Jack Sanford, baseball player, 1956-1967

Jack Sanford

Born: 5/18/1929 in Wellesley Hills, MA, USA

Died: 3/7/2000 in Beckley, WV, USA

MLB Debut: 1956-09-16 | Final Game: 1967-08-06

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: John Stanley Sanford

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Biography

Jack Sanford was a notable American pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1967. Born in 1929, Sanford made a significant impact on the game during his career, which spanned over a decade. He finished with a win-loss record of 137-101 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.69, demonstrating his effectiveness on the mound. Over his career, he struck out 1,182 batters and recorded 11 saves, showcasing his ability as both a starter and a reliever. Sanford's performance earned him recognition as the Rookie of the Year and TSN Rookie of the Year, highlighting his immediate influence upon entering the league. Sanford was selected as an All-Star once during his career, reflecting his status among the elite pitchers of his time. He played during a transformative era in baseball, characterized by the emergence of power hitting and a shift in pitching styles. Known for his competitive spirit and reliable pitching, Sanford contributed to the teams he played for by consistently delivering solid performances. His legacy remains as a skilled pitcher who made his mark in the history of the game, leaving fans and historians alike with lasting memories of his contributions to baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
137 101 388 293 76 14 11 2049.3 1907 840 174 737 1182 3.69 0

Career ERA 3.69 vs. league average 3.71 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
1956 PHI NL 1 0 3 1 0 0 0 13.0 7 2 13 6 1.38 3.96 (+65%) -232.2
1957 PHI NL 19 8 33 33 15 3 0 236.7 194 81 94 188 3.08 3.83 (+20%) 3278.8
1958 PHI NL 10 13 38 27 7 2 0 186.3 197 92 81 106 4.44 3.86 (-15%) 600.8
1959 SFG NL 15 12 36 31 10 0 1 222.3 198 78 70 132 3.16 3.90 (+19%) -
1960 SFG NL 12 14 37 34 11 6 0 219.0 199 93 99 125 3.82 3.82 (avg) -
1961 SFG NL 13 9 38 33 6 0 0 217.3 203 102 87 112 4.22 4.03 (-5%) -
1962 SFG NL 24 7 39 38 13 2 0 265.3 233 101 92 147 3.43 3.96 (+13%) -
1963 SFG NL 16 13 42 42 11 0 0 284.3 273 111 76 158 3.51 3.46 (-2%) -
1964 SFG NL 5 7 18 17 3 1 1 106.3 91 39 37 64 3.30 3.58 (+8%) -
1965 SFG NL 4 5 23 16 0 0 2 91.0 92 40 30 43 3.96 3.50 (-13%) -
1965 LAA AL 1 2 9 5 0 0 1 29.3 35 15 10 13 4.60 3.50 (-32%) -
1966 LAA AL 13 7 50 6 0 0 5 108.0 108 46 27 54 3.83 3.52 (-9%) -
1967 LAA AL 3 2 12 9 0 0 1 48.3 53 24 7 21 4.47 3.30 (-35%) -
1967 KC1 AL 1 2 10 1 0 0 0 22.0 24 16 14 13 6.55 3.30 (-98%) -456.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
393 665 51 105 19 2 3 37 0 45 240 0.158 0.212 0.206 0.418 -3884.5

Career AVG .158 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 37.4% below league average.

Career OBP .212 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 33.4% below league average.

Career SLG .206 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — 46.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.418 vs. league average 0.702 across their career seasons — 40.4% 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
1956 PHI NL 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1957 PHI NL 33 89 3 15 4 0 0 6 0 0 30 0.169 .257 (-35%) .323 (-48%) .391 (-45%) .715 (-47%) -706.3
1958 PHI NL 38 59 3 10 4 0 0 2 0 5 17 0.169 .257 (-34%) .324 (-28%) .394 (-40%) .719 (-34%) -348.3
1959 SFG NL 36 72 6 8 0 0 0 3 0 6 31 0.111 .256 (-57%) .323 (-38%) .392 (-72%) .715 (-57%) -669.3
1960 SFG NL 37 74 8 13 1 0 0 5 0 5 26 0.176 .255 (-31%) .323 (-30%) .387 (-51%) .711 (-41%) -505.7
1961 SFG NL 39 74 13 16 2 0 3 6 0 5 22 0.216 .258 (-16%) .328 (-20%) .399 (-9%) .727 (-14%) -196.1
1962 SFG NL 39 98 5 15 3 0 0 4 0 4 34 0.153 .257 (-41%) .326 (-44%) .393 (-53%) .719 (-49%) -846.7
1963 SFG NL 45 94 9 13 2 1 0 5 0 11 35 0.138 .246 (-44%) .308 (-27%) .371 (-51%) .680 (-40%) -612.1
1964 SFG NL 19 30 3 4 1 0 0 4 0 3 12 0.133 — — — — 0.0
1965 SFG NL 23 25 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0.120 — — — — 0.0
1965 LAA AL 9 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1966 LAA AL 50 22 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 2 12 0.136 — — — — 0.0
1967 LAA AL 12 15 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 9 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1967 KC1 AL 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 7 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.429

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1962 WS SFN 3 7 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.429

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 2 3 3 0 23.3 16 5 8 19 1.93

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1962 WS SFN 1 2 3 3 0 23.3 16 5 8 19 1.93

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 388 293 122 365 21 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1956 PHI P 3 1 0 2 0 1
1957 PHI P 33 33 15 30 2 2
1958 PHI P 38 27 12 23 2 0
1959 SFN P 36 31 10 31 1 1
1960 SFN P 37 34 13 33 1 3
1961 SFN P 38 33 9 41 3 1
1962 SFN P 39 38 21 52 4 4
1963 SFN P 42 42 16 65 2 4
1964 SFN P 18 17 8 22 2 0
1965 SFN P 23 16 6 15 2 0
1965 CAL P 9 5 1 8 0 1
1966 CAL P 50 6 7 23 2 1
1967 CAL P 12 9 4 13 0 1
1967 KC1 P 10 1 0 7 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 388

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1957 Rookie of the Year
1957 TSN Rookie of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1966 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 4.0 280 0
1962 Cy Young Award ML 2nd 4.0 20 4
1962 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 62.0 280 0
1957 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 39.0 336 0
1957 Rookie of the Year NL 1st 16.0 24 16