Vern Kennedy, baseball player, 1934-1945

Vern Kennedy

Born: 3/20/1907 in Kansas City, MO, USA

Died: 1/28/1993 in Mendon, MO, USA

MLB Debut: 1934-09-18 | Final Game: 1945-09-27

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Lloyd Vernon Kennedy

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Vern Kennedy was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1934 until 1945. Born in 1907, he made his debut during an era characterized by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensive-minded game. Over the course of his career, Kennedy compiled a record of 104 wins and 132 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.67. He struck out a total of 691 batters and recorded five saves, showcasing his ability as a versatile pitcher in various game situations. Kennedy's contributions to the game were recognized with two All-Star selections, highlighting his talent and performance during his playing years. He navigated the challenges of a competitive baseball landscape, demonstrating resilience and adaptability on the mound. His career spanned a time when baseball was beginning to shift dramatically, paving the way for future generations of players. Vern Kennedy's legacy lies not only in his statistics but also in his role as a competitor during a pivotal era in baseball history.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1935 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1935 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
104 132 344 263 126 7 5 2025.7 2173 1052 130 1049 691 4.67 0

Career ERA 4.67 vs. league average 4.05 across their career seasons — 15.5% worse than 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
1934 CHW AL 0 2 3 3 1 0 0 19.3 21 8 9 7 3.72 4.29 (+13%) -
1935 CHW AL 11 11 31 25 16 2 1 211.7 211 92 95 65 3.91 4.35 (+10%) -
1936 CHW AL 21 9 35 34 20 1 0 274.3 282 141 147 99 4.63 4.59 (-1%) -
1937 CHW AL 14 13 32 30 15 1 0 221.0 238 125 124 114 5.09 4.34 (-17%) -
1938 DET AL 12 9 33 26 11 0 2 190.3 215 107 113 53 5.06 4.35 (-16%) -4326.1
1939 DET AL 0 3 4 4 1 0 0 21.0 25 15 9 9 6.43 4.28 (-50%) -966.2
1939 SLA AL 9 17 33 27 12 1 0 191.7 229 122 115 55 5.73 4.28 (-34%) -6223.2
1940 SLA AL 12 17 34 32 18 0 0 222.3 263 138 122 70 5.59 4.21 (-33%) -5240.6
1941 SLA AL 2 4 6 6 2 0 0 45.0 44 22 27 6 4.40 3.94 (-12%) -2097.3
1941 WSN AL 1 7 17 7 2 0 0 66.3 77 42 39 22 5.70 3.94 (-45%) -
1942 CLE AL 4 8 28 12 4 0 1 108.0 99 49 50 37 4.08 3.57 (-14%) 385.9
1943 CLE AL 10 7 28 17 8 1 0 146.7 130 40 59 63 2.45 3.50 (+30%) 409.6
1944 CLE AL 2 5 12 10 2 0 0 59.0 66 33 37 17 5.03 3.57 (-41%) -610.5
1944 PHI NL 1 5 12 7 3 0 0 55.3 60 26 20 23 4.23 3.57 (-18%) -86.0
1945 PHI NL 0 3 12 3 0 0 0 36.0 43 22 14 13 5.50 3.67 (-50%) -196.8
1945 CIN NL 5 12 24 20 11 1 1 157.7 170 70 69 38 4.00 3.67 (-9%) -3109.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
373 743 80 181 27 5 4 61 1 15 123 0.244 0.260 0.310 0.569 -2147.4

Career AVG .244 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — 9.4% below league average.

Career OBP .260 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 22.7% below league average.

Career SLG .310 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 18.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.569 vs. league average 0.715 across their career seasons — 20.4% 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
1934 CHW AL 3 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.286 — — — — 0.0
1935 CHW AL 31 73 5 18 3 1 0 10 0 1 18 0.247 .279 (-12%) .342 (-25%) .399 (-21%) .742 (-23%) -308.3
1936 CHW AL 36 113 12 32 8 0 0 11 0 1 13 0.283 .283 (avg) .349 (-17%) .404 (-12%) .753 (-15%) -321.3
1937 CHW AL 32 87 12 20 1 1 2 9 0 0 17 0.230 .276 (-17%) .342 (-30%) .398 (-16%) .740 (-23%) -364.6
1938 DET AL 37 79 10 23 3 0 0 8 0 1 11 0.291 .272 (+7%) .341 (-12%) .392 (-16%) .734 (-14%) -206.4
1939 DET AL 4 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.286 — — — — 0.0
1939 SLA AL 34 67 9 10 4 0 0 6 0 3 10 0.149 .274 (-46%) .342 (-46%) .393 (-47%) .735 (-46%) 0.0
1940 SLA AL 35 84 12 25 3 1 2 12 0 3 13 0.298 .267 (+11%) .335 (-4%) .387 (+11%) .722 (+4%) 28.5
1941 SLA AL 6 15 2 6 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 0.400 — — — — 0.0
1941 WSN AL 18 21 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1942 CLE AL 33 30 3 6 1 0 0 0 1 2 9 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1943 CLE AL 38 52 8 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 0.231 .255 (-10%) .324 (-29%) .346 (-22%) .671 (-26%) -230.5
1944 CLE AL 15 23 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.087 — — — — 0.0
1944 PHI NL 14 21 3 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0.286 — — — — 0.0
1945 PHI NL 13 11 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.182 — — — — 0.0
1945 CIN NL 24 53 1 12 4 0 0 1 0 1 13 0.226 .260 (-13%) .328 (-27%) .354 (-15%) .683 (-21%) 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 344 0 98 439 22 28

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1934 CHA P 3 0 1 6 0 0
1935 CHA P 31 0 8 54 2 3
1936 CHA P 35 0 13 50 2 5
1937 CHA P 32 0 9 40 3 1
1938 DET P 33 0 6 46 3 4
1939 DET P 4 0 1 6 0 1
1939 SLA P 33 0 7 31 1 1
1940 SLA P 34 0 13 50 0 4
1941 SLA P 6 0 2 10 1 1
1941 WS1 P 17 0 2 14 1 0
1942 CLE P 28 0 4 24 3 3
1943 CLE P 28 0 8 36 1 2
1944 CLE P 12 0 6 14 2 1
1944 PHI P 12 0 2 11 1 0
1945 PHI P 12 0 4 11 1 1
1945 CIN P 24 0 12 36 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 344

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1936 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1936 Baseball Magazine All-Star P4

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1936 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 27.0 80 0