Preacher Roe, baseball player, 1938-1954

Preacher Roe

Born: 2/26/1916 in Ash Flat, AR, USA

Died: 11/9/2008 in West Plains, MO, USA

MLB Debut: 1938-08-22 | Final Game: 1954-09-04

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Elwin Charles Roe

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Biography

Preacher Roe was a distinguished Major League Baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1938 to 1954. Born in 1916, Roe made a significant impact on the game during an era marked by the transition from the deadball era to the more offensive-minded approaches of the 1950s. Throughout his career, he compiled a record of 127-84 and maintained a respectable earned run average (ERA) of 3.43. Known for his crafty pitching style, Roe recorded a total of 956 strikeouts and secured 10 saves, demonstrating his versatility and effectiveness on the mound. Roe was recognized for his talents with five All-Star selections, showcasing his status among the elite pitchers of his time. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he became a key figure in their pitching rotation, contributing to the team’s success during a pivotal period in baseball history. His ability to adapt to various game situations and his competitive spirit made him a respected competitor, both on and off the field. Preacher Roe’s legacy endures as a symbol of the skill and determination that characterized pitchers of his generation.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
127 84 333 261 101 17 10 1914.3 1907 730 199 504 956 3.43 0

Career ERA 3.43 vs. league average 3.95 across their career seasons — 13.1% 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 STL NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.7 6 4 2 1 13.50 — -
1944 PIT NL 13 11 39 25 7 1 1 185.3 182 64 59 88 3.11 3.57 (+13%) 1771.8
1945 PIT NL 14 13 33 31 15 3 1 235.0 228 75 46 148 2.87 3.67 (+22%) 6178.7
1946 PIT NL 3 8 21 10 1 0 2 70.0 83 40 25 28 5.14 3.59 (-43%) -499.5
1947 PIT NL 4 15 38 22 4 1 2 144.0 156 84 63 59 5.25 3.97 (-32%) -3462.5
1948 BRO NL 12 8 34 22 8 2 2 177.7 156 52 33 86 2.63 4.10 (+36%) 3147.6
1949 BRO NL 15 6 30 27 13 3 1 212.7 201 66 44 109 2.79 4.12 (+32%) 2529.7
1950 BRO NL 19 11 36 32 16 2 1 250.7 245 92 66 125 3.30 4.36 (+24%) 1129.6
1951 BRO NL 22 3 34 33 19 2 0 257.7 247 87 64 113 3.04 4.04 (+25%) 1217.1
1952 BRO NL 11 2 27 25 8 2 0 158.7 163 55 39 83 3.12 3.70 (+16%) 1038.9
1953 BRO NL 11 3 25 24 9 1 0 157.0 171 76 40 85 4.36 4.14 (-5%) -1583.4
1954 BRO NL 3 4 15 10 1 0 0 63.0 69 35 23 31 5.00 3.90 (-28%) -1407.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
333 620 37 68 3 0 1 28 0 38 215 0.110 0.161 0.119 0.280 -5661.8

Career AVG .110 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 58.2% below league average.

Career OBP .161 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 51.9% below league average.

Career SLG .119 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — 68.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.280 vs. league average 0.713 across their career seasons — 60.7% 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
1938 STL NL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1944 PIT NL 39 53 4 7 0 0 0 1 0 3 23 0.132 .261 (-49%) .325 (-45%) .357 (-63%) .683 (-55%) -469.4
1945 PIT NL 33 75 3 8 1 0 0 3 0 6 21 0.107 .260 (-59%) .328 (-47%) .354 (-66%) .683 (-57%) -694.4
1946 PIT NL 21 15 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 0.067 — — — — 0.0
1947 PIT NL 38 40 1 5 0 0 0 1 0 2 15 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1948 BRO NL 34 51 4 5 0 0 0 1 0 5 14 0.098 .263 (-63%) .340 (-47%) .379 (-74%) .719 (-62%) -532.1
1949 BRO NL 30 70 5 8 0 0 0 7 0 7 28 0.114 .262 (-56%) .343 (-43%) .384 (-70%) .727 (-58%) -685.5
1950 BRO NL 36 91 8 14 1 0 0 3 0 2 27 0.154 .265 (-42%) .346 (-50%) .401 (-59%) .747 (-55%) -888.7
1951 BRO NL 34 89 3 10 0 0 0 7 0 2 36 0.112 .260 (-57%) .336 (-61%) .385 (-71%) .721 (-66%) -1005.6
1952 BRO NL 27 57 2 4 0 0 0 3 0 3 19 0.070 .252 (-72%) .326 (-64%) .369 (-81%) .696 (-73%) -680.4
1953 BRO NL 25 57 4 3 0 0 1 2 0 3 18 0.053 .264 (-80%) .335 (-70%) .397 (-74%) .733 (-72%) -705.7
1954 BRO NL 15 21 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 9 0.143 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1953 WS BRO 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000
1952 WS BRO 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1949 WS BRO 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 1 5 3 0 28.3 20 8 10 14 2.54

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1953 WS BRO 0 1 1 1 0 8.0 5 4 4 4 4.50
1952 WS BRO 1 0 3 1 0 11.3 9 4 6 7 3.18
1949 WS BRO 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 6 0 0 3 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 333 10 90 295 10 26

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1938 SLN P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1944 PIT P 39 0 11 27 2 0
1945 PIT P 33 0 16 40 0 3
1946 PIT P 21 0 4 13 1 1
1947 PIT P 38 0 6 20 1 2
1948 BRO P 34 0 4 30 0 2
1949 BRO P 30 0 5 29 2 4
1950 BRO P 36 0 12 34 1 3
1951 BRO P 34 0 18 39 3 6
1952 BRO P 27 0 9 23 0 0
1953 BRO P 25 0 4 30 0 3
1954 BRO P 15 10 1 10 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 333

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1951 TSN All-Star P
1951 TSN Pitcher of the Year

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Harding University Searcy AR 1936, 1937, 1938

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1952 Most Valuable Player NL 29th 7.0 336 0
1951 Most Valuable Player NL 5th 138.0 336 2
1950 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 15.0 336 0
1949 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 21.0 336 0