Johnny Niggeling, baseball player, 1938-1946

Johnny Niggeling

Born: 7/10/1903 in Remsen, IA, USA

Died: 9/16/1963 in Le Mars, IA, USA

MLB Debut: 1938-04-30 | Final Game: 1946-09-01

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: John Arnold Niggeling

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Biography

Johnny Niggeling was a professional baseball pitcher who played from 1938 to 1946. Born in 1903, Niggeling made a name for himself in a transitional era of baseball that bridged the tail end of the deadball era and the onset of the more offensive-minded periods. Throughout his career, he was known for his durability on the mound and ability to keep runs at bay, finishing with a career earned run average (ERA) of 3.22. Over the course of his career, Niggeling recorded a win-loss record of 64-69, demonstrating his resilience in a competitive league. He accumulated 620 strikeouts, showcasing his capability as a strikeout artist despite the lack of saves in his record. His contributions to the game were significant during a time when pitching strategies were evolving, and he left an indelible mark on the teams he played for, including the Washington Senators and the Detroit Tigers. Niggeling's career remains a testament to the hard-nosed pitching styles that characterized the era in which he played.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
64 69 184 161 81 12 0 1250.7 1111 447 60 516 620 3.22 0

Career ERA 3.22 vs. league average 3.85 across their career seasons — 16.5% 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
1938 BSN NL 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 4 2 1 1 9.00 — 0.0
1939 CIN NL 2 1 10 5 2 1 0 40.3 51 26 13 20 5.80 4.28 (-35%) 454.6
1940 SLA AL 7 11 28 20 10 0 0 153.7 148 76 69 82 4.45 4.21 (-6%) 282.1
1941 SLA AL 7 9 24 20 13 1 0 168.3 168 71 63 68 3.80 3.94 (+4%) -2242.3
1942 SLA AL 15 11 28 27 16 3 0 206.3 173 61 93 107 2.66 3.57 (+25%) -611.6
1943 SLA AL 6 8 20 20 7 0 0 150.3 122 53 57 73 3.17 3.50 (+9%) -154.8
1943 WSN AL 4 2 6 6 5 3 0 51.0 27 5 17 24 0.88 3.50 (+75%) -
1944 WSN AL 10 8 24 24 14 2 0 206.0 164 53 88 121 2.32 3.57 (+35%) -
1945 WSN AL 7 12 26 25 8 2 0 176.7 161 62 73 90 3.16 3.67 (+14%) -
1946 WSN AL 3 2 8 6 3 0 0 38.0 39 17 21 10 4.03 3.59 (-12%) -
1946 BSN NL 2 5 8 8 3 0 0 58.0 54 21 21 24 3.26 3.59 (+9%) 361.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
184 420 16 59 4 1 0 17 0 20 100 0.140 0.181 0.155 0.336 -3110.2

Career AVG .140 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 46.5% below league average.

Career OBP .181 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 45.3% below league average.

Career SLG .155 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 58.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.336 vs. league average 0.700 across their career seasons — 52.0% 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
1938 BSN NL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1939 CIN NL 10 13 3 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 5 0.154 — — — — 0.0
1940 SLA AL 28 51 1 9 1 0 0 1 0 2 13 0.176 .267 (-34%) .335 (-38%) .387 (-49%) .722 (-44%) -380.3
1941 SLA AL 24 60 1 10 0 0 0 6 0 3 16 0.167 .262 (-36%) .332 (-38%) .373 (-55%) .705 (-47%) -459.8
1942 SLA AL 28 72 3 10 0 0 0 2 0 3 15 0.139 .253 (-45%) .323 (-43%) .349 (-60%) .672 (-52%) -587.9
1943 SLA AL 20 49 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 3 11 0.061 — — — — -562.2
1943 WSN AL 6 18 2 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.278 — — — — -562.2
1944 WSN AL 24 69 2 9 0 1 0 3 0 4 17 0.130 .261 (-50%) .325 (-45%) .357 (-55%) .683 (-51%) -562.3
1945 WSN AL 26 59 2 7 1 0 0 2 0 2 12 0.119 .260 (-55%) .328 (-55%) .354 (-62%) .683 (-59%) -557.8
1946 WSN AL 8 11 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 3 0.182 — — — — 0.0
1946 BSN NL 8 18 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.111 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 184 0 50 199 7 17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1938 BSN P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1939 CIN P 10 0 1 6 2 2
1940 SLA P 28 0 9 22 2 5
1941 SLA P 24 0 9 24 0 0
1942 SLA P 28 0 3 36 0 0
1943 SLA P 20 0 10 25 0 4
1943 WS1 P 6 0 0 13 0 1
1944 WS1 P 24 0 7 29 0 2
1945 WS1 P 26 0 6 25 2 2
1946 WS1 P 8 0 1 6 1 1
1946 BSN P 8 0 4 13 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 184