Nels Potter, baseball player, 1936-1949

Nels Potter

Born: 8/23/1911 in Mount Morris, IL, USA

Died: 9/30/1990 in Mount Morris, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1936-04-25 | Final Game: 1949-09-18

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Nelson Thomas Potter

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Nels Potter was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1949. Born in 1911, Potter established himself as a competent hurler during a transitional period in the game, which saw the tail end of the deadball era and the emergence of a more offensive style of play. Throughout his career, he amassed a record of 92 wins and 97 losses, with a career earned run average (ERA) of 3.99. Known for his durability and versatility, Potter notched 747 strikeouts and recorded 22 saves, demonstrating both his ability to start games and to perform in high-pressure situations. Potter's tenure in the majors coincided with a time of significant change in baseball, including the integration of African American players and the evolving strategies of pitching and hitting. While he may not have been a household name, his contributions on the mound helped to solidify the pitching staff of various teams during his career. After retiring in 1949, he left behind a legacy defined by resilience and a competitive spirit, marking his place in the history of the game as a reliable pitcher who navigated the challenges of a dynamic era in baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
92 97 349 177 89 6 22 1686.0 1721 748 123 582 747 3.99 0

Career ERA 3.99 vs. league average 3.99 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
1936 STL NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0.00 — -
1938 PHA AL 2 12 35 9 4 0 5 111.3 139 80 49 43 6.47 4.35 (-49%) -3131.6
1939 PHA AL 8 12 41 25 9 0 2 196.3 258 144 88 60 6.60 4.28 (-54%) -6733.0
1940 PHA AL 9 14 31 25 13 0 0 200.7 213 99 71 73 4.44 4.21 (-5%) -1596.8
1941 PHA AL 1 1 10 3 1 0 2 23.3 35 24 16 7 9.26 3.94 (-135%) -1170.9
1941 BOS AL 2 0 10 0 0 0 0 20.0 21 10 16 6 4.50 3.94 (-14%) -335.7
1943 SLA AL 10 5 33 13 8 0 1 168.3 146 52 54 80 2.78 3.50 (+21%) -276.5
1944 SLA AL 19 7 32 29 16 3 0 232.0 211 73 70 91 2.83 3.57 (+21%) 2598.5
1945 SLA AL 15 11 32 32 21 3 0 255.3 212 70 68 129 2.47 3.67 (+33%) 4313.3
1946 SLA AL 8 9 23 19 10 0 0 145.0 152 60 59 72 3.72 3.59 (-4%) -344.1
1947 SLA AL 4 10 32 10 3 0 2 122.7 130 55 44 65 4.04 3.97 (-2%) -526.8
1948 SLA AL 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 10.3 11 6 4 4 5.23 4.10 (-27%) -232.0
1948 PHA AL 2 2 8 0 0 0 1 18.0 17 8 5 13 4.00 4.10 (+3%) 550.5
1948 BSN NL 5 2 18 7 3 0 2 85.0 77 22 8 47 2.33 4.10 (+43%) 3335.9
1949 BSN NL 6 11 41 3 1 0 7 96.7 99 45 30 57 4.19 4.12 (-2%) 2509.8

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
352 562 25 128 15 0 0 37 0 35 50 0.228 0.274 0.254 0.529 -1944.7

Career AVG .228 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 14.2% below league average.

Career OBP .274 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 18.3% below league average.

Career SLG .254 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 32.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.529 vs. league average 0.711 across their career seasons — 25.7% 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
1936 STL NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1938 PHA AL 38 39 1 10 1 0 0 6 0 1 3 0.256 — — — — 0.0
1939 PHA AL 41 67 6 12 2 0 0 4 0 5 6 0.179 .274 (-35%) .342 (-31%) .393 (-47%) .735 (-39%) -462.4
1940 PHA AL 31 71 4 18 2 0 0 4 0 3 7 0.254 .267 (-5%) .335 (-15%) .387 (-27%) .722 (-22%) -261.2
1941 PHA AL 10 6 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1941 BOS AL 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1943 SLA AL 33 55 0 8 1 0 0 4 0 4 2 0.145 .255 (-43%) .324 (-37%) .346 (-53%) .671 (-45%) -397.1
1944 SLA AL 32 82 4 13 1 0 0 5 0 4 4 0.159 .261 (-39%) .325 (-37%) .357 (-52%) .683 (-45%) -587.6
1945 SLA AL 32 92 3 28 2 0 0 5 0 2 7 0.304 .260 (+17%) .328 (-3%) .354 (-8%) .683 (-6%) -95.4
1946 SLA AL 23 52 2 12 3 0 0 1 0 4 4 0.231 .256 (-10%) .328 (-13%) .358 (-20%) .687 (-16%) -140.9
1947 SLA AL 32 35 3 9 1 0 0 2 0 7 2 0.257 — — — — 0.0
1948 SLA AL 2 4 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1948 PHA AL 8 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1948 BSN NL 18 29 0 11 1 0 0 3 0 0 3 0.379 — — — — 0.0
1949 BSN NL 41 23 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 7 0.130 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.167

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1948 WS BSN 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.500
1944 WS SLA 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 4 3 0 15.0 16 6 5 7 3.60

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1948 WS BSN 0 0 2 1 0 5.3 6 5 2 1 8.44
1944 WS SLA 0 1 2 2 0 9.7 10 1 3 6 0.93

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 349 0 98 307 18 18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1936 SLN P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1938 PHA P 35 0 8 16 1 0
1939 PHA P 41 0 8 34 1 0
1940 PHA P 31 0 17 30 0 2
1941 PHA P 10 0 3 4 1 1
1941 BOS P 10 0 2 2 0 0
1943 SLA P 33 0 10 36 1 2
1944 SLA P 32 0 11 52 3 3
1945 SLA P 32 0 13 43 3 4
1946 SLA P 23 0 11 18 1 3
1947 SLA P 32 0 6 27 3 1
1948 SLA P 2 0 2 4 1 0
1948 PHA P 8 0 1 1 0 0
1948 BSN P 18 0 4 20 2 1
1949 BSN P 41 0 2 20 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 349

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Mount Morris College Mount Morris IL 1931, 1932

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1944 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 52.0 336 0