Claude Passeau, baseball player, 1935-1947

Claude Passeau

Born: 4/9/1909 in Waynesboro, MS, USA

Died: 8/30/2003 in Lucedale, MS, USA

MLB Debut: 1935-09-29 | Final Game: 1947-09-17

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 198 lbs

Full name: Claude William Passeau

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Biography

Claude Passeau was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, active from 1935 until his retirement in 1947. Born in 1909, Passeau made his mark during a transitional period in baseball, navigating the sport through the late 1930s and into the post-war era. Over his career, he accumulated a record of 162 wins and 150 losses, showcasing his durability and effectiveness on the mound with a career earned run average (ERA) of 3.32. His ability to strike out hitters was notable, as he recorded 1,104 strikeouts, and he also contributed to his teams' successes through 21 saves. Passeau was recognized for his skills and consistency, earning five All-Star selections throughout his career. His playing style was characterized by a blend of finesse and power, allowing him to compete effectively against some of the best hitters of his time. As baseball evolved in the mid-20th century, Passeau's contributions helped pave the way for future generations of pitchers, and his legacy remains an important part of the sport's rich history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
162 150 444 331 188 26 21 2719.7 2856 1003 105 728 1104 3.32 0

Career ERA 3.32 vs. league average 3.99 across their career seasons — 16.8% 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
1935 PIT NL 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 3.0 7 4 2 1 12.00 — 0.0
1936 PHI NL 11 15 49 21 8 2 3 217.3 247 84 55 85 3.48 4.59 (+24%) 4427.1
1937 PHI NL 14 18 50 34 18 1 2 292.3 348 141 79 135 4.34 4.34 (avg) 3776.2
1938 PHI NL 11 18 44 33 15 0 1 239.0 281 120 93 100 4.52 4.35 (-4%) 2441.7
1939 PHI NL 2 4 8 8 4 1 0 53.3 54 25 25 29 4.22 4.28 (+2%) 805.0
1939 CHC NL 13 9 34 27 13 1 3 221.0 215 75 48 108 3.05 4.28 (+29%) -
1940 CHC NL 20 13 46 31 20 4 5 280.7 259 78 59 124 2.50 4.21 (+41%) -
1941 CHC NL 14 14 34 30 20 3 0 231.0 262 86 52 80 3.35 3.94 (+15%) -
1942 CHC NL 19 14 35 34 24 3 0 278.3 284 83 74 89 2.68 3.57 (+25%) -
1943 CHC NL 15 12 35 31 18 1 1 257.0 245 83 66 93 2.91 3.50 (+17%) -
1944 CHC NL 15 9 34 27 18 2 3 227.0 234 73 50 89 2.89 3.57 (+19%) -
1945 CHC NL 17 9 34 27 19 5 1 227.0 205 62 59 98 2.46 3.67 (+33%) -
1946 CHC NL 9 8 21 21 10 2 0 129.3 118 45 42 47 3.13 3.59 (+13%) -
1947 CHC NL 2 6 19 6 1 1 2 63.3 97 44 24 26 6.25 3.97 (-57%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
447 982 84 189 29 3 15 80 2 26 294 0.192 0.214 0.274 0.488 -4884.7

Career AVG .192 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — 27.8% below league average.

Career OBP .214 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 36.1% below league average.

Career SLG .274 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 27.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.488 vs. league average 0.711 across their career seasons — 31.4% 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
1935 PIT NL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1936 PHI NL 50 78 8 22 3 0 2 7 0 2 29 0.282 .283 (-1%) .349 (-14%) .404 (-2%) .753 (-7%) -124.0
1937 PHI NL 50 107 13 21 5 0 1 11 0 3 39 0.196 .276 (-29%) .342 (-36%) .398 (-32%) .740 (-34%) -671.0
1938 PHI NL 45 80 4 13 1 0 0 3 0 2 27 0.163 .272 (-40%) .341 (-46%) .392 (-55%) .734 (-51%) -724.8
1939 PHI NL 8 20 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1939 CHC NL 35 77 6 12 2 0 1 6 0 2 27 0.156 .274 (-43%) .342 (-48%) .393 (-44%) .735 (-46%) 0.0
1940 CHC NL 46 98 12 20 5 1 1 6 2 9 33 0.204 .267 (-24%) .335 (-17%) .387 (-21%) .722 (-19%) -336.2
1941 CHC NL 34 86 6 19 2 0 3 12 0 2 22 0.221 .262 (-16%) .332 (-28%) .373 (-7%) .705 (-17%) -268.4
1942 CHC NL 35 105 7 19 1 0 2 10 0 0 26 0.181 .253 (-29%) .323 (-44%) .349 (-29%) .672 (-36%) -637.5
1943 CHC NL 35 96 5 19 4 2 0 5 0 0 30 0.198 .255 (-23%) .324 (-39%) .346 (-19%) .671 (-29%) -488.9
1944 CHC NL 34 80 6 13 3 0 0 3 0 4 17 0.163 .261 (-38%) .325 (-38%) .357 (-44%) .683 (-41%) -541.3
1945 CHC NL 34 91 10 17 2 0 2 9 0 2 22 0.187 .260 (-28%) .328 (-38%) .354 (-23%) .683 (-30%) -467.6
1946 CHC NL 21 49 7 10 1 0 3 7 0 0 7 0.204 — — — — 0.0
1947 CHC NL 19 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 7 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1945 WS CHN 3 7 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 0 3 2 0 16.7 7 5 8 3 2.70

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1945 WS CHN 1 0 3 2 0 16.7 7 5 8 3 2.70

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 444 0 130 583 17 44

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1935 PIT P 1 0 0 2 0 1
1936 PHI P 49 0 7 49 2 4
1937 PHI P 50 0 14 60 1 3
1938 PHI P 44 0 14 60 4 4
1939 PHI P 8 0 4 9 0 0
1939 CHN P 34 0 7 49 0 2
1940 CHN P 46 0 17 62 7 0
1941 CHN P 34 0 6 45 1 4
1942 CHN P 35 0 12 61 0 9
1943 CHN P 35 0 13 55 0 5
1944 CHN P 34 0 12 42 0 5
1945 CHN P 34 0 17 52 0 3
1946 CHN P 21 0 6 30 1 3
1947 CHN P 19 0 1 7 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 444

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Millsaps College Jackson MS 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1945 Most Valuable Player NL 19th 9.0 336 0
1942 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 33.0 336 0
1940 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 26.0 336 0