Don Bessent

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1955-1958)

Don Bessent was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1958 for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Los Angeles Dodgers, a span of 4 seasons. Across 108 career appearances, he went 14-7 with a 3.33 ERA and 118 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 860.6.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 14–7
ERA 3.33
WHIP 1.35
SO 118
Pitcher PIV 860.6
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 175 lb
Born
3/13/1931 in Jacksonville, FL, USA
Died
7/7/1990 in Jacksonville, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1955-07-17
Last Game
1958-09-27

Full name: Fred Donald Bessent

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Career Pitching Statistics

Don Bessent — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
14 7 108 2 1 0 12 211.0 196 78 20 88 118 3.33 860.6

Career ERA 3.33 vs. league average 3.91 across their career seasons — 15.0% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Bessent — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1955 BRO NL 8 1 24 2 1 0 3 63.1 51 19 21 29 2.70 4.00 (+32%) 184.0
1956 BRO NL 4 3 38 0 0 0 9 79.1 63 22 31 52 2.50 3.96 (+37%) 1844.9
1957 BRO NL 1 3 27 0 0 0 0 44.0 58 28 19 24 5.73 3.83 (-49%) -335.9
1958 LAN NL 1 0 19 0 0 0 0 24.1 24 9 17 13 3.33 3.86 (+14%) -832.4
Career · 4 seasons 14 7 108 2 1 0 12 211.0 196 78 88 118 3.33 — 861

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.

Career Batting Statistics

Don Bessent — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
108 44 1 5 0 0 0 3 0 0 14 .114 .111 .114 .225 0

Career AVG .114 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 56.0% below league average.

Career OBP .111 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 66.1% below league average.

Career SLG .114 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — 71.2% below league average.

Career OPS .225 vs. league average .722 across their career seasons — 68.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Bessent — 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
1955 BRO NL 24 20 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 8 .100 — — — — 0.0
1956 BRO NL 38 18 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 .111 — — — — 0.0
1957 BRO NL 27 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 — — — — 0.0
1958 LAN NL 19 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 4 seasons 108 44 1 5 0 0 0 3 0 0 14 .114 — — — — 0

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

Don Bessent — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 .333

Playoff Batting by Year

Don Bessent — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1956 WS BRO 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 .500
1955 WS BRO 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Don Bessent — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 0 5 0 0 13.1 11 2 4 6 1.35

Playoff Pitching by Year

Don Bessent — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1956 WS BRO 1 0 2 0 0 10.0 8 2 3 5 1.80
1955 WS BRO 0 0 3 0 0 3.1 3 0 1 1 0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (216 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Don Bessent — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home62301402.133
Away46140101.071

Pitching — Home / Away

Don Bessent — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home62128.21214743713.29
Away4682.1753145473.39

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Don Bessent — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1958-09-27 LADCHC — 1.2000000
1958-09-21 LADCHC — 0.0000100
1958-09-16 LADCIN — 1.1100110
1958-09-13 LADPIT — 0.1000000
1958-09-10 LADPHI — 2.0211020
1958-06-05 LADCIN — 0.0211000
1958-06-03 LADCIN — 0.1111010
1958-05-30 LADCHC — 0.1000000
1958-05-17 LADSTL — 0.0022200
1958-05-14 LADCHC — 1.1222201

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Don Bessent — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 108 2 12 29 1 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Don Bessent — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1955 BRO P 24 2 1 11 0 0
1956 BRO P 38 0 3 8 1 1
1957 BRO P 27 0 6 4 0 0
1958 LAN P 19 0 2 6 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Don Bessent — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 108

Award Voting History

Don Bessent — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1955 Rookie of the Year NL 3rd 2.0 24 2

Don Bessent: the record in brief

July 17, 1955 and September 27, 1958 bracket Don Bessent's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Bessent played for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1955 to 1957) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1958). Bessent played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on March 13, 1931, in Jacksonville, FL, USA and a listed size of 6'0" and 175 pounds. Bessent's death is recorded on July 7, 1990, in Jacksonville, FL, USA. Don Bessent was the playing name; the full given name is Fred Donald.

Across 108 games (2 starts), Bessent recorded 14 wins against 7 losses with a 3.33 ERA. The totals include 118 strikeouts and 12 saves. Against a 3.91 league ERA for the same years, Bessent was 15.0% better. Bessent won 8 games in 1955, the most of any season listed. 1956 produced Bessent's most strikeouts, 52. 1956 was Bessent's sharpest full season, a 2.50 ERA against the league's 3.96.

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Bessent

What years did Don Bessent play?
Don Bessent played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1958.
Was Don Bessent a pitcher?
Yes. Don Bessent pitched in the major leagues, recording 14 wins and 118 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Don Bessent hit?
Don Bessent hit 0 career home runs with 5 hits.
What teams did Don Bessent play for?
Don Bessent played for one team, the Los Angeles Dodgers (1955–1958).
What were Don Bessent's career stats?
In 108 games, Don Bessent went 14-7 with a 3.33 ERA, 118 strikeouts, 211.0 innings pitched, and 12 saves.
What position did Don Bessent play?
Don Bessent played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Don Bessent and how much did he weigh?
Don Bessent was listed at 6 feet and 175 pounds.
What was Don Bessent's career ERA?
Don Bessent finished with a 3.33 career ERA, going 14-7 with 118 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Don Bessent have?
Don Bessent recorded 118 career strikeouts.
Is Don Bessent in the Hall of Fame?
No. Don Bessent has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.