Jack Harshman, baseball player, 1948-1960

Jack Harshman

Born: 7/12/1927 in San Diego, CA, USA

Died: 8/17/2013 in Georgetown, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1948-09-16 | Final Game: 1960-10-01

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 178 lbs

Full name: John Elvin Harshman

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Biography

Jack Harshman was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1948 to 1960. Born in 1927, Harshman made his mark in Major League Baseball during a time when the sport was transitioning into the modern era, characterized by a growing emphasis on power hitting and the emergence of new pitching strategies. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 69 wins and 65 losses, showcasing his competitiveness on the mound. With an earned run average (ERA) of 3.5, Harshman demonstrated his ability to keep runs at bay, while his 741 strikeouts illustrated his effectiveness in overpowering batters. Harshman was known for his versatility as a pitcher, contributing not only as a starter but also finding success in relief roles, as evidenced by his 7 saves. His playing style reflected the evolving nature of the game during the late 1940s and 1950s, when pitchers were increasingly tested by the offensive prowess of the era. Though he may not have achieved the fame of some of his contemporaries, Harshman’s contributions to the teams he played for were significant, and his legacy remains as a reliable and skilled pitcher in the annals of baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
69 65 217 155 61 12 7 1169.3 1025 455 96 539 741 3.50 0

Career ERA 3.50 vs. league average 3.87 across their career seasons — 9.6% 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
1952 NY1 NL 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 6.3 12 10 6 6 14.21 — 0.0
1954 CHW AL 14 8 35 21 9 4 1 177.0 157 58 96 134 2.95 3.90 (+24%) -
1955 CHW AL 11 7 32 23 9 0 0 179.3 144 67 97 116 3.36 4.00 (+16%) -
1956 CHW AL 15 11 34 30 15 4 0 226.7 183 78 102 143 3.10 3.96 (+22%) -
1957 CHW AL 8 8 30 26 6 0 1 151.3 142 69 82 83 4.10 3.83 (-7%) -
1958 BAL AL 12 15 34 29 17 3 4 236.3 204 76 75 161 2.89 3.86 (+25%) 4082.6
1959 BAL AL 0 6 14 8 0 0 0 47.3 58 36 28 24 6.85 3.90 (-75%) -1403.8
1959 BOS AL 2 3 8 2 0 0 0 24.7 29 18 10 14 6.57 3.90 (-68%) 140.0
1959 CLE AL 5 1 13 6 5 1 1 66.0 46 19 13 35 2.59 3.90 (+34%) 1085.9
1960 CLE AL 2 4 15 8 0 0 0 54.3 50 24 30 25 3.98 3.82 (-4%) -1540.4

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
258 424 46 76 7 0 21 65 0 72 119 0.179 0.294 0.344 0.638 -314.7

Career AVG .179 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 30.7% below league average.

Career OBP .294 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 11.2% below league average.

Career SLG .344 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 11.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.638 vs. league average 0.720 across their career seasons — 11.4% 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
1948 NY1 NL 5 8 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1950 NY1 NL 9 32 3 4 0 0 2 4 0 3 6 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1952 NY1 NL 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1954 CHW AL 36 56 6 8 1 0 2 5 0 12 21 0.143 .261 (-45%) .333 (-13%) .390 (-31%) .723 (-23%) -205.7
1955 CHW AL 32 60 6 11 1 0 2 8 0 9 17 0.183 .258 (-29%) .332 (-15%) .393 (-24%) .726 (-20%) -212.5
1956 CHW AL 36 71 8 12 1 0 6 19 0 11 21 0.169 .258 (-35%) .331 (-16%) .397 (+10%) .728 (-2%) -44.7
1957 CHW AL 30 45 5 10 1 0 2 5 0 10 17 0.222 — — — — 47.5
1958 BAL AL 47 82 11 16 1 0 6 14 0 17 22 0.195 .257 (-24%) .324 (+2%) .394 (+8%) .719 (+5%) 100.8
1959 BAL AL 15 10 3 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1959 BOS AL 9 7 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1959 CLE AL 21 34 3 7 1 0 0 5 0 5 4 0.206 — — — — 0.0
1960 CLE AL 15 17 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 0.176 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 13 0 103 8 1 9
OF 1 1 0 0 0 0
P 217 153 25 175 8 10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1948 NY1 1B 3 0 17 1 0 2
1950 NY1 1B 9 0 83 7 1 7
1952 NY1 P 2 0 0 2 0 0
1954 CHA 1B 1 0 3 0 0 0
1954 CHA P 35 21 2 27 1 1
1955 CHA P 32 23 3 29 1 1
1956 CHA P 34 30 2 29 4 3
1957 CHA P 30 26 3 15 1 1
1958 BAL OF 1 1 0 0 0 0
1958 BAL P 34 29 5 43 1 1
1959 BAL P 14 8 4 12 0 2
1959 BOS P 8 2 1 2 0 0
1959 CLE P 13 6 3 11 0 0
1960 CLE P 15 8 2 5 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 217
First Base 13

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1958 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 2.0 336 0