Pinky Higgins, baseball player, 140 home runs, 1930-1946

Pinky Higgins

Born: 5/27/1909 in Red Oak, TX, USA

Died: 3/21/1969 in Dallas, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1930-06-25 | Final Game: 1946-09-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Michael Franklin Higgins

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Biography

Pinky Higgins, born in 1909, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1930 until 1946. Known for his exceptional batting prowess and solid fielding, he played a total of 1,802 games, during which he accumulated 1,941 hits, 140 home runs, and 1,075 RBIs, finishing with an impressive batting average of .292. A versatile player, Higgins also showcased his speed on the bases, recording 61 stolen bases throughout his career. His contributions to the game were recognized with three All-Star selections, highlighting his status as one of the premier players of his era. Higgins played during a transformative period in baseball, navigating the sport through the Great Depression and into the post-World War II era. His ability to perform consistently at a high level made him a key figure on the teams he played for, as he helped shape the competitive landscape of baseball during the 1930s and 1940s. With a blend of power and contact hitting, Higgins left a lasting legacy that resonated with fans and players alike, solidifying his place in baseball history as a skilled athlete and a respected competitor.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1802 6636 930 1941 374 51 140 1075 61 800 590 0.292 0.370 0.428 0.798 16594.4

Career AVG .292 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — +8.1% above league average.

Career OBP .370 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — +10.0% above league average.

Career SLG .428 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.

Career OPS 0.798 vs. league average 0.720 across their career seasons — +10.8% 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
1930 PHA AL 14 24 1 6 2 0 0 0 0 4 5 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1933 PHA AL 152 567 85 178 34 12 13 99 2 61 53 0.314 .270 (+16%) .329 (+16%) .377 (+29%) .707 (+23%) 2598.9
1934 PHA AL 144 543 89 179 37 6 16 90 9 56 70 0.330 .278 (+19%) .340 (+15%) .392 (+29%) .733 (+23%) 2543.5
1935 PHA AL 133 524 69 155 32 4 23 94 6 42 62 0.296 .279 (+6%) .342 (+2%) .399 (+26%) .742 (+15%) 1488.5
1936 PHA AL 146 550 89 159 32 2 12 80 7 67 61 0.289 .283 (+2%) .349 (+5%) .404 (+4%) .753 (+4%) 590.6
1937 BOS AL 153 570 88 172 33 5 9 106 2 76 51 0.302 .276 (+9%) .342 (+12%) .398 (+7%) .740 (+9%) 1308.1
1938 BOS AL 139 524 77 159 29 5 5 106 10 71 55 0.303 .272 (+11%) .341 (+13%) .392 (+4%) .734 (+8%) 1067.6
1939 DET AL 132 489 57 135 23 2 8 76 7 56 41 0.276 .274 (+1%) .342 (+3%) .393 (-3%) .735 (avg) 72.4
1940 DET AL 131 480 70 130 24 3 13 76 4 61 31 0.271 .267 (+1%) .335 (+6%) .387 (+7%) .722 (+7%) 737.5
1941 DET AL 147 540 79 161 28 3 11 73 5 67 45 0.298 .262 (+14%) .332 (+14%) .373 (+13%) .705 (+13%) 1586.6
1942 DET AL 143 499 65 133 34 2 11 79 3 72 21 0.267 .253 (+5%) .323 (+12%) .349 (+17%) .672 (+15%) 1530.3
1943 DET AL 138 523 62 145 20 1 10 84 2 57 31 0.277 .255 (+8%) .324 (+8%) .346 (+9%) .671 (+8%) 887.5
1944 DET AL 148 543 79 161 32 4 7 76 4 81 34 0.297 .261 (+13%) .325 (+20%) .357 (+14%) .683 (+17%) 2122.1
1946 DET AL 18 60 2 13 3 1 0 8 0 5 6 0.217 .256 (-16%) .328 (-16%) .358 (-16%) .687 (-16%) -165.4
1946 BOS AL 64 200 18 55 11 1 2 28 0 24 24 0.275 .256 (+7%) .328 (+8%) .358 (+3%) .687 (+6%) -165.4

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
14 48 3 13 4 1 1 8 5 3 0.271

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1946 WS BOS 7 24 1 5 1 0 0 2 2 0 0.208
1940 WS DET 7 24 2 8 3 1 1 6 3 3 0.333

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 2 0 0 0 0 0
3B 1768 0 1848 3258 356 288
SS 1 0 1 1 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1930 PHA 2B 2 0 0 0 0 0
1930 PHA 3B 5 0 2 6 0 0
1930 PHA SS 1 0 1 1 0 0
1933 PHA 3B 152 0 159 270 24 23
1934 PHA 3B 144 0 147 247 37 34
1935 PHA 3B 131 0 162 214 21 15
1936 PHA 3B 145 0 151 266 26 24
1937 BOS 3B 152 0 161 258 29 29
1938 BOS 3B 138 0 140 272 39 28
1939 DET 3B 130 0 140 241 36 22
1940 DET 3B 129 0 133 239 29 16
1941 DET 3B 145 0 153 304 26 14
1942 DET 3B 137 0 134 243 30 24
1943 DET 3B 138 0 156 253 26 22
1944 DET 3B 146 0 146 311 22 21
1946 DET 3B 17 0 12 25 2 2
1946 BOS 3B 59 0 52 109 9 14

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Second Base 2
Third Base 1768
Shortstop 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1937 Baseball Magazine All-Star 3B
1936 TSN All-Star 3B
1935 Baseball Magazine All-Star 3B
1934 TSN All-Star 3B
1933 Baseball Magazine All-Star 3B

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Texas at Austin Austin TX 1928, 1929, 1930

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1944 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 7.0 336 0
1943 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 8.0 336 0
1941 Most Valuable Player AL 27th 1.0 336 0
1935 Most Valuable Player AL 20th 3.0 80 0
1934 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 3.0 80 0