Hank Helf, baseball player, 1938-1946

Hank Helf

Born: 8/26/1913 in Austin, TX, USA

Died: 10/27/1984 in Austin, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1938-05-05 | Final Game: 1946-09-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 196 lbs

Full name: Henry Hartz Helf

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Biography

Hank Helf was a professional baseball player born in 1913, whose career spanned from 1938 until his last game on September 29, 1946. Primarily a position player, Helf appeared in 78 games during his time in Major League Baseball. He recorded a total of 36 hits, which included 6 home runs and 22 runs batted in (RBIs), finishing his career with a batting average of .184. Despite not being known for his speed on the bases, as reflected in his zero stolen bases, Helf contributed to his teams in other ways throughout his career. Helf's playing era was marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more offense-driven game, where power hitters began to emerge as the focus of the sport. While Helf's statistics may not place him among the most prominent players of his time, his presence in the game during this transformative period reflects the diverse tapestry of baseball history. His perseverance through the challenges of the war years and his contributions to the teams he played for remain a part of the narrative of baseball in the mid-20th century.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
78 196 18 36 11 0 6 22 0 10 41 0.184 0.227 0.332 0.559 -553.9

Career AVG .184 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 30.9% below league average.

Career OBP .227 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 32.3% below league average.

Career SLG .332 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — 12.7% below league average.

Career OPS 0.559 vs. league average 0.715 across their career seasons — 21.9% 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
1938 CLE AL 6 13 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0.077 — — — — 0.0
1940 CLE AL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1946 SLA AL 71 182 17 35 11 0 6 21 0 9 40 0.192 .256 (-25%) .328 (-29%) .358 (-2%) .687 (-15%) -553.9

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
C 75 0 265 56 12 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1938 CLE C 5 0 13 5 1 1
1940 CLE C 1 0 1 0 0 0
1946 SLA C 69 0 251 51 11 7

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 75