .383 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — +13.4% above league average.

Career SLG .440 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — +13.7% above league average.

Career OPS 0.823 vs. league average 0.725 across their career seasons — +13.5% above 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
1930 NYY AL 138 513 74 162 31 10 10 81 14 43 58 0.316 .293 (+7%) .354 (+5%) .429 (+10%) .784 (+8%) 819.9
1931 NYY AL 149 600 120 189 28 11 17 122 61 75 77 0.315 .276 (+14%) .338 (+17%) .388 (+24%) .726 (+21%) 2744.4
1932 NYY AL 151 581 101 174 41 15 10 107 38 71 55 0.299 .275 (+9%) .335 (+13%) .391 (+21%) .726 (+17%) 2145.6
1933 NYY AL 147 565 112 176 36 4 9 98 27 72 45 0.312 .270 (+15%) .329 (+19%) .377 (+16%) .707 (+17%) 2214.4
1934 NYY AL 149 588 82 181 21 13 5 86 26 67 68 0.308 .278 (+11%) .340 (+12%) .392 (+5%) .733 (+8%) 1162.7
1935 NYY AL 140 553 118 160 38 8 8 74 17 61 39 0.289 .279 (+3%) .342 (+5%) .399 (+8%) .742 (+7%) 763.9
1936 NYY AL 36 139 19 37 14 3 1 21 1 15 20 0.266 .283 (-6%) .349 (-3%) .404 (+7%) .753 (+2%) 11.5
1936 WSN AL 97 401 91 133 36 7 4 60 19 69 18 0.332 .283 (+17%) .349 (+23%) .404 (+20%) .753 (+22%) 11.5
1937 WSN AL 35 130 23 34 7 1 0 12 8 26 7 0.262 .276 (-5%) .342 (+12%) .398 (-17%) .740 (-3%) 17.0
1937 BOS AL 113 423 76 130 23 11 7 57 27 57 35 0.307 .276 (+11%) .342 (+14%) .398 (+16%) .740 (+15%) 17.0
1938 BOS AL 127 480 92 163 40 8 6 80 13 65 33 0.340 .272 (+24%) .341 (+22%) .392 (+26%) .734 (+24%) 2441.8
1939 CLE AL 149 545 101 158 31 9 6 82 18 87 30 0.290 .274 (+6%) .342 (+14%) .393 (+5%) .735 (+9%) 1282.2
1940 CLE AL 143 548 82 157 40 6 4 50 13 78 45 0.286 .267 (+7%) .335 (+13%) .387 (+4%) .722 (+8%) 1072.7
1941 WSN AL 28 110 9 28 6 0 1 10 2 10 6 0.255 .262 (-3%) .332 (-5%) .373 (-10%) .705 (-7%) -133.9
1941 CHW AL 57 190 26 43 9 1 2 19 2 19 14 0.226 .262 (-14%) .332 (-11%) .373 (-15%) .705 (-13%) -133.9
1944 BRO NL 20 38 11 14 4 0 0 11 1 5 4 0.368 — — — — 0.0
1945 BRO NL 13 22 2 3 0 0 0 3 0 2 1 0.136 — — — — 0.0
1945 PHI NL 24 51 4 16 2 0 0 4 0 2 1 0.314 .260 (+20%) .328 (+3%) .354 (-1%) .683 (+1%) 0.0
1946 PHI NL 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 17 1 5 2 0 0 6 2 4 0.294

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1932 WS NYA 4 17 1 5 2 0 0 6 2 4 0.294

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 56 0 157 179 20 40
3B 96 0 102 156 26 12
OF 1495 0 3476 156 125 31
P 25 0 5 20 2 1
SS 1 0 2 1 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1930 NYA 2B 45 0 132 146 18 36
1930 NYA 3B 91 0 100 149 24 11
1931 NYA 2B 11 0 25 33 2 4
1931 NYA OF 137 0 300 14 12 1
1932 NYA OF 150 0 303 13 17 2
1933 NYA OF 147 0 288 24 8 4
1934 NYA OF 149 0 368 12 13 2
1935 NYA OF 138 0 372 25 15 7
1936 NYA OF 36 0 106 3 4 0
1936 WS1 OF 97 0 271 10 12 4
1937 WS1 OF 32 0 87 1 4 0
1937 BOS OF 112 0 262 9 4 1
1937 BOS SS 1 0 2 1 1 0
1938 BOS 3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1938 BOS OF 126 0 267 15 10 5
1939 CLE OF 146 0 356 12 11 0
1940 CLE OF 140 0 307 10 12 3
1941 WS1 OF 26 0 54 3 1 1
1941 CHA OF 49 0 122 4 1 1
1944 BRO P 11 0 3 6 1 0
1945 BRO P 10 0 2 13 1 1
1945 PHI 3B 4 0 2 6 2 1
1945 PHI OF 10 0 13 1 1 0
1945 PHI P 3 0 0 1 0 0
1946 PHI P 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 25
Second Base 56
Third Base 96
Shortstop 1
Left Field 403
Center Field 582
Right Field 548

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1933 Most Valuable Player AL 20th 4.0 80 0
1931 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 7.0 80 0