Wally Berger

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1930-1940)

Wally Berger was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1930 to 1940 for 4 teams, including the Boston Braves, a span of 11 seasons. In 1,350 career games, he hit .300 with 1,550 hits, 242 home runs, and 898 RBI. Wally Berger was a 4-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 19,377.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .300
HR 242
RBI 898
H 1,550
OPS .881
PIV 19,377
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 198 lb
Born
10/10/1905 in Chicago, IL, USA
Died
11/30/1988 in Redondo Beach, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1930-04-15
Last Game
1940-07-04
Awards
4× All-Star

Full name: Walter Anton Berger

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Career Batting Statistics

Wally Berger — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,350 5,163 809 1,550 299 59 242 898 36 435 694 .300 .359 .522 .881 19,377

Career AVG .300 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — +8.3% above league average.

Career OBP .359 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — +5.2% above league average.

Career SLG .522 vs. league average .396 across their career seasons — +31.6% above league average.

Career OPS .881 vs. league average .737 across their career seasons — +19.4% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Wally Berger Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1930 BSN NL 151 555 98 172 27 14 38 119 3 54 69 .310 .293 (+5%) .354 (+6%) .429 (+43%) .784 (+26%) 3030.7
1931 BSN NL 156 617 94 199 44 8 19 84 13 55 70 .323 .276 (+17%) .338 (+12%) .388 (+32%) .726 (+23%) 2822.0
1932 BSN NL 145 602 90 185 34 6 17 73 5 33 66 .307 .275 (+12%) .335 (+3%) .391 (+20%) .726 (+12%) 1346.4
1933 BSN NL 137 528 84 165 37 8 27 106 2 41 77 .312 .270 (+16%) .329 (+11%) .377 (+50%) .707 (+32%) 3090.8
1934 BSN NL 150 615 92 183 35 8 34 121 2 49 65 .298 .278 (+7%) .340 (+4%) .392 (+39%) .733 (+23%) 2642.8
1935 BSN NL 150 589 91 174 39 4 34 130 3 50 80 .295 .279 (+6%) .342 (+3%) .399 (+37%) .742 (+22%) 2494.9
1936 BSN NL 138 534 88 154 23 3 25 91 1 53 84 .288 .283 (+2%) .349 (+3%) .404 (+20%) .753 (+12%) 1346.2
1937 BSN NL 30 113 14 31 9 1 5 22 0 11 33 .274 .276 (-1%) .342 (avg) .398 (+27%) .740 (+15%) 256.8
1937 NY1 NL 59 199 40 58 11 2 12 43 3 18 30 .291 .276 (+5%) .342 (+5%) .398 (+38%) .740 (+22%) 256.8
1938 NY1 NL 16 32 5 6 0 0 0 4 0 2 4 .188 — — — — 0.0
1938 CIN NL 99 407 74 125 23 4 16 56 2 29 44 .307 .272 (+13%) .341 (+4%) .392 (+28%) .734 (+17%) 0.0
1939 CIN NL 97 329 36 85 15 1 14 44 1 36 63 .258 .274 (-6%) .342 (avg) .393 (+11%) .735 (+6%) 381.4
1940 CIN NL 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1940 PHI NL 20 41 3 13 2 0 1 5 1 4 8 .317 — — — — 0.0
Career · 14 seasons 1,350 5,163 809 1,550 299 59 242 898 36 435 694 .300 — — — — 17,669

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Wally Berger — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 18 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Wally Berger — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1939 WS CIN 4 15 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 .000
1937 WS NY1 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1350 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Wally Berger — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home6742505396766120430.306
Away6762658414785122468.295

Last 10 Games — Batting

Wally Berger — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1940-07-04 PHIBSNL 100000000
1940-07-03 PHIBSNL 000000010
1940-07-01 PHIBROL 100000000
1940-06-23 PHICHCL 402000000
1940-06-22 PHICHCL 100000000
1940-06-17 PHICINL 301100010
1940-06-16 PHISTLL 301000002
1940-06-16 PHISTLL 401100001
1940-06-15 PHISTLL 000000000
1940-06-14 PHISTLL 100000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Wally Berger — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 13 0 106 4 0 7
OF 1296 0 3324 87 91 21

Season-by-Season Fielding

Wally Berger — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1930 BSN OF 145 0 307 10 11 3
1931 BSN 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1931 BSN OF 156 0 457 16 11 5
1932 BSN 1B 11 0 102 4 0 7
1932 BSN OF 134 0 396 10 3 3
1933 BSN OF 136 0 382 6 9 4
1934 BSN OF 150 0 385 9 9 2
1935 BSN OF 149 0 458 8 17 1
1936 BSN OF 133 0 384 10 14 1
1937 BSN OF 28 0 51 1 0 0
1937 NY1 OF 52 0 107 4 4 0
1938 NY1 OF 9 0 29 0 0 0
1938 CIN OF 98 0 192 7 7 2
1939 CIN OF 95 0 158 6 5 0
1940 PHI 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1940 PHI OF 11 0 18 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Wally Berger Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 13
Left Field 347
Center Field 938
Right Field 11

Awards & Honors

Wally Berger — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1935 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1933 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1933 TSN All-Star OF

Award Voting History

Wally Berger — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1936 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 4.0 80 0
1935 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 20.0 80 0
1934 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 13.0 80 0
1933 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 44.0 80 0
1932 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 6.0 80 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Wally Berger (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jeff Heath
    .293 avg, 194 HR
  2. 93
    Kevin Mitchell
    .284 avg, 234 HR
  3. 91
    Chick Hafey HOF
    .317 avg, 164 HR
  4. 88
    Josh Hamilton
    .290 avg, 200 HR
  5. 86
    Tony Oliva HOF
    .304 avg, 220 HR
  6. 84
    Bob Meusel
    .309 avg, 156 HR

Wally Berger: the record in brief

Wally Berger played a first major league game on April 15, 1930 and a last one on July 4, 1940. Club by club, the record runs the Boston Braves (1930 through 1935), the Boston Bees (1936 to 1937), the New York Giants (1937 to 1938), the Cincinnati Reds (1938 to 1940), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1940). Berger, born on October 10, 1905, in Chicago, IL, USA, is listed as an outfielder and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 6 feet, 2 inches and 198 pounds. Berger died on November 30, 1988, in Redondo Beach, CA, USA. The given name on file is Walter Anton Berger.

Berger's career batting table shows 1,350 games, 5,163 at bats and 1,550 hits, a .300 average; the totals also include 242 home runs, 898 runs batted in, and 36 stolen bases. Berger got on base at a .359 rate and slugged .522 (.881 OPS). Set against a .277 league average for the same years, Berger's .300 average sits 8.3% above it.

Frequently Asked Questions about Wally Berger

What years did Wally Berger play?
Wally Berger played in Major League Baseball from 1930 to 1940.
Was Wally Berger a pitcher?
No. Wally Berger was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Wally Berger hit?
Wally Berger hit 242 career home runs with 1,550 hits.
What teams did Wally Berger play for?
Wally Berger played for 4 teams: the Boston Bees (1930–1937), the New York Giants (1937–1938), the Cincinnati Reds (1938–1940), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1940).
Did Wally Berger win an MVP award?
No. Wally Berger did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Wally Berger win?
Wally Berger was selected to 4 All-Star Games.
What were Wally Berger's career stats?
In 1,350 games, Wally Berger had 1,550 hits, 242 home runs, 898 RBI, 809 runs, and 36 stolen bases, with a .300 batting average.
What position did Wally Berger play?
Wally Berger played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Wally Berger and how much did he weigh?
Wally Berger was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 198 pounds.
How many home runs did Wally Berger hit each season?
Wally Berger's home runs by season: 38 in 1930, 19 in 1931, 17 in 1932, 27 in 1933, 34 in 1934, 34 in 1935, 25 in 1936, 17 in 1937, 16 in 1938, 14 in 1939, and 1 in 1940. His most in one season was 38, in 1930.
What was Wally Berger's career batting average?
Wally Berger batted .300 over his career, with 1,550 hits in 5,163 at bats.
How many RBI did Wally Berger have?
Wally Berger drove in 898 runs in his career.
Is Wally Berger in the Hall of Fame?
No. Wally Berger has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Wally Berger make?
Wally Berger was selected to 4 All-Star Games.