Al Gettel, baseball player, 1945-1955

Al Gettel

Born: 9/17/1917 in Norfolk, VA, USA

Died: 4/8/2005 in Norfolk, VA, USA

MLB Debut: 1945-04-20 | Final Game: 1955-09-12

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: Allen Jones Gettel

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Biography

Al Gettel, born in 1917, was a professional baseball pitcher who enjoyed a decade-long career in Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1955. Known for his versatility on the mound, Gettel played during a transitional period in baseball history, just after World War II, when the sport was experiencing a resurgence in popularity. He made his mark primarily as a starting pitcher, finishing his career with a record of 38 wins and 45 losses, an earned run average (ERA) of 4.28, and a total of 310 strikeouts. Throughout his career, Gettel demonstrated resilience and skill, contributing not only as a pitcher but also as a reliable team player, evidenced by his 6 saves. His tenure in the league spanned an era marked by the integration of baseball and a shift toward more dynamic pitching styles. While he may not have achieved superstardom, Gettel's role in the game during a pivotal time in its history remains a significant part of his legacy. He retired in 1955, leaving behind a body of work that reflected the evolving nature of baseball in post-war America.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
38 45 184 79 31 5 6 734.3 711 349 72 310 310 4.28 0

Career ERA 4.28 vs. league average 3.92 across their career seasons — 9.2% 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
1945 NYY AL 9 8 27 17 9 0 3 154.7 141 67 53 67 3.90 3.67 (-6%) -
1946 NYY AL 6 7 26 11 5 2 0 103.0 89 34 40 54 2.97 3.59 (+17%) -
1947 CLE AL 11 10 31 21 9 2 0 149.0 122 53 62 64 3.20 3.97 (+19%) -850.0
1948 CLE AL 0 1 5 2 0 0 0 7.7 15 15 10 4 17.61 — 0.0
1948 CHW AL 8 10 22 19 7 0 1 148.0 154 66 60 49 4.01 4.10 (+2%) -
1949 CHW AL 2 5 19 7 1 1 1 63.0 69 45 26 22 6.43 4.12 (-56%) -
1949 WSN AL 0 2 16 1 0 0 1 34.7 43 21 24 7 5.45 4.12 (-32%) -
1951 NY1 NL 1 2 30 1 0 0 0 57.3 52 31 25 36 4.87 4.04 (-20%) -1759.7
1955 STL NL 1 0 8 0 0 0 0 17.0 26 17 10 7 9.00 4.00 (-125%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
189 241 23 55 7 1 0 14 0 4 25 0.228 0.244 0.266 0.509 -433.1

Career AVG .228 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 12.5% below league average.

Career OBP .244 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 27.2% below league average.

Career SLG .266 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 29.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.509 vs. league average 0.710 across their career seasons — 28.3% 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
1945 NYY AL 27 57 8 16 2 0 0 3 0 1 3 0.281 .260 (+8%) .328 (-11%) .354 (-11%) .683 (-11%) -111.4
1946 NYY AL 26 32 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1947 CLE AL 34 51 7 15 2 1 0 4 0 0 4 0.294 .262 (+12%) .336 (-9%) .376 (-1%) .712 (-5%) -58.1
1948 CLE AL 5 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1948 CHW AL 24 54 4 13 2 0 0 3 0 0 6 0.241 .263 (-9%) .340 (-29%) .379 (-27%) .719 (-28%) 0.0
1949 CHW AL 19 18 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1949 WSN AL 16 8 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1951 NY1 NL 30 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.083 — — — — 0.0
1955 STL NL 8 6 1 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1 0 0 3 0 1
P 184 0 31 125 4 9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1945 NYA P 27 0 4 24 1 3
1946 NYA P 26 0 5 18 0 2
1947 CLE P 31 0 7 28 0 1
1948 CLE P 5 0 0 0 0 0
1948 CHA 2B 1 0 0 3 0 1
1948 CHA P 22 0 5 23 0 2
1949 CHA P 19 0 4 8 0 1
1949 WS1 P 16 0 1 10 0 0
1951 NY1 P 30 0 4 13 1 0
1955 SLN P 8 0 1 1 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 184
Second Base 1