Ken Heintzelman, baseball player, 1937-1952

Ken Heintzelman

Born: 10/14/1915 in Peruque, MO, USA

Died: 8/14/2000 in St. Peters, MO, USA

MLB Debut: 1937-10-03 | Final Game: 1952-08-13

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Kenneth Alphonse Heintzelman

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Biography

Ken Heintzelman was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1937 to 1952. Born in 1915, Heintzelman made his Major League Baseball debut during an era marked by the transition from the tail end of the deadball era into a more modern style of play. He played for several teams in the National League and the American League, showcasing his skills on the mound with a career record of 77 wins and 98 losses. Over his career, he amassed an earned run average (ERA) of 3.93 and recorded 564 strikeouts, demonstrating his ability to effectively challenge opposing hitters. Heintzelman was known for his durability and competitive spirit, often taking the ball in crucial situations, as evidenced by his 10 career saves. His contributions to the teams he played for were prominent during a time when the game was evolving, and pitchers were beginning to adopt a more strategic approach to their craft. Although his win-loss record may not reflect the full extent of his talent, Heintzelman's perseverance and performance left a lasting impression on the game, and he remains a notable figure in baseball history.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1.0 1.0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 1.000 1.000 2.000

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1941 1.0 1.0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 1.000 1.000 2.000

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1941 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
77 98 319 183 66 18 10 1501.7 1540 656 100 630 564 3.93 0

Career ERA 3.93 vs. league average 4.04 across their career seasons — near 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
1937 PIT NL 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 6 2 3 4 2.00 4.34 (+54%) 0.0
1938 PIT NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 1 2 3 1 9.00 — 0.0
1939 PIT NL 1 1 17 2 1 1 0 35.7 35 20 18 18 5.05 4.28 (-18%) -16.2
1940 PIT NL 8 8 39 16 5 2 3 165.0 193 82 65 71 4.47 4.21 (-6%) 1129.8
1941 PIT NL 11 11 35 24 13 2 0 196.0 206 75 83 81 3.44 3.94 (+12%) 723.5
1942 PIT NL 8 11 27 18 5 3 0 130.0 143 66 63 39 4.57 3.57 (-28%) -2547.3
1946 PIT NL 8 12 32 24 6 2 1 157.7 165 66 86 57 3.77 3.59 (-5%) -1980.9
1947 PIT NL 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 4.0 9 9 6 2 20.25 — 0.0
1947 PHI NL 7 10 24 19 8 0 1 136.0 144 61 46 55 4.04 3.97 (-2%) -425.1
1948 PHI NL 6 11 27 16 5 2 2 130.0 117 62 45 57 4.29 4.10 (-5%) 484.8
1949 PHI NL 17 10 33 32 15 5 0 250.0 239 84 93 65 3.02 4.12 (+27%) 71.8
1950 PHI NL 3 9 23 17 4 1 0 125.3 122 57 54 39 4.09 4.36 (+6%) 216.5
1951 PHI NL 6 12 35 12 3 0 2 118.3 119 55 53 55 4.18 4.04 (-4%) -1162.3
1952 PHI NL 1 3 23 1 0 0 1 42.7 41 15 12 20 3.16 3.70 (+15%) 1185.3

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
321 440 25 56 5 0 0 33 0 22 113 0.127 0.169 0.139 0.307 -1733.0

Career AVG .127 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 51.8% below league average.

Career OBP .169 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 49.8% below league average.

Career SLG .139 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — 63.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.307 vs. league average 0.717 across their career seasons — 57.1% 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
1937 PIT NL 1 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1938 PIT NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1939 PIT NL 17 9 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.222 — — — — 0.0
1940 PIT NL 41 54 4 9 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 0.167 .267 (-38%) .335 (-41%) .387 (-57%) .722 (-50%) -460.4
1941 PIT NL 35 63 4 8 1 0 0 8 0 3 19 0.127 .262 (-52%) .332 (-50%) .373 (-62%) .705 (-56%) -594.0
1942 PIT NL 27 35 1 3 1 0 0 4 0 2 8 0.086 — — — — 0.0
1946 PIT NL 32 44 4 6 0 0 0 3 0 5 12 0.136 — — — — 0.0
1947 PIT NL 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1947 PHI NL 24 43 2 5 0 0 0 3 0 1 11 0.116 — — — — 0.0
1948 PHI NL 27 37 1 5 1 0 0 2 0 0 8 0.135 — — — — 0.0
1949 PHI NL 33 83 3 13 1 0 0 6 0 6 25 0.157 .262 (-40%) .343 (-38%) .384 (-56%) .727 (-47%) -678.6
1950 PHI NL 23 38 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 1 13 0.053 — — — — 0.0
1951 PHI NL 35 28 1 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 6 0.107 — — — — 0.0
1952 PHI NL 23 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1950 WS PHI 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 1 0 7.7 4 1 6 3 1.17

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1950 WS PHI 0 0 1 1 0 7.7 4 1 6 3 1.17

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 319 0 37 267 7 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1937 PIT P 1 0 0 0 1 0
1938 PIT P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1939 PIT P 17 0 2 5 0 0
1940 PIT P 39 0 4 45 1 4
1941 PIT P 35 0 8 44 2 4
1942 PIT P 27 0 1 23 0 1
1946 PIT P 32 0 7 39 0 3
1947 PIT P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1947 PHI P 24 0 2 14 2 1
1948 PHI P 27 0 2 22 0 1
1949 PHI P 33 0 4 38 1 4
1950 PHI P 23 0 1 16 0 1
1951 PHI P 35 0 4 17 0 3
1952 PHI P 23 0 2 3 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 319

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1949 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 48.0 336 1