Jeff Heath, baseball player, 194 home runs, 1936-1949

Jeff Heath

Born: 4/1/1915 in Fort William, ON, CAN

Died: 12/9/1975 in Seattle, WA, USA

MLB Debut: 1936-09-13 | Final Game: 1949-09-08

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: John Geoffrey Heath

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Biography

Jeff Heath was an accomplished professional baseball player who made significant contributions to the game during his career from 1936 to 1949. Born in 1915, Heath established himself as a formidable position player, participating in 1,383 games and compiling a noteworthy batting average of .293. Over his career, he recorded 1,447 hits, 194 home runs, and 887 runs batted in (RBIs), showcasing his ability to drive in runs and contribute offensively to his teams. Heath also demonstrated speed on the bases, finishing with 56 stolen bases, which complemented his power-hitting style. Heath's talents earned him two All-Star selections, reflecting his status among the elite players of his era. Playing primarily during a time when baseball was transitioning into the post-war period, Heath's performance helped pave the way for future generations of sluggers. His combination of hitting prowess and base-running ability made him a valuable asset to the teams he played for, and his legacy continues to be remembered by baseball historians and fans alike.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
87.0 76.0 12.0 22.0 6.0 2.0 5.0 23.0 9.0 6.0 0 0.289 0.365 0.618 0.983

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1946 71.0 62.0 10.0 18.0 4.0 2.0 4.0 18.0 7.0 6.0 0 0.290 0.362 0.613 0.975
1947 16.0 14.0 2.0 4.0 2.0 0 1.0 5.0 2.0 0 0 0.286 0.375 0.643 1.018

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1383 4937 777 1447 279 102 194 887 56 593 670 0.293 0.370 0.509 0.879 22265.0

Career AVG .293 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — +10.5% above league average.

Career OBP .370 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +10.4% above league average.

Career SLG .509 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — +35.6% above league average.

Career OPS 0.879 vs. league average 0.711 across their career seasons — +23.7% above 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
1936 CLE AL 12 41 6 14 3 3 1 8 1 3 4 0.341 — — — — 0.0
1937 CLE AL 20 61 8 14 1 4 0 8 0 0 9 0.230 .276 (-17%) .342 (-33%) .398 (-5%) .740 (-18%) -230.7
1938 CLE AL 126 502 104 172 31 18 21 112 3 33 55 0.343 .272 (+26%) .341 (+12%) .392 (+53%) .734 (+34%) 3100.1
1939 CLE AL 121 431 64 126 31 7 14 69 8 41 64 0.292 .274 (+7%) .342 (+3%) .393 (+26%) .735 (+15%) 1185.5
1940 CLE AL 100 356 55 78 16 3 14 50 5 40 62 0.219 .267 (-18%) .335 (-11%) .387 (+3%) .722 (-4%) -312.1
1941 CLE AL 151 585 89 199 32 20 24 123 18 50 69 0.340 .262 (+30%) .332 (+19%) .373 (+57%) .705 (+39%) 4339.2
1942 CLE AL 147 568 82 158 37 13 10 76 9 62 66 0.278 .253 (+10%) .323 (+8%) .349 (+26%) .672 (+18%) 1794.6
1943 CLE AL 118 424 58 116 22 6 18 79 5 63 58 0.274 .255 (+7%) .324 (+14%) .346 (+39%) .671 (+27%) 2097.4
1944 CLE AL 60 151 20 50 5 2 5 33 0 18 12 0.331 .261 (+27%) .325 (+23%) .357 (+37%) .683 (+31%) 804.7
1945 CLE AL 102 370 60 113 16 7 15 61 3 56 39 0.305 .260 (+17%) .328 (+21%) .354 (+43%) .683 (+33%) 2259.3
1946 WSN AL 48 166 23 47 12 3 4 27 0 36 36 0.283 .256 (+10%) .328 (+25%) .358 (+29%) .687 (+27%) 857.6
1946 SLA AL 86 316 46 87 20 4 12 57 0 37 37 0.275 .256 (+7%) .328 (+7%) .358 (+33%) .687 (+21%) 857.6
1947 SLA AL 141 491 81 123 20 7 27 85 2 88 87 0.251 .262 (-5%) .336 (+9%) .376 (+29%) .712 (+19%) 1975.6
1948 BSN NL 115 364 64 116 26 5 20 76 2 51 46 0.319 .263 (+21%) .340 (+19%) .379 (+54%) .719 (+37%) 2588.0
1949 BSN NL 36 111 17 34 7 0 9 23 0 15 26 0.306 .262 (+17%) .343 (+13%) .384 (+60%) .727 (+38%) 694.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1299 0 2705 85 80 21

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1936 CLE OF 12 0 10 1 0 0
1937 CLE OF 14 0 27 0 0 0
1938 CLE OF 122 0 254 5 7 2
1939 CLE OF 108 0 263 7 10 2
1940 CLE OF 90 0 197 6 6 1
1941 CLE OF 151 0 259 20 15 1
1942 CLE OF 146 0 326 12 7 3
1943 CLE OF 111 0 264 4 9 1
1944 CLE OF 37 0 76 4 4 2
1945 CLE OF 101 0 214 3 6 1
1946 WS1 OF 47 0 92 3 3 0
1946 SLA OF 83 0 147 5 6 1
1947 SLA OF 140 0 297 7 4 4
1948 BSN OF 106 0 223 6 2 2
1949 BSN OF 31 0 56 2 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Left Field 1127
Center Field 12
Right Field 165

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1945 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1941 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1941 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1938 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1947 Most Valuable Player AL 31th 1.0 336 0
1945 Most Valuable Player AL 20th 10.0 336 0
1941 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 37.0 336 0
1939 Most Valuable Player AL 22th 7.0 336 0
1938 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 24.0 336 0