Hal Wagner, baseball player, 1937-1949

Hal Wagner

Born: 7/2/1915 in East Riverton, NJ, USA

Died: 8/4/1979 in Riverside, NJ, USA

MLB Debut: 1937-10-03 | Final Game: 1949-04-19

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Harold Edward Wagner

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Biography

Hal Wagner was a professional baseball player born in 1915, who played as a position player in Major League Baseball from 1937 until 1949. Known for his versatility and solid defensive skills, Wagner appeared in 672 games throughout his career, where he amassed 458 hits, 15 home runs, and 228 RBIs, culminating in a career batting average of .248. His ability to contribute both offensively and defensively earned him recognition, and he was selected as an All-Star twice during his tenure in the league. Playing in a time that bridged the gap between the pre-World War II years and the post-war era, Wagner's career spanned an important transitional period in baseball history. He showcased a blend of speed and power, with a total of 10 stolen bases complementing his offensive contributions. While he may not have been among the most celebrated stars of his time, Wagner’s consistent performance and dedication to the game left a lasting impression on the teams he played for and the fans who watched him.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
4.0 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1939 4.0 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
672 1849 179 458 90 12 15 228 10 253 152 0.248 0.343 0.334 0.677 85.2

Career AVG .248 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 6.2% below league average.

Career OBP .343 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .334 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 10.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.677 vs. league average 0.709 across their career seasons — near 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
1937 PHA AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1938 PHA AL 33 88 10 20 2 1 0 8 0 8 9 0.227 .272 (-17%) .341 (-13%) .392 (-31%) .734 (-22%) -325.5
1939 PHA AL 5 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1940 PHA AL 34 75 9 19 5 1 0 10 0 11 6 0.253 .267 (-5%) .335 (+6%) .387 (-11%) .722 (-3%) -9.9
1941 PHA AL 46 131 18 29 8 2 1 15 1 19 9 0.221 .262 (-16%) .332 (-4%) .373 (-10%) .705 (-7%) -148.7
1942 PHA AL 104 288 26 68 17 1 1 30 1 24 29 0.236 .253 (-7%) .323 (-6%) .349 (-11%) .672 (-8%) -437.0
1943 PHA AL 111 289 22 69 17 1 1 26 3 36 17 0.239 .255 (-7%) .324 (+1%) .346 (-9%) .671 (-4%) -162.5
1944 PHA AL 5 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1944 BOS AL 66 223 21 74 13 4 1 38 1 29 14 0.332 .261 (+27%) .325 (+28%) .357 (+23%) .683 (+25%) 0.0
1946 BOS AL 117 370 39 85 12 2 6 52 3 69 32 0.230 .256 (-11%) .328 (+8%) .358 (-10%) .687 (-2%) 127.9
1947 BOS AL 21 65 5 15 3 0 0 6 0 9 5 0.231 .262 (-12%) .336 (-4%) .376 (-26%) .712 (-16%) -149.0
1947 DET AL 71 191 19 55 10 0 5 33 0 28 16 0.288 .262 (+10%) .336 (+13%) .376 (+11%) .712 (+12%) -149.0
1948 DET AL 54 109 10 22 3 0 0 10 1 20 11 0.202 .263 (-23%) .340 (-4%) .379 (-40%) .719 (-23%) -377.8
1948 PHI NL 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — -377.8
1949 PHI NL 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1946 WS BOS 5 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
C 626 0 2423 271 53 36

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1937 PHA C 1 0 1 0 0 1
1938 PHA C 30 0 87 16 3 2
1939 PHA C 5 0 11 3 0 0
1940 PHA C 28 0 91 16 4 4
1941 PHA C 42 0 144 19 4 4
1942 PHA C 94 0 371 47 6 7
1943 PHA C 99 0 340 56 8 3
1944 PHA C 1 0 1 1 0 0
1944 BOS C 64 0 299 29 10 4
1946 BOS C 116 0 553 39 10 3
1947 BOS C 21 0 82 9 2 1
1947 DET C 71 0 275 22 3 3
1948 DET C 52 0 162 12 2 4
1948 PHI C 1 0 3 2 0 0
1949 PHI C 1 0 3 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 625
First Base 1

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Duke University Durham NC 1936, 1937

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1946 Most Valuable Player AL 26th 1.0 336 0
1943 Most Valuable Player AL 33th 1.0 336 0