Russ Meyer, baseball player, 1946-1959

Russ Meyer

Born: 10/25/1923 in Peru, IL, USA

Died: 11/16/1997 in Oglesby, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1946-09-13 | Final Game: 1959-06-28

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Russell Charles Meyer

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Russ Meyer was a talented pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1946 until 1959. Born in 1923, Meyer made his mark during a transitional period in baseball that followed World War II, an era characterized by an increase in the athleticism and skill level of players. Throughout his career, he compiled a record of 94 wins and 73 losses, showcasing his ability to perform consistently on the mound. Meyer recorded an earned run average (ERA) of 3.99 across his career, indicating his effectiveness in limiting opposing teams' scoring opportunities. With a total of 672 strikeouts, he demonstrated a keen ability to overpower hitters, complemented by his five saves, which highlighted his versatility as both a starter and a reliever. Meyer's contributions to the game, particularly during the late 1940s and 1950s, solidified his place in baseball history as a reliable pitcher who contributed to the competitive landscape of the sport during that era.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
94 73 319 219 65 13 5 1531.3 1606 679 136 541 672 3.99 0

Career ERA 3.99 vs. league average 3.97 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
1946 CHC NL 0 0 4 1 0 0 1 17.0 21 6 10 10 3.18 3.59 (+12%) -
1947 CHC NL 3 2 23 2 1 0 0 45.0 43 17 14 22 3.40 3.97 (+14%) -
1948 CHC NL 10 10 29 26 8 3 0 164.7 157 67 77 89 3.66 4.10 (+11%) -
1949 PHI NL 17 8 37 28 14 2 1 213.0 199 73 70 78 3.08 4.12 (+25%) 2700.8
1950 PHI NL 9 11 32 25 3 0 1 159.7 193 94 67 74 5.30 4.36 (-22%) -1258.0
1951 PHI NL 8 9 28 24 7 2 0 168.0 172 65 55 65 3.48 4.04 (+14%) 1351.9
1952 PHI NL 13 14 37 32 14 1 1 232.3 235 81 65 92 3.14 3.70 (+15%) 4144.1
1953 BRO NL 15 5 34 32 10 2 0 191.3 201 97 63 106 4.56 4.14 (-10%) -238.7
1954 BRO NL 11 6 36 28 6 2 0 180.3 193 80 49 70 3.99 3.90 (-2%) 944.5
1955 BRO NL 6 2 18 11 2 1 0 73.0 86 44 31 26 5.42 4.00 (-36%) -659.8
1956 CHC NL 1 6 20 9 0 0 0 57.0 71 40 26 28 6.32 3.96 (-59%) -
1956 CIN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 1 0.00 — 0.0
1957 BOS AL 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 5.0 10 3 3 1 5.40 — 0.0
1959 KC1 AL 1 0 18 0 0 0 1 24.0 24 12 11 10 4.50 3.90 (-15%) -561.3

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
319 484 26 55 6 2 1 25 0 22 146 0.114 0.154 0.140 0.294 -4351.6

Career AVG .114 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 56.3% below league average.

Career OBP .154 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 53.9% below league average.

Career SLG .140 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — 63.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.294 vs. league average 0.719 across their career seasons — 59.1% 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
1946 CHC NL 4 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1947 CHC NL 23 12 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1948 CHC NL 29 56 1 6 0 1 0 3 0 0 19 0.107 .263 (-59%) .340 (-68%) .379 (-62%) .719 (-65%) -627.1
1949 PHI NL 37 70 3 10 2 1 0 4 0 2 19 0.143 .262 (-46%) .343 (-51%) .384 (-48%) .727 (-50%) -623.5
1950 PHI NL 32 50 2 7 1 0 0 0 0 3 20 0.140 .265 (-47%) .346 (-45%) .401 (-60%) .747 (-53%) -472.1
1951 PHI NL 28 48 4 5 0 0 0 4 0 3 8 0.104 — — — — -517.1
1952 PHI NL 37 79 4 7 1 0 1 6 0 3 23 0.089 .252 (-65%) .326 (-59%) .369 (-62%) .696 (-61%) -809.8
1953 BRO NL 34 75 6 11 1 0 0 2 0 3 21 0.147 .264 (-44%) .335 (-47%) .397 (-60%) .733 (-54%) -696.7
1954 BRO NL 36 47 3 2 0 0 0 2 0 5 20 0.043 — — — — -605.3
1955 BRO NL 18 27 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 1 10 0.037 — — — — 0.0
1956 CHC NL 20 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.083 — — — — 0.0
1956 CIN NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1957 BOS AL 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1959 KC1 AL 18 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 3 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
1955 WS BRO 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1953 WS BRO 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1950 WS PHI 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 4 0 0 11.7 16 4 6 10 3.09

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1955 WS BRO 0 0 1 0 0 5.7 4 0 2 4 0.00
1953 WS BRO 0 0 1 0 0 4.3 8 3 4 5 6.23
1950 WS PHI 0 1 2 0 0 1.7 4 1 0 1 5.40

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 319 49 69 257 13 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1946 CHN P 4 0 0 4 0 0
1947 CHN P 23 0 1 6 0 1
1948 CHN P 29 0 12 26 1 0
1949 PHI P 37 0 14 28 1 3
1950 PHI P 32 0 8 31 0 4
1951 PHI P 28 0 5 21 1 1
1952 PHI P 37 0 8 37 4 6
1953 BRO P 34 0 8 33 3 1
1954 BRO P 36 28 5 27 3 0
1955 BRO P 18 11 1 21 0 1
1956 CHN P 20 9 4 17 0 2
1956 CIN P 1 0 1 0 0 0
1957 BOS P 2 1 0 4 0 0
1959 KC1 P 18 0 2 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 319

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1949 Most Valuable Player NL 19th 8.0 336 0