Babe Dahlgren, baseball player, 1935-1946

Babe Dahlgren

Born: 6/15/1912 in San Francisco, CA, USA

Died: 9/4/1996 in Arcadia, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1935-04-16 | Final Game: 1946-09-03

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

Full name: Ellsworth Tenney Dahlgren

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Biography

Babe Dahlgren was a professional baseball player born in 1912, who made a significant impact on the game during his career from 1935 to 1946. Primarily known as a position player, Dahlgren played in 1,137 games and finished his career with a batting average of .261. Over the course of his time in Major League Baseball, he accumulated 1,056 hits, including 82 home runs and 569 runs batted in (RBIs). Known for his versatility, he also contributed with 18 stolen bases, showcasing an ability to impact the game both offensively and on the basepaths. Dahlgren’s career coincided with a transformative era in baseball, as the sport was evolving in terms of talent and style of play. He was selected as an All-Star once during his career, highlighting his standing among peers. While he may not have reached the legendary status of some of his contemporaries, Dahlgren’s contributions to his teams and his consistent performance made him a respected figure in the game during a time marked by fierce competition and the eventual integration of baseball. His legacy endures as part of the rich history of baseball in the mid-20th century.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
30.0 27.0 2.0 4.0 0 0 0 2.0 3.0 2.0 0 0.148 0.233 0.148 0.381

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1942 13.0 11.0 1.0 3.0 0 0 0 2.0 2.0 0 0 0.273 0.385 0.273 0.658
1943 8.0 7.0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 1.0 1.0 0 0.143 0.250 0.143 0.393
1944 5.0 5.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
1945 4.0 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1137 4045 470 1056 174 37 82 569 18 390 401 0.261 0.329 0.383 0.713 1312.2

Career AVG .261 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .329 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .383 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.713 vs. league average 0.711 across their career seasons — near 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 BOS AL 149 525 77 138 27 7 9 63 6 56 67 0.263 .279 (-6%) .342 (-2%) .399 (-2%) .742 (-2%) -174.7
1936 BOS AL 16 57 6 16 3 1 1 7 2 7 1 0.281 .283 (-1%) .349 (+3%) .404 (+4%) .753 (+4%) 35.3
1937 NYY AL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1938 NYY AL 27 43 8 8 1 0 0 1 0 1 7 0.186 — — — — 0.0
1939 NYY AL 144 531 71 125 18 6 15 89 2 57 54 0.235 .274 (-14%) .342 (-9%) .393 (-4%) .735 (-6%) -739.5
1940 NYY AL 155 568 51 150 24 4 12 73 1 46 54 0.264 .267 (-1%) .335 (-3%) .387 (-1%) .722 (-2%) -257.1
1941 BSN NL 44 166 20 39 8 1 7 30 0 16 13 0.235 .262 (-10%) .332 (-8%) .373 (+13%) .705 (+3%) 51.4
1941 CHC NL 99 359 50 101 20 1 16 59 2 43 39 0.281 .262 (+7%) .332 (+8%) .373 (+28%) .705 (+18%) 51.4
1942 CHC NL 17 56 4 12 1 0 0 6 0 4 2 0.214 .253 (-15%) .323 (-17%) .349 (-34%) .672 (-26%) -220.7
1942 SLA AL 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — -220.7
1942 BRO NL 17 19 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 0.053 — — — — -220.7
1943 PHI NL 136 508 55 146 19 2 5 56 2 50 39 0.287 .255 (+12%) .324 (+9%) .346 (+5%) .671 (+7%) 718.0
1944 PIT NL 158 599 67 173 28 7 12 101 2 47 56 0.289 .261 (+10%) .325 (+6%) .357 (+17%) .683 (+12%) 1353.1
1945 PIT NL 144 531 57 133 24 8 5 75 1 51 51 0.250 .260 (-4%) .328 (-3%) .354 (avg) .683 (-2%) -226.3
1946 SLA AL 28 80 2 14 1 0 0 9 0 8 13 0.175 .256 (-32%) .328 (-24%) .358 (-48%) .687 (-36%) -457.1

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 14 2 3 2 0 1 2 0 4 0.214

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1939 WS NYA 4 14 2 3 2 0 1 2 0 4 0.214

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1030 0 9619 587 102 848
3B 48 0 49 72 14 4
C 1 0 0 0 0 0
SS 25 0 53 53 6 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1935 BOS 1B 149 0 1433 69 18 109
1936 BOS 1B 16 0 136 8 3 10
1938 NYA 1B 6 0 26 2 0 2
1938 NYA 3B 8 0 11 8 4 0
1939 NYA 1B 144 0 1303 68 13 140
1940 NYA 1B 155 0 1488 75 15 143
1941 BSN 1B 39 0 379 28 3 45
1941 BSN 3B 5 0 5 12 1 0
1941 CHN 1B 98 0 957 38 9 84
1942 CHN 1B 14 0 136 10 2 7
1942 BRO 1B 10 0 47 4 0 6
1943 PHI 1B 73 0 714 46 9 66
1943 PHI 3B 35 0 33 52 9 4
1943 PHI C 1 0 0 0 0 0
1943 PHI SS 25 0 53 53 6 11
1944 PIT 1B 158 0 1440 128 20 105
1945 PIT 1B 144 0 1373 93 6 115
1946 SLA 1B 24 0 187 18 4 16

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1
First Base 1028
Third Base 48
Shortstop 25

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1944 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 33.0 336 1
1943 Most Valuable Player NL 29th 2.0 336 0
1941 Most Valuable Player NL 28th 6.0 336 0