Van Mungo, baseball player, 1931-1945

Van Mungo

Born: 6/8/1911 in Pageland, SC, USA

Died: 2/12/1985 in Pageland, SC, USA

MLB Debut: 1931-09-07 | Final Game: 1945-09-02

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Van Lingle Mungo

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Van Mungo, born in 1911, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1931 to 1945. Known for his powerful right arm and competitive spirit, Mungo finished his career with a record of 120-115 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.47. Over the course of his time on the mound, he accumulated 1,242 strikeouts and secured 16 saves, showcasing his ability to dominate opposing hitters. His performance earned him five selections to the All-Star Game, highlighting his status as one of the premier pitchers of his era. Mungo's playing career took place during a transformative period in baseball, characterized by the rise of pitching talent and the eventual integration of the sport. His contributions were significant not only in terms of statistics but also in the way he exemplified the fierce competitiveness that defined the game during the 1930s and 1940s. As a pitcher who thrived in high-pressure situations, Mungo left a lasting legacy in the world of baseball, remembered for both his skill on the mound and his role in an evolving game.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
120 115 364 259 123 20 16 2113.0 1957 815 89 868 1242 3.47 0

Career ERA 3.47 vs. league average 4.08 across their career seasons — 14.9% better 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
1931 BRO NL 3 1 5 4 2 1 0 31.0 27 8 13 12 2.32 4.10 (+43%) 296.6
1932 BRO NL 13 11 39 33 11 1 2 223.3 224 110 115 107 4.43 4.13 (-7%) -1120.5
1933 BRO NL 16 15 41 28 18 3 0 248.0 223 75 84 110 2.72 3.86 (+29%) 2933.1
1934 BRO NL 18 16 45 38 22 3 3 315.3 300 118 104 184 3.37 4.29 (+22%) 5065.7
1935 BRO NL 16 10 37 26 18 4 2 214.3 205 87 90 143 3.65 4.35 (+16%) 2326.8
1936 BRO NL 18 19 45 37 22 2 3 311.7 275 116 118 238 3.35 4.59 (+27%) 10463.1
1937 BRO NL 9 11 25 21 14 0 3 161.0 136 52 56 122 2.91 4.34 (+33%) 5455.7
1938 BRO NL 4 11 24 18 6 2 0 133.3 133 58 72 72 3.91 4.35 (+10%) -1381.6
1939 BRO NL 4 5 14 10 1 0 0 77.3 70 28 33 34 3.26 4.28 (+24%) -940.4
1940 BRO NL 1 0 7 0 0 0 1 22.0 24 6 10 9 2.45 4.21 (+42%) 40.6
1941 BRO NL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 1 1 2 0 4.50 — 0.0
1942 NY1 NL 1 2 9 5 0 0 0 36.3 38 24 21 27 5.94 3.57 (-67%) -629.3
1943 NY1 NL 3 7 45 13 2 2 2 154.3 140 67 79 83 3.91 3.50 (-12%) -1255.4
1945 NY1 NL 14 7 26 26 7 2 0 183.0 161 65 71 101 3.20 3.67 (+13%) 2567.8

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
410 787 56 174 24 4 0 74 1 29 164 0.221 0.250 0.262 0.511 -3611.3

Career AVG .221 vs. league average .270 across their career seasons — 18.2% below league average.

Career OBP .250 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 25.7% below league average.

Career SLG .262 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 31.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.511 vs. league average 0.718 across their career seasons — 28.8% 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
1931 BRO NL 5 12 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1932 BRO NL 39 79 3 16 2 0 0 2 0 3 20 0.203 .275 (-26%) .335 (-31%) .391 (-42%) .726 (-37%) -499.2
1933 BRO NL 41 84 2 15 1 1 0 4 0 2 12 0.179 .270 (-34%) .329 (-40%) .377 (-43%) .707 (-42%) -601.7
1934 BRO NL 46 121 10 30 5 0 0 10 0 4 26 0.248 .278 (-11%) .340 (-20%) .392 (-26%) .733 (-23%) -507.9
1935 BRO NL 44 90 9 26 3 0 0 19 0 1 10 0.289 .279 (+3%) .342 (-13%) .399 (-19%) .742 (-17%) -271.0
1936 BRO NL 50 123 11 22 2 0 0 11 0 1 26 0.179 .283 (-37%) .349 (-47%) .404 (-52%) .753 (-50%) -1112.5
1937 BRO NL 28 64 4 16 3 0 0 9 0 3 16 0.250 .276 (-10%) .342 (-17%) .398 (-25%) .740 (-22%) -240.6
1938 BRO NL 32 47 5 9 1 0 0 4 1 7 14 0.191 — — — — -230.9
1939 BRO NL 29 29 5 10 3 0 0 4 0 3 8 0.345 — — — — 0.0
1940 BRO NL 8 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1941 BRO NL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1942 NY1 NL 9 14 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.214 — — — — 0.0
1943 NY1 NL 49 44 1 7 1 0 0 2 0 1 14 0.159 — — — — 0.0
1945 NY1 NL 28 73 4 17 3 2 0 9 0 4 10 0.233 .260 (-11%) .328 (-14%) .354 (-7%) .683 (-11%) -147.6

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
P 364 0 99 448 23 22

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1931 BRO P 5 0 1 4 0 0
1932 BRO P 39 0 15 48 2 4
1933 BRO P 41 0 15 55 3 1
1934 BRO P 45 0 14 67 3 3
1935 BRO P 37 0 10 45 2 1
1936 BRO OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1936 BRO P 45 0 11 67 8 7
1937 BRO P 25 0 12 41 0 0
1938 BRO P 24 0 4 31 0 2
1939 BRO OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1939 BRO P 14 0 4 10 0 0
1940 BRO P 7 0 0 3 0 0
1941 BRO P 2 0 0 1 0 0
1942 NY1 P 9 0 2 6 0 2
1943 NY1 P 45 0 5 36 0 1
1945 NY1 P 26 0 6 34 5 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 364
Left Field 1
Right Field 1

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1936 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 5.0 80 0
1934 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 1.0 80 0