Joe Dobson, baseball player, 1939-1954

Joe Dobson

Born: 1/20/1917 in Durant, OK, USA

Died: 6/23/1994 in Jacksonville, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1939-04-26 | Final Game: 1954-04-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 197 lbs

Full name: Joseph Gordon Dobson

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Biography

Joe Dobson was a skilled pitcher who made his mark in Major League Baseball from 1939 until his retirement in 1954. Born in 1917, Dobson built a solid career characterized by his competitive spirit and reliable performance on the mound. Over his 15-year career, he achieved a record of 137 wins and 103 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.62. He accumulated a total of 992 strikeouts and recorded 18 saves, showcasing his ability to both start games and finish them effectively. His prowess earned him an All-Star selection, highlighting his impact during a period when baseball was transitioning from the pre-World War II era into the more dynamic post-war years. Dobson's playing style was marked by his consistency and capability as a workhorse pitcher. He navigated the challenges of different eras in baseball, including the evolution of the game in the 1940s and early 1950s, when pitching strategies and player conditioning began to change significantly. Dobson's contributions to his teams were crucial, as he not only provided depth in the pitching rotation but also exemplified the resilience of players during a time of significant social and economic shifts in America. His legacy remains as a testament to the hard work and dedication of pitchers who played in a transformative period of the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
137 103 414 273 112 22 18 2170.0 2048 874 137 851 992 3.62 0

Career ERA 3.62 vs. league average 3.95 across their career seasons — 8.2% 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
1939 CLE AL 2 3 35 3 0 0 1 78.0 87 51 51 27 5.88 4.28 (-37%) -1174.1
1940 CLE AL 3 7 40 7 2 1 3 100.0 101 55 48 57 4.95 4.21 (-18%) -332.3
1941 BOS AL 12 5 27 18 7 1 0 134.3 136 67 67 69 4.49 3.94 (-14%) -540.5
1942 BOS AL 11 9 30 23 10 3 0 182.7 155 67 68 72 3.30 3.57 (+7%) -49.0
1943 BOS AL 7 11 25 20 9 3 0 164.3 144 57 57 63 3.12 3.50 (+11%) 1111.2
1946 BOS AL 13 7 32 24 9 1 0 166.7 148 60 68 91 3.24 3.59 (+10%) -15.0
1947 BOS AL 18 8 33 31 15 1 1 228.7 203 75 73 110 2.95 3.97 (+26%) 2484.3
1948 BOS AL 16 10 38 32 16 5 2 245.3 237 97 92 116 3.56 4.10 (+13%) 2559.6
1949 BOS AL 14 12 33 27 12 2 2 212.7 219 91 97 87 3.85 4.12 (+6%) 1640.6
1950 BOS AL 15 10 39 27 12 1 4 206.7 217 96 81 81 4.18 4.36 (+4%) 2370.8
1951 CHW AL 7 6 28 21 6 0 3 146.7 136 59 51 67 3.62 4.04 (+10%) -
1952 CHW AL 14 10 29 25 11 3 1 200.7 164 56 60 101 2.51 3.70 (+32%) -
1953 CHW AL 5 5 23 15 3 1 1 100.7 96 41 37 50 3.67 4.14 (+11%) -
1954 BOS AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.7 5 2 1 1 6.75 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
414 697 46 106 7 1 2 35 1 54 244 0.152 0.220 0.174 0.394 -3724.9

Career AVG .152 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 41.9% below league average.

Career OBP .220 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 34.1% below league average.

Career SLG .174 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 54.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.394 vs. league average 0.712 across their career seasons — 44.7% 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
1939 CLE AL 35 18 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.056 — — — — 0.0
1940 CLE AL 40 24 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 14 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1941 BOS AL 27 47 3 7 0 0 1 6 0 4 14 0.149 — — — — -304.8
1942 BOS AL 30 69 6 10 1 0 0 3 0 3 17 0.145 .253 (-43%) .323 (-41%) .349 (-54%) .672 (-48%) -523.5
1943 BOS AL 25 52 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 21 0.096 .255 (-62%) .324 (-51%) .346 (-72%) .671 (-62%) -498.5
1946 BOS AL 32 50 5 5 0 0 0 2 0 4 28 0.100 .256 (-61%) .328 (-49%) .358 (-72%) .687 (-61%) -495.4
1947 BOS AL 33 77 4 16 0 1 0 3 0 7 22 0.208 .262 (-21%) .336 (-19%) .376 (-38%) .712 (-29%) -368.2
1948 BOS AL 38 84 9 17 2 0 1 4 0 6 27 0.202 .263 (-23%) .340 (-18%) .379 (-31%) .719 (-25%) -345.5
1949 BOS AL 33 68 5 10 0 0 0 2 1 10 22 0.147 .262 (-44%) .343 (-25%) .384 (-62%) .727 (-45%) -502.6
1950 BOS AL 39 70 6 15 2 0 0 9 0 9 23 0.214 .265 (-19%) .346 (-10%) .401 (-40%) .747 (-26%) -297.6
1951 CHW AL 28 46 2 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 20 0.065 — — — — 0.0
1952 CHW AL 29 63 3 12 0 0 0 3 0 4 20 0.190 .252 (-25%) .326 (-27%) .369 (-48%) .696 (-38%) -388.7
1953 CHW AL 23 29 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 1 11 0.069 — — — — 0.0
1954 BOS AL 2 0 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
3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1946 WS BOS 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 0 3 1 0 12.7 4 0 3 10 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1946 WS BOS 1 0 3 1 0 12.7 4 0 3 10 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 414 0 126 341 11 24

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1939 CLE P 35 0 3 16 0 0
1940 CLE P 40 0 6 15 0 1
1941 BOS P 27 0 10 13 0 0
1942 BOS P 30 0 17 42 0 2
1943 BOS P 25 0 9 22 1 2
1946 BOS P 32 0 18 33 1 1
1947 BOS P 33 0 13 25 0 1
1948 BOS P 38 0 10 36 2 3
1949 BOS P 33 0 12 30 0 3
1950 BOS P 39 0 8 44 3 4
1951 CHA P 28 0 6 25 1 5
1952 CHA P 29 0 7 26 1 2
1953 CHA P 23 0 6 14 2 0
1954 BOS P 2 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 414

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1948 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 5.0 336 0
1947 Most Valuable Player AL 29th 3.0 336 0