John Whitehead, baseball player, 1935-1942

John Whitehead

Born: 4/27/1909 in Coleman, TX, USA

Died: 10/20/1964 in Bonham, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1935-04-19 | Final Game: 1942-05-13

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: John Henderson Whitehead

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Biography

John Whitehead was a professional baseball pitcher born in 1909, who played in Major League Baseball from 1935 to 1942. He made his debut on April 19, 1935, and concluded his playing career on May 13, 1942. Throughout his time on the mound, Whitehead showcased a competitive spirit and a solid skill set, finishing his career with a record of 49 wins and 54 losses. His earned run average (ERA) stood at 4.6, reflecting the challenges pitchers faced during an era that was transitioning from the deadball period to a more offense-driven game. Whitehead's career was marked by his ability to strike out batters, totaling 254 strikeouts over his time in the league. Additionally, he contributed to his teams with four saves, underscoring his versatility as a late-inning option. While he may not have reached the heights of some of his contemporaries, Whitehead's dedication to the game and his performance on the field placed him among the noteworthy pitchers of his time, representing the determination and resilience characteristic of the players of the 1930s and early 1940s.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
49 54 172 119 52 9 4 944.0 1074 482 69 372 254 4.60 0

Career ERA 4.60 vs. league average 4.24 across their career seasons — 8.5% worse 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
1935 CHW AL 13 13 28 27 18 1 0 222.3 209 92 101 72 3.72 4.35 (+14%) -
1936 CHW AL 13 13 34 32 15 1 1 230.7 254 119 98 70 4.64 4.59 (-1%) -
1937 CHW AL 11 8 26 24 8 4 0 165.7 191 75 56 45 4.07 4.34 (+6%) -
1938 CHW AL 10 11 32 24 10 2 2 183.3 218 97 80 38 4.76 4.35 (-10%) -
1939 CHW AL 0 3 7 4 0 0 0 32.0 60 29 5 9 8.16 4.28 (-90%) -
1939 SLA AL 1 3 26 4 0 0 1 66.0 88 43 17 9 5.86 4.28 (-37%) -2251.0
1940 SLA AL 1 3 15 4 1 1 0 40.0 46 24 14 11 5.40 4.21 (-28%) -267.4
1942 SLA AL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 4.0 8 3 1 0 6.75 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
172 325 24 55 2 0 0 30 0 20 54 0.169 0.220 0.175 0.395 -2136.1

Career AVG .169 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 37.9% below league average.

Career OBP .220 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 35.3% below league average.

Career SLG .175 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 54.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.395 vs. league average 0.729 across their career seasons — 45.8% 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
1935 CHW AL 28 82 7 12 0 0 0 9 0 4 9 0.146 .279 (-48%) .342 (-46%) .399 (-63%) .742 (-55%) -774.7
1936 CHW AL 34 87 6 21 1 0 0 9 0 5 9 0.241 .283 (-15%) .349 (-19%) .404 (-37%) .753 (-29%) -435.2
1937 CHW AL 26 58 7 13 1 0 0 5 0 4 10 0.224 .276 (-19%) .342 (-17%) .398 (-39%) .740 (-29%) -273.8
1938 CHW AL 32 60 3 6 0 0 0 5 0 5 15 0.100 .272 (-63%) .341 (-50%) .392 (-75%) .734 (-63%) -652.4
1939 CHW AL 7 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1939 SLA AL 26 17 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 0.059 — — — — 0.0
1940 SLA AL 15 12 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1942 SLA AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 172 0 35 206 9 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1935 CHA P 28 0 7 56 1 6
1936 CHA P 34 0 10 60 5 4
1937 CHA P 26 0 6 27 1 1
1938 CHA P 32 0 4 35 1 3
1939 CHA P 7 0 3 5 0 0
1939 SLA P 26 0 4 15 0 2
1940 SLA P 15 0 1 6 1 0
1942 SLA P 4 0 0 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 172

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1935 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 4.0 80 0