Bob Swift, baseball player, 1940-1953

Bob Swift

Born: 3/6/1915 in Salina, KS, USA

Died: 10/17/1966 in Detroit, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1940-04-16 | Final Game: 1953-09-27

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

Full name: Robert Virgil Swift

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Biography

Bob Swift, born in 1915, was a professional baseball player who made significant contributions to the game during his career, which spanned from 1940 to 1953. He was primarily known as a position player and appeared in 1,001 games. Swift recorded a total of 635 hits, including 14 home runs and 238 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .231. His speed on the bases was demonstrated by his 10 stolen bases throughout his time in Major League Baseball. Swift played during a transformative era in baseball, post-Depression and into the early years of television's influence on the sport. His career unfolded against the backdrop of World War II, which saw many players enlist, creating opportunities for others like Swift to showcase their talents on a national stage. Though he may not have been among the most prolific hitters of his time, Swift's versatility and resilience as a player contributed to the teams he played for, helping to shape the landscape of baseball in the early 1950s. He retired on September 27, 1953, leaving behind a legacy as a dedicated competitor in the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1001 2750 212 635 86 3 14 238 10 324 233 0.231 0.313 0.280 0.592 -7272.0

Career AVG .231 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 11.4% below league average.

Career OBP .313 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 6.1% below league average.

Career SLG .280 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 24.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.592 vs. league average 0.705 across their career seasons — 16.0% 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
1940 SLA AL 130 398 37 97 20 1 0 39 1 28 39 0.244 .267 (-9%) .335 (-12%) .387 (-23%) .722 (-18%) -1419.5
1941 SLA AL 63 170 13 44 7 0 0 21 2 22 11 0.259 .262 (-1%) .332 (+3%) .373 (-20%) .705 (-9%) -195.5
1942 SLA AL 29 76 3 15 4 0 1 8 0 3 5 0.197 .253 (-22%) .323 (-30%) .349 (-17%) .672 (-23%) -302.5
1942 PHA AL 60 192 9 44 3 0 0 15 1 13 17 0.229 .253 (-10%) .323 (-14%) .349 (-30%) .672 (-22%) -302.5
1943 PHA AL 77 224 16 43 5 1 1 11 0 35 16 0.192 .255 (-25%) .324 (-7%) .346 (-32%) .671 (-20%) -672.3
1944 DET AL 80 247 15 63 11 1 1 19 2 27 27 0.255 .261 (-2%) .325 (+2%) .357 (-11%) .683 (-5%) -152.3
1945 DET AL 95 279 19 65 5 0 0 24 1 26 22 0.233 .260 (-11%) .328 (-9%) .354 (-29%) .683 (-20%) -927.2
1946 DET AL 42 107 13 25 2 0 2 10 0 14 7 0.234 .256 (-9%) .328 (-2%) .358 (-14%) .687 (-8%) -117.0
1947 DET AL 97 279 23 70 11 0 1 21 2 33 16 0.251 .262 (-4%) .336 (-2%) .376 (-20%) .712 (-11%) -531.1
1948 DET AL 113 292 23 65 6 0 4 33 1 51 29 0.223 .263 (-16%) .340 (-1%) .379 (-25%) .719 (-13%) -602.1
1949 DET AL 74 189 16 45 6 0 2 18 0 26 20 0.238 .262 (-9%) .343 (-4%) .384 (-21%) .727 (-13%) -412.5
1950 DET AL 67 132 14 30 4 0 2 9 0 25 6 0.227 .265 (-15%) .346 (+1%) .401 (-25%) .747 (-13%) -242.2
1951 DET AL 44 104 8 20 0 0 0 5 0 12 10 0.192 .260 (-26%) .336 (-18%) .385 (-50%) .721 (-35%) -604.8
1952 DET AL 28 58 3 8 1 0 0 4 0 7 7 0.138 .252 (-45%) .326 (-26%) .369 (-58%) .696 (-43%) -391.2
1953 DET AL 2 3 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

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

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1945 WS DET 3 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.250

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
C 980 0 3601 477 64 75

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1940 SLA C 128 0 389 55 9 8
1941 SLA C 58 0 180 22 3 3
1942 SLA C 28 0 81 11 0 2
1942 PHA C 60 0 253 39 9 3
1943 PHA C 77 0 278 53 8 9
1944 DET C 76 0 288 48 6 4
1945 DET C 94 0 358 60 5 12
1946 DET C 42 0 187 14 4 2
1947 DET C 97 0 401 45 5 6
1948 DET C 112 0 476 55 5 13
1949 DET C 69 0 232 26 3 6
1950 DET C 66 0 201 20 1 3
1951 DET C 43 0 146 17 3 3
1952 DET C 28 0 118 12 3 1
1953 DET C 2 0 13 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 980