Mickey Haefner, baseball player, 1943-1950

Mickey Haefner

Born: 10/9/1912 in Lenzburg, IL, USA

Died: 1/3/1995 in New Athens, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1943-04-22 | Final Game: 1950-09-28

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'8" | Weight: 160 lbs

Full name: Milton Arnold Haefner

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Biography

Mickey Haefner was a professional baseball pitcher who played from 1943 to 1950, leaving a notable mark in the game during a period characterized by the aftermath of World War II. Born in 1912, Haefner's career unfolded against the backdrop of a rapidly changing sport, as baseball began to evolve in the wake of wartime challenges. He finished his career with a record of 78 wins and 91 losses, sporting a respectable earned run average (ERA) of 3.5. His ability to strike out batters was evident, as he recorded a total of 508 strikeouts throughout his time in Major League Baseball. Haefner's versatility as a pitcher was showcased not only through his strikeouts but also in his late-game performances, as he recorded 13 saves. His playing style exemplified the competitive spirit of the era, as pitchers adapted to the demands of the game while facing an array of talented hitters. Despite not achieving overwhelming win-loss numbers, Haefner's contributions on the mound during the mid-20th century solidified his place in baseball history, reflecting the resilience and determination of players during a transformative time for the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
78 91 261 179 91 13 13 1466.7 1414 571 76 577 508 3.50 0

Career ERA 3.50 vs. league average 3.84 across their career seasons — 8.8% 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
1943 WSN AL 11 5 36 13 8 1 6 165.3 126 42 60 65 2.29 3.50 (+35%) -
1944 WSN AL 12 15 31 28 18 3 1 228.0 221 77 71 86 3.04 3.57 (+15%) -
1945 WSN AL 16 14 37 28 19 1 3 238.3 226 92 69 83 3.47 3.67 (+5%) -
1946 WSN AL 14 11 33 27 17 2 1 227.7 220 72 80 85 2.85 3.59 (+21%) -
1947 WSN AL 10 14 31 28 14 4 1 193.0 195 78 85 77 3.64 3.97 (+8%) -
1948 WSN AL 5 13 28 20 4 0 0 147.7 151 66 61 45 4.02 4.10 (+2%) -
1949 WSN AL 5 5 19 12 4 1 0 91.7 85 45 53 23 4.42 4.12 (-7%) -
1949 CHW AL 4 6 14 12 4 1 1 80.3 84 39 41 17 4.37 4.12 (-6%) -
1950 CHW AL 1 6 24 9 2 0 0 70.7 83 45 45 17 5.73 4.36 (-31%) -
1950 BSN NL 0 2 8 2 1 0 0 24.0 23 15 12 10 5.62 4.36 (-29%) -311.8

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
262 448 28 84 9 1 0 24 0 50 80 0.188 0.269 0.212 0.481 -1661.6

Career AVG .188 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 28.2% below league average.

Career OBP .269 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 19.4% below league average.

Career SLG .212 vs. league average .369 across their career seasons — 42.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.481 vs. league average 0.703 across their career seasons — 31.5% 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
1943 WSN AL 36 45 4 6 1 1 0 4 0 5 9 0.133 — — — — -276.3
1944 WSN AL 31 70 4 11 1 0 0 6 0 6 12 0.157 .261 (-40%) .325 (-31%) .357 (-52%) .683 (-42%) -468.2
1945 WSN AL 37 82 8 20 1 0 0 5 0 9 13 0.244 .260 (-7%) .328 (-3%) .354 (-28%) .683 (-16%) -185.2
1946 WSN AL 33 74 6 15 2 0 0 3 0 10 15 0.203 .256 (-21%) .328 (-10%) .358 (-36%) .687 (-23%) -256.9
1947 WSN AL 31 59 4 8 0 0 0 1 0 7 9 0.136 .262 (-48%) .336 (-32%) .376 (-64%) .712 (-49%) -475.0
1948 WSN AL 28 43 1 7 1 0 0 3 0 3 9 0.163 — — — — 0.0
1949 WSN AL 20 25 1 5 2 0 0 1 0 3 3 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1949 CHW AL 14 23 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 4 7 0.261 — — — — 0.0
1950 CHW AL 24 20 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1950 BSN NL 8 7 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.286 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 261 0 53 287 11 22

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1943 WS1 P 36 0 7 31 0 3
1944 WS1 P 31 0 8 45 1 5
1945 WS1 P 37 0 10 53 3 1
1946 WS1 P 33 0 13 36 3 2
1947 WS1 P 31 0 7 27 0 3
1948 WS1 P 28 0 4 38 1 2
1949 WS1 P 19 0 0 26 1 0
1949 CHA P 14 0 2 17 2 3
1950 CHA P 24 0 2 10 0 2
1950 BSN P 8 0 0 4 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 261