Billy Herman, baseball player, 1931-1947

Billy Herman

⭐ Hall of Fame 1975

Born: 7/7/1909 in New Albany, IN, USA

Died: 9/5/1992 in West Palm Beach, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1931-08-29 | Final Game: 1947-08-01

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: William Jennings Bryan Herman

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Biography

Billy Herman, born in 1909, was a prominent Major League Baseball player whose career spanned from 1931 to 1947. Known for his exceptional hitting ability and defensive prowess, he played primarily as a second baseman and established himself as one of the top players of his era. Over the course of his career, Herman appeared in 1,922 games, amassing 2,345 hits and finishing with a remarkable batting average of .304. He contributed significantly to his teams' offensive efforts, driving in 839 runs and hitting 47 home runs, while also demonstrating speed on the bases with 67 stolen bases. Herman was selected as an All-Star 10 times, reflecting his consistent performance and popularity throughout his playing years. His career achievements culminated in his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975, solidifying his legacy in the sport. Playing during a transformative period in baseball history, which included the pre- and post-World War II era, Herman's skill and competitiveness helped shape the game. His impact on the field, along with his dedication to the sport, ensured that he would be remembered as one of baseball's esteemed players.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1922 7707 1163 2345 486 82 47 839 67 737 428 0.304 0.367 0.407 0.774 12596.8

Career AVG .304 vs. league average .270 across their career seasons — +12.9% above league average.

Career OBP .367 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — +9.1% above league average.

Career SLG .407 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — +6.5% above league average.

Career OPS 0.774 vs. league average 0.718 across their career seasons — +7.8% 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
1931 CHC NL 25 98 14 32 7 0 0 16 2 13 6 0.327 .276 (+18%) .338 (+20%) .388 (+2%) .726 (+11%) 220.9
1932 CHC NL 154 656 102 206 42 7 1 51 14 40 33 0.314 .275 (+14%) .335 (+7%) .391 (+3%) .726 (+5%) 651.1
1933 CHC NL 153 619 82 173 35 2 0 44 5 45 34 0.279 .270 (+4%) .329 (+1%) .377 (-9%) .707 (-5%) -503.9
1934 CHC NL 113 456 79 138 21 6 3 42 6 34 31 0.303 .278 (+9%) .340 (+4%) .392 (avg) .733 (+2%) 209.0
1935 CHC NL 154 666 113 227 57 6 7 83 6 42 29 0.341 .279 (+22%) .342 (+12%) .399 (+19%) .742 (+16%) 2099.8
1936 CHC NL 153 632 101 211 57 7 5 93 5 59 30 0.334 .283 (+18%) .349 (+12%) .404 (+16%) .753 (+14%) 1903.7
1937 CHC NL 138 564 106 189 35 11 8 65 2 56 22 0.335 .276 (+21%) .342 (+16%) .398 (+20%) .740 (+18%) 2117.1
1938 CHC NL 152 624 86 173 34 7 1 56 3 59 31 0.277 .272 (+2%) .341 (avg) .392 (-9%) .734 (-5%) -573.4
1939 CHC NL 156 623 111 191 34 18 7 70 9 66 31 0.307 .274 (+12%) .342 (+10%) .393 (+15%) .735 (+13%) 1662.3
1940 CHC NL 135 558 77 163 24 4 5 57 1 47 30 0.292 .267 (+9%) .335 (+4%) .387 (-3%) .722 (avg) 39.9
1941 CHC NL 11 36 4 7 0 1 0 0 0 9 5 0.194 — — — — 0.0
1941 BRO NL 133 536 77 156 30 4 3 41 1 58 38 0.291 .262 (+11%) .332 (+9%) .373 (+2%) .705 (+5%) 0.0
1942 BRO NL 155 571 76 146 34 2 2 65 6 72 52 0.256 .253 (+1%) .323 (+5%) .349 (-5%) .672 (avg) 115.2
1943 BRO NL 153 585 76 193 41 2 2 100 4 66 26 0.330 .255 (+29%) .324 (+22%) .346 (+20%) .671 (+21%) 2560.4
1946 BRO NL 47 184 24 53 8 4 0 28 2 26 10 0.288 .256 (+12%) .328 (+14%) .358 (+5%) .687 (+9%) 330.9
1946 BSN NL 75 252 32 77 23 1 3 22 1 43 13 0.306 .256 (+19%) .328 (+24%) .358 (+23%) .687 (+24%) 330.9
1947 PIT NL 15 47 3 10 4 0 0 6 0 2 7 0.213 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
18 66 9 16 3 1 1 7 4 9 0.242

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1941 WS BRO 4 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.125
1938 WS CHN 4 16 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 4 0.188
1935 WS CHN 6 24 3 8 2 1 1 6 0 2 0.333
1932 WS CHN 4 18 5 4 1 0 0 1 1 3 0.222

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 27 0 214 10 2 14
2B 1813 0 4780 5681 354 1177
3B 71 0 90 132 9 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1931 CHN 2B 25 0 76 79 10 17
1932 CHN 2B 154 0 401 527 38 102
1933 CHN 2B 153 0 466 512 45 114
1934 CHN 2B 111 0 278 385 17 64
1935 CHN 2B 154 0 416 520 35 109
1936 CHN 2B 153 0 457 492 24 110
1937 CHN 2B 137 0 384 468 41 97
1938 CHN 2B 151 0 404 517 18 111
1939 CHN 2B 156 0 377 485 29 95
1940 CHN 2B 135 0 366 448 22 94
1941 CHN 2B 11 0 33 20 6 5
1941 BRO 2B 133 0 297 354 20 64
1942 BRO 1B 3 0 29 2 1 2
1942 BRO 2B 153 0 383 402 22 97
1943 BRO 2B 117 0 291 322 18 69
1943 BRO 3B 37 0 54 68 3 2
1946 BRO 2B 16 0 42 36 0 5
1946 BRO 3B 29 0 31 55 5 8
1946 BSN 1B 22 0 179 6 1 12
1946 BSN 2B 44 0 95 101 9 22
1946 BSN 3B 5 0 5 9 1 1
1947 PIT 1B 2 0 6 2 0 0
1947 PIT 2B 10 0 14 13 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 27
Second Base 1812
Third Base 75

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star 2B
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star 2B
1943 TSN All-Star 2B
1940 Baseball Magazine All-Star 2B
1938 Baseball Magazine All-Star 2B
1937 Baseball Magazine All-Star 2B
1936 Baseball Magazine All-Star 2B
1935 Baseball Magazine All-Star 2B
1932 Baseball Magazine All-Star 2B

Featured In Rankings

#14
Top 20 Second Basemen in history of MLB Baseball
Ranked 14 of 20
→

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1943 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 140.0 336 0
1941 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 27.0 336 0
1939 Most Valuable Player NL 31th 1.0 336 0
1937 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 19.0 80 0
1936 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 37.0 80 0
1935 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 38.0 80 0
1932 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 16.0 80 0