Willis Hudlin, baseball player, 1926-1944

Willis Hudlin

Born: 5/23/1906 in Wagoner, OK, USA

Died: 8/5/2002 in Little Rock, AR, USA

MLB Debut: 1926-08-15 | Final Game: 1944-08-31

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: George Willis Hudlin

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Biography

Willis Hudlin was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1926 to 1944. Born in 1906, Hudlin played during a transformative era in Major League Baseball, navigating the challenges and changes of the sport in the pre- and post-World War II years. He finished his career with a record of 158 wins and 156 losses, showcasing his resilience and ability to compete at the highest level. With an earned run average (ERA) of 4.41, he demonstrated a solid yet sometimes inconsistent performance on the mound, striking out 677 batters while also earning 31 saves. Hudlin's playing style was characterized by his ability to adapt to different game situations, which allowed him to play effectively as both a starter and a reliever. He became known for his durability and work ethic, making him a reliable member of his teams throughout his career. Hudlin's contributions to the game were significant during an era marked by the rise of new pitching strategies and the increasing importance of bullpen management, helping to shape the future of pitching roles in baseball. His legacy remains as a testament to the evolution of pitchers in a rapidly changing sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
158 156 491 328 155 11 31 2613.3 3011 1281 118 846 677 4.41 0

Career ERA 4.41 vs. league average 4.24 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
1926 CLE AL 1 3 8 2 1 0 0 32.3 25 10 13 6 2.78 4.11 (+32%) -313.4
1927 CLE AL 18 12 43 30 18 1 0 264.7 291 118 83 65 4.01 4.08 (+2%) 1893.7
1928 CLE AL 14 14 42 26 10 0 7 220.3 231 99 90 62 4.04 4.13 (+2%) -757.2
1929 CLE AL 17 15 40 33 22 2 1 280.3 299 104 73 60 3.34 4.60 (+27%) 4219.6
1930 CLE AL 13 16 37 33 13 1 1 216.7 255 110 76 60 4.57 4.80 (+5%) -224.8
1931 CLE AL 15 14 44 34 15 1 4 254.3 313 130 88 83 4.60 4.10 (-12%) -1018.8
1932 CLE AL 12 8 33 21 12 0 2 181.7 204 95 59 65 4.71 4.13 (-14%) 41.5
1933 CLE AL 5 13 34 17 6 0 1 147.3 161 65 61 44 3.97 3.86 (-3%) -1438.9
1934 CLE AL 15 10 36 26 15 1 4 195.0 210 103 65 58 4.75 4.29 (-11%) 281.9
1935 CLE AL 15 11 36 29 14 3 5 231.7 252 95 61 45 3.69 4.35 (+15%) 1627.6
1936 CLE AL 1 5 27 7 1 0 0 64.0 112 64 31 20 9.00 4.59 (-96%) 168.9
1937 CLE AL 12 11 35 23 10 2 2 175.7 213 80 43 31 4.10 4.34 (+6%) 584.9
1938 CLE AL 8 8 29 15 8 0 1 127.0 158 69 45 27 4.89 4.35 (-13%) -2482.9
1939 CLE AL 9 10 27 20 7 0 3 143.0 175 78 42 28 4.91 4.28 (-15%) 588.4
1940 CLE AL 2 1 4 4 2 0 0 23.7 31 13 2 8 4.94 4.21 (-17%) -9.2
1940 WSN AL 1 2 8 6 1 0 0 37.3 50 27 5 9 6.51 4.21 (-55%) -
1940 SLA AL 0 1 6 1 0 0 0 11.3 19 14 8 4 11.12 4.21 (-164%) -57.3
1940 NY1 NL 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 5.0 9 6 1 1 10.80 — 0.0
1944 SLA AL 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 3 1 0 1 4.50 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
492 894 76 180 39 3 5 69 2 52 228 0.201 0.252 0.268 0.520 -3637.3

Career AVG .201 vs. league average .278 across their career seasons — 27.5% below league average.

Career OBP .252 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 26.4% below league average.

Career SLG .268 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — 32.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.520 vs. league average 0.736 across their career seasons — 29.4% 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
1926 CLE AL 8 8 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1927 CLE AL 43 96 12 24 5 1 1 6 0 1 22 0.250 .282 (-11%) .344 (-25%) .392 (-10%) .736 (-17%) -321.2
1928 CLE AL 42 72 4 14 4 0 0 5 0 4 17 0.194 .280 (-31%) .342 (-28%) .395 (-37%) .737 (-33%) -416.5
1929 CLE AL 40 97 5 19 3 0 0 4 1 1 18 0.196 .289 (-32%) .353 (-40%) .415 (-45%) .769 (-43%) -760.9
1930 CLE AL 37 73 6 16 1 0 0 6 0 5 16 0.219 .293 (-25%) .354 (-19%) .429 (-46%) .784 (-34%) -429.4
1931 CLE AL 44 100 11 20 6 2 0 13 0 6 28 0.200 .276 (-28%) .338 (-27%) .388 (-23%) .726 (-25%) -465.8
1932 CLE AL 33 64 10 13 2 0 0 10 0 6 14 0.203 .275 (-26%) .335 (-13%) .391 (-40%) .726 (-28%) -277.8
1933 CLE AL 34 41 1 6 0 0 1 3 0 2 13 0.146 — — — — 0.0
1934 CLE AL 36 68 5 14 4 0 1 2 0 6 20 0.206 .278 (-26%) .340 (-21%) .392 (-21%) .733 (-21%) -254.0
1935 CLE AL 37 86 10 24 7 0 1 8 0 6 19 0.279 .279 (avg) .342 (-5%) .399 (-1%) .742 (-3%) -52.9
1936 CLE AL 27 18 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 2 4 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1937 CLE AL 35 59 8 10 2 0 0 5 1 5 17 0.169 .276 (-39%) .342 (-32%) .398 (-49%) .740 (-41%) -419.1
1938 CLE AL 29 43 1 5 2 0 0 2 0 3 14 0.116 — — — — 0.0
1939 CLE AL 27 48 1 9 1 0 1 4 0 3 16 0.188 — — — — -239.6
1940 CLE AL 4 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1940 WSN AL 8 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.100 — — — — 0.0
1940 SLA AL 6 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1940 NY1 NL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1944 SLA AL 1 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 491 0 150 734 38 54

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1926 CLE P 8 0 6 15 0 0
1927 CLE P 43 0 12 80 1 4
1928 CLE P 42 0 16 60 7 3
1929 CLE P 40 0 24 88 5 8
1930 CLE P 37 0 8 67 5 6
1931 CLE P 44 0 14 65 4 10
1932 CLE P 33 0 3 47 2 1
1933 CLE P 34 0 8 48 1 2
1934 CLE P 36 0 10 62 1 8
1935 CLE P 36 0 11 48 1 2
1936 CLE P 27 0 2 15 1 1
1937 CLE P 35 0 4 51 4 4
1938 CLE P 29 0 7 29 3 3
1939 CLE P 27 0 21 42 1 2
1940 CLE P 4 0 3 3 0 0
1940 WS1 P 8 0 1 9 1 0
1940 SLA P 6 0 0 3 1 0
1940 NY1 P 1 0 0 2 0 0
1944 SLA P 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 491

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1927 Most Valuable Player AL 22th 2.0 64 0