Burgess Whitehead

Born: 6/29/1910 in Tarboro, NC, USA

Died: 11/25/1993 in Windsor, NC, USA

MLB Debut: 1933-04-30 | Final Game: 1946-09-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 160 lbs

Full name: Burgess Urquhart Whitehead

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Biography

Burgess Whitehead was born in 1910 and enjoyed a notable career in Major League Baseball from 1933 until his retirement in 1946. An accomplished position player, Whitehead participated in 924 games, where he demonstrated a solid offensive presence with 883 hits and a batting average of .266. Throughout his career, he contributed significantly to his teams with 17 home runs and 245 runs batted in, while also showcasing his speed on the bases with 51 stolen bases. His versatility and consistent performance earned him All-Star selections in two different seasons, marking him as one of the prominent players of his era. Playing during a transformative time in baseball history, Whitehead's career spanned the Great Depression and World War II, periods that profoundly affected the sport and its players. His ability to maintain a strong batting average and contribute to his team's success during these challenging times speaks to his resilience and skill. Known for his work ethic and determination, Whitehead left a lasting impact on the teams he played for, solidifying his place in the annals of baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
924	3316	415	883	100	31	17	245	51	150	138	0.266	0.304	0.331	0.634	-9060.4

Career AVG .266 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .304 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 10.2% below league average.

Career SLG .331 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — 14.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.634 vs. league average 0.725 across their career seasons — 12.5% 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
1933	STL	NL	12	7	2	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0.286	—	—	—	—	0.0
1934	STL	NL	100	332	55	92	13	5	1	24	5	12	19	0.277	.278 (avg)	.340 (-9%)	.392 (-10%)	.733 (-9%)	-642.0
1935	STL	NL	107	338	45	89	10	2	0	33	5	11	14	0.263	.279 (-6%)	.342 (-16%)	.399 (-24%)	.742 (-20%)	-1354.4
1936	NY1	NL	154	632	99	176	31	3	4	47	14	29	32	0.278	.283 (-2%)	.349 (-9%)	.404 (-12%)	.753 (-11%)	-1507.0
1937	NY1	NL	152	574	64	164	15	6	5	52	7	28	20	0.286	.276 (+3%)	.342 (-6%)	.398 (-10%)	.740 (-8%)	-979.2
1939	NY1	NL	95	335	31	80	6	3	2	24	1	24	19	0.239	.274 (-13%)	.342 (-12%)	.393 (-26%)	.735 (-19%)	-1220.8
1940	NY1	NL	133	568	68	160	9	6	4	36	9	26	17	0.282	.267 (+5%)	.335 (-5%)	.387 (-12%)	.722 (-9%)	-1021.6
1941	NY1	NL	116	403	41	92	15	4	1	23	7	14	10	0.228	.262 (-13%)	.332 (-22%)	.373 (-22%)	.705 (-22%)	-1798.7
1946	PIT	NL	55	127	10	28	1	2	0	5	3	6	6	0.220	.256 (-14%)	.328 (-21%)	.358 (-28%)	.687 (-24%)	-536.6

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
12	37	2	5	2	0	0	2	3	3	0.135

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1937	WS	NY1	5	16	1	4	2	0	2	0	0.250
1936	WS	NY1	6	21	1	1	0	2	1	3	0.048
1934	WS	SLN	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	PO	A	E	DP
2B	718	1847	2297	118	462
3B	116	106	191	15	14
SS	53	65	68	5	10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1933	SLN	2B	3	1	4	0	0
1933	SLN	SS	9	3	3	0	1
1934	SLN	2B	48	88	140	9	27
1934	SLN	3B	28	30	47	3	6
1934	SLN	SS	29	40	33	4	5
1935	SLN	2B	80	172	218	8	43
1935	SLN	3B	8	7	12	1	2
1935	SLN	SS	6	9	10	1	2
1936	NY1	2B	153	442	552	32	107
1937	NY1	2B	152	394	514	24	106
1939	NY1	2B	91	232	320	17	60
1939	NY1	3B	1	1	1	0	1
1939	NY1	SS	4	7	15	0	2
1940	NY1	2B	57	164	200	5	45
1940	NY1	3B	74	68	130	11	5
1940	NY1	SS	4	6	6	0	0
1941	NY1	2B	104	288	285	18	60
1941	NY1	3B	1	0	0	0	0
1946	PIT	2B	30	66	64	5	14
1946	PIT	3B	4	0	1	0	0
1946	PIT	SS	1	0	1	0	0