Bobby Shantz, baseball player, 1949-1964

Bobby Shantz

Born: 9/26/1925 in Pottstown, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1949-05-01 | Final Game: 1964-09-29

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 5'6" | Weight: 139 lbs

Full name: Robert Clayton Shantz

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Biography

Bobby Shantz was a prominent left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who enjoyed a successful career from 1949 to 1964. Born in 1925, Shantz made a significant impact on the game during an era marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensively driven style. Over his career, he compiled a record of 119 wins against 99 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.38. Shantz was known for his exceptional control and ability to generate strikeouts, finishing his career with a total of 1,072 strikeouts. Additionally, he demonstrated versatility and reliability by recording 48 saves throughout his time in the league. Shantz was selected as an All-Star three times, showcasing his status as one of the premier pitchers of his time. His ability to compete at a high level against some of the most formidable hitters of the era solidified his legacy in baseball history. After retiring in 1964, Shantz remained a respected figure within the sport, with his achievements continuing to resonate among baseball historians and enthusiasts alike. His contributions to the game were significant, and he is remembered as a standout pitcher who exemplified skill and perseverance on the mound.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
119 99 537 171 78 15 48 1935.7 1795 726 151 643 1072 3.38 0

Career ERA 3.38 vs. league average 3.90 across their career seasons — 13.5% 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
1949 PHA AL 6 8 33 7 4 1 2 127.0 100 48 74 58 3.40 4.12 (+17%) -717.3
1950 PHA AL 8 14 36 23 6 1 0 214.7 251 110 85 93 4.61 4.36 (-6%) 1490.4
1951 PHA AL 18 10 32 25 13 3 0 205.3 213 90 70 77 3.94 4.04 (+2%) 1421.5
1952 PHA AL 24 7 33 33 27 5 0 279.7 230 77 63 152 2.48 3.70 (+33%) 5221.3
1953 PHA AL 5 9 16 16 6 0 0 105.7 107 48 26 58 4.09 4.14 (+1%) 1825.2
1954 PHA AL 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 8.0 12 7 3 3 7.88 — 0.0
1955 KC1 AL 5 10 23 17 4 1 0 125.0 124 63 66 58 4.54 4.00 (-13%) 380.1
1956 KC1 AL 2 7 45 2 1 0 9 101.3 95 49 37 67 4.35 3.96 (-10%) 501.8
1957 NYY AL 11 5 30 21 9 1 5 173.0 157 47 40 72 2.45 3.83 (+36%) -
1958 NYY AL 7 6 33 13 3 0 0 126.0 127 47 35 80 3.36 3.86 (+13%) -
1959 NYY AL 7 3 33 4 2 2 3 94.7 64 25 33 66 2.38 3.90 (+39%) -
1960 NYY AL 5 4 42 0 0 0 11 67.7 57 21 24 54 2.79 3.82 (+27%) -
1961 PIT NL 6 3 43 6 2 1 2 89.3 91 33 26 61 3.32 4.03 (+17%) 2463.1
1962 HOU NL 1 1 3 3 1 0 0 20.7 15 3 5 14 1.31 3.96 (+67%) 694.3
1962 STL NL 5 3 28 0 0 0 4 57.7 45 14 20 47 2.18 3.96 (+45%) -
1963 STL NL 6 4 55 0 0 0 11 79.3 55 23 17 70 2.61 3.46 (+25%) -
1964 STL NL 1 3 16 0 0 0 0 17.3 14 6 7 12 3.12 3.58 (+13%) -
1964 CHC NL 0 1 20 0 0 0 1 11.3 15 7 6 12 5.56 3.58 (-55%) -
1964 PHI NL 1 1 14 0 0 0 0 32.0 23 8 6 18 2.25 3.58 (+37%) 911.4

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
578 548 60 107 20 2 1 46 3 47 96 0.195 0.265 0.245 0.509 -1312.5

Career AVG .195 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 24.2% below league average.

Career OBP .265 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 19.3% below league average.

Career SLG .245 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 37.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.509 vs. league average 0.717 across their career seasons — 29.0% 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
1949 PHA AL 33 37 2 7 0 0 0 2 0 5 6 0.189 — — — — 0.0
1950 PHA AL 37 66 4 11 1 0 1 4 1 6 10 0.167 .265 (-37%) .346 (-32%) .401 (-43%) .747 (-38%) -448.3
1951 PHA AL 36 72 11 18 4 0 0 9 1 6 7 0.250 .260 (-4%) .336 (-9%) .385 (-21%) .721 (-15%) -185.8
1952 PHA AL 34 96 13 19 4 1 0 12 0 5 9 0.198 .252 (-22%) .326 (-23%) .369 (-30%) .696 (-26%) -429.7
1953 PHA AL 21 38 6 9 1 1 0 4 1 2 3 0.237 — — — — 0.0
1954 PHA AL 7 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1955 KC1 AL 26 41 5 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.146 — — — — 0.0
1956 KC1 AL 51 22 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 2 4 0.091 — — — — 0.0
1957 NYY AL 33 56 6 10 3 0 0 6 0 8 16 0.179 .257 (-31%) .323 (-13%) .391 (-41%) .715 (-28%) -248.6
1958 NYY AL 33 35 1 8 3 0 0 1 0 2 12 0.229 — — — — 0.0
1959 NYY AL 40 23 4 5 2 0 0 1 0 3 6 0.217 — — — — 0.0
1960 NYY AL 43 10 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.100 — — — — 0.0
1961 PIT NL 44 16 3 7 1 0 0 3 0 2 1 0.438 — — — — 0.0
1962 HOU NL 7 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1962 STL NL 28 13 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 7 0.154 — — — — 0.0
1963 STL NL 55 7 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1964 STL NL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1964 CHC NL 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1964 PHI NL 14 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.250

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1960 WS NYA 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333
1957 WS NYA 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 6 1 1 13.0 12 6 3 8 4.15

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1960 WS NYA 0 0 3 0 1 6.3 4 3 1 1 4.26
1957 WS NYA 0 1 3 1 0 6.7 8 3 2 7 4.05

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
P 537 67 174 468 16 48

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1949 PHA P 33 0 12 36 0 5
1950 PHA P 36 0 13 52 2 6
1951 PHA P 32 0 20 44 2 7
1952 PHA P 33 0 29 49 0 3
1953 PHA P 16 0 10 21 1 3
1954 PHA P 2 1 1 2 1 0
1955 KC1 P 23 17 9 26 2 2
1956 KC1 P 45 2 10 20 2 2
1957 NYA P 30 21 14 57 1 8
1958 NYA OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1958 NYA P 33 13 6 35 0 4
1959 NYA P 33 4 8 20 2 1
1960 NYA P 42 0 4 13 0 1
1961 PIT P 43 6 13 18 0 2
1962 HOU P 3 3 1 13 0 1
1962 SLN P 28 0 9 12 1 1
1963 SLN P 55 0 9 22 1 2
1964 SLN P 16 0 1 8 0 0
1964 CHN P 20 0 0 4 0 0
1964 PHI P 14 0 5 16 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 537
Center Field 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1964 Gold Glove P
1963 Gold Glove P
1962 Gold Glove P
1961 Gold Glove P
1960 Gold Glove P
1959 Gold Glove P
1958 Gold Glove P
1957 Gold Glove P
1952 Most Valuable Player
1952 TSN All-Star P
1952 TSN Pitcher of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1957 Most Valuable Player AL 26th 1.0 336 0
1952 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 280.0 336 16
1951 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 14.0 336 0