Larry French, baseball player, 1929-1942

Larry French

Born: 11/1/1907 in Visalia, CA, USA

Died: 2/9/1987 in San Diego, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1929-04-18 | Final Game: 1942-09-26

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Lawrence Herbert French

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Biography

Larry French was a prominent left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1929 until 1942. Born in 1907, he made his debut with the Chicago Cubs and quickly established himself as a reliable arm in the rotation. Over the course of his career, French compiled a record of 197 wins and 171 losses, while maintaining an earned run average (ERA) of 3.44. His ability to generate strikeouts was evident as he recorded 1,187 strikeouts and contributed 17 saves, showcasing his versatility as both a starter and a reliever. French was selected as an All-Star during his career, highlighting his status as one of the leading pitchers of his time. He played during an era marked by the transition from the deadball period to a more offensive-oriented game, navigating the evolving strategies of baseball effectively. His contributions on the mound were significant, as he helped shape the competitive landscape of the league during the 1930s and early 1940s. After his retirement, French's legacy as a solid pitcher remained, reflecting his dedication to the sport and the impact he had on his teams throughout his career.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
41.0 40.0 1.0 3.0 0 0 0 0 1.0 2.0 0 0.075 0.098 0.075 0.173

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
14.0 0 0 11.0 5.0 0 0 0.0 78.0 39.0 7.0 7.0 0 0 0.79

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1932 10.0 10.0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.100 0.100 0.100 0.200
1933 16.0 16.0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.062 0.062 0.062 0.124
1934 4.0 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
1935 4.0 4.0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.250 0.250 0.250 0.500
1942 7.0 6.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 .000 0.143 .000 0.143

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1932 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.0 11.0 8.0 0 0 0 0 0.00
1933 7.0 0 0 6.0 2.0 0 0 0.0 34.0 17.0 1.0 4.0 0 0 0.27
1934 2.0 0 0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 8.0 7.0 4.0 2.0 0 0 4.50
1935 3.0 0 0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 10.0 5.0 0 0 0 0 0.00
1942 2.0 0 0 2.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 15.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 0 0 1.12

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
197 171 570 384 198 40 17 3152.0 3375 1206 164 819 1187 3.44 0

Career ERA 3.44 vs. league average 4.25 across their career seasons — 18.9% 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
1929 PIT NL 7 5 30 13 6 0 1 123.0 130 67 62 49 4.90 4.60 (-7%) -1860.7
1930 PIT NL 17 18 42 35 21 3 1 274.7 325 133 89 90 4.36 4.80 (+9%) -991.0
1931 PIT NL 15 13 39 33 20 1 1 275.7 301 100 70 73 3.26 4.10 (+20%) 2142.5
1932 PIT NL 18 16 47 33 19 3 4 274.3 301 92 62 72 3.02 4.13 (+27%) 217.9
1933 PIT NL 18 13 47 35 21 5 1 291.3 290 88 55 88 2.72 3.86 (+30%) 4100.6
1934 PIT NL 12 18 49 35 16 3 1 263.7 299 105 59 103 3.58 4.29 (+16%) 5241.8
1935 CHC NL 17 10 42 30 16 4 2 246.3 279 81 44 90 2.96 4.35 (+32%) -
1936 CHC NL 18 9 43 28 16 4 3 252.3 262 95 54 104 3.39 4.59 (+26%) -
1937 CHC NL 16 10 42 28 11 4 0 208.0 229 92 65 100 3.98 4.34 (+8%) -
1938 CHC NL 10 19 43 27 10 3 0 201.3 210 85 62 83 3.80 4.35 (+13%) -
1939 CHC NL 15 8 36 21 10 2 1 194.0 205 71 50 98 3.29 4.28 (+23%) -
1940 CHC NL 14 14 40 33 18 3 2 246.0 240 90 64 107 3.29 4.21 (+22%) -
1941 CHC NL 5 14 26 18 6 1 0 138.0 161 71 43 60 4.63 3.94 (-18%) -
1941 BRO NL 0 0 6 1 0 0 0 15.7 16 6 4 8 3.45 3.94 (+12%) 143.6
1942 BRO NL 15 4 38 14 8 4 0 147.7 127 30 36 62 1.83 3.57 (+49%) 3467.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
570 1057 83 199 27 5 1 84 3 48 210 0.188 0.226 0.226 0.452 -6870.5

Career AVG .188 vs. league average .275 across their career seasons — 31.7% below league average.

Career OBP .226 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 33.5% below league average.

Career SLG .226 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 42.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.452 vs. league average 0.733 across their career seasons — 38.3% 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
1929 PIT NL 30 42 4 8 1 0 0 8 1 2 12 0.190 — — — — 0.0
1930 PIT NL 42 91 11 22 3 1 0 13 0 3 17 0.242 .293 (-18%) .354 (-25%) .429 (-31%) .784 (-28%) -483.4
1931 PIT NL 39 95 8 17 1 0 0 2 1 5 15 0.179 .276 (-35%) .338 (-33%) .388 (-51%) .726 (-43%) -686.2
1932 PIT NL 47 92 7 19 3 1 0 4 1 1 16 0.207 .275 (-25%) .335 (-36%) .391 (-33%) .726 (-35%) -572.4
1933 PIT NL 47 101 7 15 0 2 0 8 0 5 17 0.149 .270 (-45%) .329 (-43%) .377 (-50%) .707 (-47%) -817.5
1934 PIT NL 49 84 8 16 3 0 0 6 0 4 16 0.190 .278 (-31%) .340 (-33%) .392 (-42%) .733 (-38%) -571.8
1935 CHC NL 42 85 4 12 1 0 0 5 0 1 14 0.141 .279 (-50%) .342 (-53%) .399 (-62%) .742 (-58%) -865.9
1936 CHC NL 43 85 5 18 2 0 0 5 0 4 12 0.212 .283 (-25%) .349 (-29%) .404 (-42%) .753 (-36%) -549.5
1937 CHC NL 42 71 1 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 12 0.127 .276 (-54%) .342 (-63%) .398 (-65%) .740 (-64%) -801.3
1938 CHC NL 43 62 7 13 3 1 0 7 0 5 9 0.210 .272 (-23%) .341 (-21%) .392 (-26%) .734 (-24%) -271.4
1939 CHC NL 36 73 6 14 2 0 1 7 0 4 26 0.192 .274 (-30%) .342 (-29%) .393 (-34%) .735 (-31%) -402.1
1940 CHC NL 40 85 5 14 3 0 0 9 0 7 20 0.165 .267 (-38%) .335 (-29%) .387 (-48%) .722 (-40%) -574.3
1941 CHC NL 26 47 5 9 0 0 0 3 0 4 15 0.191 — — — — -274.8
1941 BRO NL 6 4 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.250 — — — — -274.8
1942 BRO NL 38 40 5 12 3 0 0 6 0 3 8 0.300 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.250

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1941 WS BRO 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1938 WS CHN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1935 WS CHN 2 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.250

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 2 7 1 0 15.0 16 5 3 10 3.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1941 WS BRO 0 0 2 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0.00
1938 WS CHN 0 0 3 0 0 3.3 1 1 1 2 2.70
1935 WS CHN 0 2 2 1 0 10.7 15 4 2 8 3.38

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 570 0 124 628 39 40

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1929 PIT P 30 0 3 35 2 1
1930 PIT P 42 0 5 53 3 3
1931 PIT P 39 0 7 56 3 6
1932 PIT P 47 0 8 45 7 3
1933 PIT P 47 0 12 45 3 4
1934 PIT P 49 0 10 40 3 4
1935 CHN P 42 0 16 55 2 5
1936 CHN P 43 0 14 37 3 3
1937 CHN P 42 0 10 55 4 4
1938 CHN P 43 0 19 41 1 1
1939 CHN P 36 0 5 47 2 3
1940 CHN P 40 0 7 63 2 2
1941 CHN P 26 0 1 26 2 0
1941 BRO P 6 0 0 3 0 0
1942 BRO P 38 0 7 27 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 570

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1936 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1942 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 7.0 336 0
1933 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 10.0 80 0