Billy Hoeft, baseball player, 1952-1966

Billy Hoeft

Born: 5/17/1932 in Oshkosh, WI, USA

Died: 3/16/2010 in Canadian Lakes, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1952-04-18 | Final Game: 1966-09-25

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: William Frederick Hoeft

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Biography

Billy Hoeft, born in 1932, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1952 to 1966. Known for his strong left arm and competitive spirit, Hoeft played a pivotal role in the pitching rotations of several Major League Baseball teams, including the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants. Over the course of his career, he amassed a record of 97 wins and 101 losses, with a 3.94 earned run average. He recorded a total of 1,140 strikeouts and notched 33 saves, showcasing his ability to both start and close games effectively. Hoeft's most significant achievement came with his selection to the All-Star game, which underscored his talent during a time when the league was filled with fierce competition. His playing style combined a blend of finesse and power, making him a key figure on the mound during the 1950s and early 1960s. Despite not having a winning record, his contributions to his teams and the game were noteworthy, as he played through an era that saw the transition from traditional baseball strategies to a more dynamic approach. Hoeft's legacy lives on as a testament to the resilience and dedication of pitchers in the game of baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
97 101 505 200 75 17 33 1847.3 1820 809 173 685 1140 3.94 0

Career ERA 3.94 vs. league average 3.79 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
1952 DET AL 2 7 34 10 1 0 4 125.0 123 60 63 67 4.32 3.70 (-17%) -2259.4
1953 DET AL 9 14 29 27 9 0 2 197.7 223 106 58 90 4.83 4.14 (-17%) -322.6
1954 DET AL 7 15 34 25 10 4 1 175.0 180 89 59 114 4.58 3.90 (-17%) 398.7
1955 DET AL 16 7 32 29 17 7 0 220.0 187 73 75 133 2.99 4.00 (+25%) 4444.3
1956 DET AL 20 14 38 34 18 4 0 248.0 276 112 104 172 4.06 3.96 (-3%) 3334.9
1957 DET AL 9 11 34 28 10 1 1 207.0 188 80 69 111 3.48 3.83 (+9%) 2348.9
1958 DET AL 10 9 36 21 6 0 3 143.0 148 66 49 94 4.15 3.86 (-8%) 1058.7
1959 DET AL 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 9.0 6 5 4 2 5.00 3.90 (-28%) 0.0
1959 BOS AL 0 3 5 3 0 0 0 17.7 22 11 8 8 5.60 3.90 (-44%) 1.1
1959 BAL AL 1 1 16 3 0 0 0 41.0 50 26 19 30 5.71 3.90 (-46%) -484.3
1960 BAL AL 2 1 19 0 0 0 0 18.7 18 9 14 14 4.34 3.82 (-14%) -399.5
1961 BAL AL 7 4 35 12 3 1 3 138.0 106 31 55 100 2.02 4.03 (+50%) 3636.1
1962 BAL AL 4 8 57 4 0 0 7 113.7 103 58 43 73 4.59 3.96 (-16%) 1921.3
1963 SFG NL 2 0 23 0 0 0 4 24.3 26 12 10 8 4.44 3.46 (-28%) -
1964 ATL NL 4 0 42 0 0 0 4 73.3 76 31 18 47 3.80 3.58 (-6%) -
1965 CHC NL 2 2 29 2 1 0 1 51.3 41 16 20 44 2.81 3.50 (+20%) -
1966 CHC NL 1 2 36 0 0 0 3 41.0 43 21 14 30 4.61 3.52 (-31%) -
1966 SFG NL 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 3.7 4 3 3 3 7.36 — -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
533 531 73 107 18 3 3 47 0 67 162 0.202 0.289 0.264 0.553 -1303.2

Career AVG .202 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 20.9% below league average.

Career OBP .289 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 10.4% below league average.

Career SLG .264 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 31.7% below league average.

Career OPS 0.553 vs. league average 0.709 across their career seasons — 22.0% 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
1952 DET AL 34 40 3 6 1 0 0 1 0 2 15 0.150 — — — — 0.0
1953 DET AL 30 64 8 11 1 0 0 4 0 9 17 0.172 .264 (-35%) .335 (-18%) .397 (-53%) .733 (-37%) -387.1
1954 DET AL 35 52 5 10 6 0 0 6 0 10 24 0.192 .261 (-26%) .333 (-5%) .390 (-21%) .723 (-14%) -115.3
1955 DET AL 36 82 9 17 2 0 0 4 0 10 25 0.207 .258 (-20%) .332 (-12%) .393 (-41%) .726 (-28%) -362.2
1956 DET AL 42 80 16 20 3 1 0 9 0 12 22 0.250 .258 (-3%) .331 (+5%) .397 (-21%) .728 (-9%) -96.5
1957 DET AL 42 67 13 10 2 0 3 10 0 5 14 0.149 .257 (-42%) .323 (-37%) .391 (-20%) .715 (-27%) -342.1
1958 DET AL 43 44 10 12 0 2 0 5 0 4 11 0.273 — — — — 0.0
1959 DET AL 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1959 BOS AL 7 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1959 BAL AL 16 12 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1960 BAL AL 19 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1961 BAL AL 35 39 1 7 0 0 0 4 0 4 13 0.179 — — — — 0.0
1962 BAL AL 57 19 5 3 2 0 0 1 0 7 7 0.158 — — — — 0.0
1963 SFG NL 23 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1964 ATL NL 42 9 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 3 3 0.222 — — — — 0.0
1965 CHC NL 29 11 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.273 — — — — 0.0
1966 CHC NL 36 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1966 SFG NL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 505 163 87 249 17 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1952 DET P 34 0 5 25 2 4
1953 DET P 29 0 14 24 2 0
1954 DET P 34 25 6 18 1 2
1955 DET P 32 29 7 21 0 2
1956 DET P 38 34 5 28 1 1
1957 DET P 34 28 8 28 2 2
1958 DET P 36 21 6 15 3 2
1959 DET P 2 2 0 2 0 0
1959 BOS P 5 3 4 3 0 0
1959 BAL P 16 3 0 7 1 1
1960 BAL P 19 0 3 3 0 1
1961 BAL P 35 12 9 25 0 2
1962 BAL P 57 4 10 17 2 2
1963 SFN P 23 0 1 4 2 0
1964 ML1 P 42 0 4 14 0 0
1965 CHN P 29 2 0 7 1 0
1966 CHN P 36 0 5 8 0 0
1966 SFN P 4 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 505

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1955 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 1.0 336 0