Urban Shocker, baseball player, 1916-1928

Urban Shocker

Born: 9/22/1890 in Cleveland, OH, USA

Died: 9/9/1928 in Denver, CO, USA

MLB Debut: 1916-04-24 | Final Game: 1928-05-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Urban James Shocker

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Biography

Urban Shocker was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball during the 1910s and 1920s, known for his skillful right-handed delivery and competitive spirit on the mound. Born in 1890, Shocker made his debut in 1916 and played until his untimely passing in 1928. Over the course of his career, he achieved a record of 187 wins and 117 losses, showcasing his ability to not only secure victories but also maintain a respectable earned run average of 3.17. His career strikeout total reached 983, complemented by 25 saves, underscoring his versatility as both a starter and a reliable reliever. Shocker's playing career unfolded during a transformative era in baseball, marked by the transition from the deadball era to the more offensive-minded approaches of the 1920s. His contributions were particularly significant for teams like the St. Louis Browns and the New York Yankees, where he helped bolster pitching staffs and contributed to team successes. Urban Shocker's legacy remains influential, as he was recognized for his durability and effectiveness on the mound, and he is remembered as one of the key pitchers of his time, leaving an indelible mark on the game.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
187 117 412 317 200 28 25 2681.7 2709 945 126 657 983 3.17 0

Career ERA 3.17 vs. league average 3.76 across their career seasons — 15.8% 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
1916 NYY AL 4 3 12 9 4 1 0 82.3 67 24 32 43 2.62 2.78 (+6%) -
1917 NYY AL 8 5 26 13 7 0 1 145.0 124 42 46 68 2.61 2.69 (+3%) -
1918 SLA AL 6 5 14 9 7 0 2 94.7 69 19 40 33 1.81 2.83 (+36%) -159.8
1919 SLA AL 13 11 30 25 14 5 0 211.0 193 63 55 86 2.69 3.09 (+13%) 1030.3
1920 SLA AL 20 10 38 28 22 5 5 245.7 224 74 70 107 2.71 3.45 (+21%) 582.8
1921 SLA AL 27 12 47 38 30 4 4 326.7 345 129 86 132 3.55 4.02 (+12%) -158.2
1922 SLA AL 24 17 48 38 29 2 3 348.0 365 115 57 149 2.97 4.18 (+29%) 4612.2
1923 SLA AL 20 12 43 35 24 3 5 277.3 292 105 49 109 3.41 4.03 (+15%) 4850.3
1924 SLA AL 16 13 40 33 17 4 1 246.3 270 115 52 88 4.20 4.13 (-2%) 2498.3
1925 NYY AL 12 12 41 30 15 2 2 244.3 278 99 58 74 3.65 4.55 (+20%) -
1926 NYY AL 19 11 41 32 18 0 2 258.3 272 97 71 59 3.38 4.11 (+18%) -
1927 NYY AL 18 6 31 27 13 2 0 200.0 207 63 41 35 2.83 4.08 (+31%) -
1928 NYY AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 3 0 0 0 0.00 — -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
412 798 89 167 23 3 1 70 1 139 211 0.209 0.334 0.249 0.584 -1901.5

Career AVG .209 vs. league average .275 across their career seasons — 24.0% below league average.

Career OBP .334 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .249 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 33.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.584 vs. league average 0.714 across their career seasons — 18.2% 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
1916 NYY AL 12 21 2 4 0 0 0 1 0 5 7 0.190 — — — — 0.0
1917 NYY AL 26 45 0 8 0 0 0 6 0 1 17 0.178 — — — — 0.0
1918 SLA AL 14 34 1 11 3 0 0 3 0 3 9 0.324 — — — — 0.0
1919 SLA AL 30 58 2 8 0 0 0 4 0 12 13 0.138 .262 (-47%) .322 (-11%) .347 (-60%) .670 (-37%) -291.5
1920 SLA AL 38 80 8 18 3 0 0 10 0 11 21 0.225 .271 (-17%) .331 (avg) .363 (-28%) .694 (-14%) -139.2
1921 SLA AL 47 104 18 27 4 1 0 9 0 18 26 0.260 .286 (-9%) .344 (+9%) .395 (-20%) .739 (-7%) -48.4
1922 SLA AL 48 115 14 22 3 1 1 6 1 14 34 0.191 .285 (-33%) .345 (-19%) .397 (-34%) .743 (-27%) -552.4
1923 SLA AL 43 80 9 16 1 0 0 6 0 16 21 0.200 .282 (-29%) .344 (-3%) .390 (-46%) .734 (-26%) -300.3
1924 SLA AL 40 67 11 16 2 0 0 7 0 22 14 0.239 .283 (-16%) .345 (+25%) .389 (-31%) .734 (-4%) 86.7
1925 NYY AL 41 64 12 11 5 1 0 4 0 20 17 0.172 .288 (-40%) .349 (+6%) .407 (-31%) .756 (-14%) -102.2
1926 NYY AL 41 76 6 13 1 0 0 4 0 10 20 0.171 .279 (-39%) .345 (-18%) .390 (-53%) .735 (-36%) -451.4
1927 NYY AL 31 54 6 13 1 0 0 10 0 7 12 0.241 .282 (-15%) .344 (+4%) .392 (-34%) .736 (-16%) -102.8
1928 NYY AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

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

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1926 WS NYA 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 2 1 0 7.7 13 5 0 3 5.87

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1926 WS NYA 0 1 2 1 0 7.7 13 5 0 3 5.87

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 412 0 155 599 15 22

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1916 NYA P 12 0 9 18 1 0
1917 NYA P 26 0 6 50 2 2
1918 SLA P 14 0 8 25 0 3
1919 SLA P 30 0 11 48 3 2
1920 SLA P 38 0 13 58 1 0
1921 SLA P 47 0 21 91 2 1
1922 SLA P 48 0 33 59 1 1
1923 SLA P 43 0 11 56 3 3
1924 SLA P 40 0 11 43 0 3
1925 NYA P 41 0 11 50 0 5
1926 NYA P 41 0 11 59 1 0
1927 NYA P 31 0 10 42 1 2
1928 NYA P 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 412

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1923 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1922 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1921 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1920 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1923 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 5.0 64 0
1922 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 5.0 64 0