Willard Hershberger, baseball player, 1938-1940

Willard Hershberger

Born: 5/28/1910 in Lemoncove, CA, USA

Died: 8/3/1940 in Boston, MA, USA

MLB Debut: 1938-04-19 | Final Game: 1940-08-02

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 167 lbs

Full name: Willard McKee Hershberger

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Biography

Willard Hershberger was an American professional baseball player born in 1910, who played as a position player from 1938 to 1940. Over the course of his brief but impactful career, he participated in 160 games, accumulating 127 hits and achieving a commendable batting average of .316. Despite not hitting any home runs, he contributed significantly to his teams with 70 RBIs and a couple of stolen bases, showcasing his ability to get on base and drive in runs. Hershberger's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, just prior to the outbreak of World War II. His performance reflected the offensive strategies of the time, emphasizing contact hitting and the importance of situational batting. Although his time in Major League Baseball was relatively short, his .316 batting average demonstrates his proficiency as a hitter and his potential contributions to the teams he played for. His legacy is remembered as part of an era that laid the groundwork for the dynamic changes that would soon sweep through the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
160 402 41 127 16 5 0 70 2 20 16 0.316 0.356 0.381 0.737 55.4

Career AVG .316 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — +16.4% above league average.

Career OBP .356 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .381 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.737 vs. league average 0.731 across their career seasons — near 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 CIN NL 49 105 12 29 3 1 0 12 1 5 6 0.276 .272 (+1%) .341 (-8%) .392 (-18%) .734 (-13%) -242.8
1939 CIN NL 63 174 23 60 9 2 0 32 1 9 4 0.345 .274 (+26%) .342 (+12%) .393 (+7%) .735 (+9%) 291.8
1940 CIN NL 48 123 6 38 4 2 0 26 0 6 6 0.309 .267 (+16%) .335 (+5%) .387 (-4%) .722 (avg) 6.4

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.500

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1939 WS CIN 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.500

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1 0 0 0 1 0
C 136 0 433 45 10 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1938 CIN 2B 1 0 0 0 1 0
1938 CIN C 39 0 108 13 5 2
1939 CIN C 60 0 204 21 3 2
1940 CIN C 37 0 121 11 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 136
Second Base 1