Jack Kramer, baseball player, 1939-1951

Jack Kramer

Born: 1/5/1918 in New Orleans, LA, USA

Died: 5/18/1995 in Metairie, LA, USA

MLB Debut: 1939-04-25 | Final Game: 1951-08-22

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: John Henry Kramer

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Jack Kramer was a notable American pitcher whose career spanned from 1939 to 1951. Born in 1918, Kramer entered Major League Baseball during a time of significant change and competition, ultimately establishing himself as a reliable presence on the mound. Over his eleven seasons, he recorded a win-loss record of 95-103 and posted a 4.24 earned run average (ERA), showcasing his resilience and ability to compete in the challenging landscape of mid-20th century baseball. Kramer's effectiveness as a pitcher was underscored by his ability to strike out batters, totaling 613 strikeouts throughout his career, and he contributed to his teams with 7 saves. His performance earned him the honor of being selected as an All-Star three times, reflecting his status among his peers during his playing years. Known for his competitive spirit and tenacity, Kramer left an indelible mark on the game, navigating the evolving tactics and styles of pitching that characterized the era, before retiring in 1951.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
95 103 322 215 88 14 7 1637.3 1761 772 92 682 613 4.24 0

Career ERA 4.24 vs. league average 3.94 across their career seasons — 7.8% 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
1939 SLA AL 9 16 40 31 10 2 0 211.7 269 137 127 68 5.83 4.28 (-36%) -6031.8
1940 SLA AL 3 7 16 9 1 0 0 64.7 86 45 26 12 6.26 4.21 (-49%) -703.7
1941 SLA AL 4 3 29 3 0 0 2 59.3 69 34 40 20 5.16 3.94 (-31%) -1971.7
1943 SLA AL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 9.0 11 8 8 4 8.00 3.50 (-128%) 0.0
1944 SLA AL 17 13 33 31 18 1 0 257.0 233 71 75 124 2.49 3.57 (+30%) 5578.5
1945 SLA AL 10 15 29 25 15 3 2 193.0 190 72 73 99 3.36 3.67 (+8%) -174.6
1946 SLA AL 13 11 31 28 13 3 0 194.7 190 69 68 69 3.19 3.59 (+11%) 1343.0
1947 SLA AL 11 16 33 28 9 1 1 199.3 206 110 89 77 4.97 3.97 (-25%) -1896.7
1948 BOS AL 18 5 29 29 14 2 0 205.0 233 99 64 72 4.35 4.10 (-6%) 1790.8
1949 BOS AL 6 8 21 18 7 2 1 111.7 126 64 49 24 5.16 4.12 (-25%) -680.1
1950 NY1 NL 3 6 35 9 1 0 1 86.7 91 34 39 27 3.53 4.36 (+19%) 173.4
1951 NY1 NL 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 4.7 11 8 3 2 15.43 — 0.0
1951 NYY AL 1 3 19 3 0 0 0 40.7 46 21 21 15 4.65 4.04 (-15%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
322 501 43 72 12 0 5 39 0 76 162 0.144 0.258 0.198 0.455 -2553.5

Career AVG .144 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 45.3% below league average.

Career OBP .258 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 23.0% below league average.

Career SLG .198 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — 47.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.455 vs. league average 0.709 across their career seasons — 35.8% 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
1939 SLA AL 40 66 6 9 2 0 1 6 0 7 17 0.136 .274 (-50%) .342 (-36%) .393 (-46%) .735 (-41%) -482.2
1940 SLA AL 16 20 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 4 6 0.050 — — — — 0.0
1941 SLA AL 29 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1943 SLA AL 3 2 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1944 SLA AL 33 85 6 14 2 0 2 6 0 8 21 0.165 .261 (-37%) .325 (-25%) .357 (-28%) .683 (-26%) -360.9
1945 SLA AL 29 61 4 9 2 0 0 6 0 11 21 0.148 .260 (-43%) .328 (-16%) .354 (-49%) .683 (-33%) -297.2
1946 SLA AL 31 59 7 8 1 0 0 3 0 6 25 0.136 .256 (-47%) .328 (-35%) .358 (-57%) .687 (-46%) -440.4
1947 SLA AL 33 62 3 7 1 0 0 2 0 8 25 0.113 .262 (-57%) .336 (-36%) .376 (-66%) .712 (-52%) -534.9
1948 BOS AL 29 73 7 11 1 0 1 8 0 10 21 0.151 .263 (-43%) .340 (-26%) .379 (-46%) .719 (-36%) -437.9
1949 BOS AL 21 35 4 9 1 0 0 3 0 9 13 0.257 — — — — 0.0
1950 NY1 NL 35 20 3 2 0 0 1 2 0 5 5 0.100 — — — — 0.0
1951 NY1 NL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1951 NYY AL 19 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0.100 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1944 WS SLA 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 0 2 1 0 11.0 9 0 4 12 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1944 WS SLA 1 0 2 1 0 11.0 9 0 4 12 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 322 0 73 298 17 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1939 SLA P 40 0 7 34 2 2
1940 SLA P 16 0 2 15 1 1
1941 SLA P 29 0 2 14 3 1
1943 SLA P 3 0 1 1 0 0
1944 SLA P 33 0 10 62 3 5
1945 SLA P 29 0 10 39 1 4
1946 SLA P 31 0 12 32 1 2
1947 SLA P 33 0 7 38 2 3
1948 BOS P 29 0 5 26 1 1
1949 BOS P 21 0 3 19 0 2
1950 NY1 P 35 0 10 14 0 2
1951 NY1 P 4 0 1 1 0 0
1951 NYA P 19 0 3 3 3 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 322

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1944 Most Valuable Player AL 16th 9.0 336 0