Vern Bickford

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1948-1954)

Vern Bickford was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1954 for the Boston Braves, the Milwaukee Braves, and the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 7 seasons. Across 182 career appearances, he went 66-57 with a 3.71 ERA and 450 strikeouts. He also batted .156 with 0 home runs. Vern Bickford was an All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 3148.0.

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 66–57
ERA 3.71
WHIP 1.40
SO 450
Pitcher PIV 3148.0
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 180 lb
Born
8/17/1920 in Hellier, KY, USA
Died
5/6/1960 in Richmond, VA, USA
MLB Debut
1948-04-24
Last Game
1954-04-24
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Vernon Edgell Bickford

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Career Pitching Statistics

Vern Bickford — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
66 57 182 149 73 9 2 1076.1 1,040 444 76 467 450 3.71 3148.0

Career ERA 3.71 vs. league average 4.05 across their career seasons — 8.4% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Vern Bickford Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1948 BSN NL 11 5 33 22 10 1 1 146.0 125 53 63 60 3.27 4.10 (+20%) -21.6
1949 BSN NL 16 11 37 36 15 2 0 230.2 246 109 106 101 4.25 4.12 (-3%) -583.5
1950 BSN NL 19 14 40 39 27 2 0 311.2 293 120 122 126 3.47 4.36 (+20%) 2565.0
1951 BSN NL 11 9 25 20 12 3 0 164.2 146 57 76 76 3.12 4.04 (+23%) 1863.5
1952 BSN NL 7 12 26 22 7 1 0 161.1 165 67 64 62 3.74 3.70 (-1%) 1207.6
1953 ML1 NL 2 5 20 9 2 0 1 58.0 60 34 35 25 5.28 4.14 (-28%) -1883.1
1954 BAL AL 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 4.0 5 4 1 0 9.00 — 0.0
Career · 7 seasons 66 57 182 149 73 9 2 1,076.1 1,040 444 467 450 3.71 — 3,148

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

Vern Bickford — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
182 365 23 57 4 0 0 28 0 10 85 .156 .179 .167 .346 -2,914

Career AVG .156 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 40.3% below league average.

Career OBP .179 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 47.1% below league average.

Career SLG .167 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — 56.8% below league average.

Career OPS .346 vs. league average .724 across their career seasons — 52.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Vern Bickford — 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
1948 BSN NL 33 49 3 10 2 0 0 7 0 2 12 .204 — — — — -267.0
1949 BSN NL 37 81 7 15 0 0 0 8 0 2 20 .185 .262 (-30%) .343 (-40%) .384 (-52%) .727 (-46%) -608.9
1950 BSN NL 40 116 9 16 0 0 0 6 0 3 24 .138 .265 (-48%) .346 (-54%) .401 (-66%) .747 (-60%) -1154.6
1951 BSN NL 25 52 1 6 1 0 0 4 0 2 12 .115 .260 (-56%) .336 (-56%) .385 (-65%) .721 (-61%) -510.7
1952 BSN NL 26 51 2 9 1 0 0 3 0 0 9 .176 .252 (-30%) .326 (-46%) .369 (-47%) .696 (-46%) -373.0
1953 ML1 NL 20 15 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 .067 — — — — 0.0
1954 BAL AL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 7 seasons 182 365 23 57 4 0 0 28 0 10 85 .156 — — — — -2,914

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

Vern Bickford — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Vern Bickford — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1948 WS BSN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Vern Bickford — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 1 1 0 3.1 4 1 5 1 2.70

Playoff Pitching by Year

Vern Bickford — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1948 WS BSN 0 1 1 1 0 3.1 4 1 5 1 2.70

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (364 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Vern Bickford — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home911801230017.167
Away911851127012.146

Pitching — Home / Away

Vern Bickford — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home91592.05382142462593.25
Away91485.15042322211944.30

Last 10 Games — Batting

Vern Bickford — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1954-04-24 BALCHWL 100000001
1953-09-07 ATLCHCL 000000000
1953-09-05 ATLSTLL 000000000
1953-08-25 ATLPHIL 000000000
1953-08-23 ATLCHCL 000000000
1953-08-16 ATLCHCW 000000000
1953-08-07 ATLPITW 311000011
1953-07-31 ATLPHIL 000000000
1953-07-25 ATLBROL 000000000
1953-07-22 ATLPHIL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Vern Bickford — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1954-04-24 BALCHW L 4.0554100
1953-09-07 ATLCHC — 2.0000100
1953-09-05 ATLSTL — 1.0311001
1953-08-25 ATLPHI — 1.0222110
1953-08-23 ATLCHC — 3.0411010
1953-08-16 ATLCHC — 0.2311101
1953-08-07 ATLPIT W 9.0522620
1953-07-31 ATLPHI — 3.0200050
1953-07-25 ATLBRO — 1.0000100
1953-07-22 ATLPHI — 0.1000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Vern Bickford — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 182 1 68 202 6 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Vern Bickford — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1948 BSN P 33 0 6 22 1 0
1949 BSN P 37 0 7 50 1 3
1950 BSN P 40 0 26 45 2 5
1951 BSN P 25 0 14 38 1 4
1952 BSN P 26 0 12 32 1 4
1953 ML1 P 20 0 3 14 0 3
1954 BAL P 1 1 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Vern Bickford — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 182

Award Voting History

Vern Bickford — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1950 Most Valuable Player NL 30th 4.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Vern Bickford (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Al Javery
    53-74, 3.80 ERA
  2. 94
    Steve McCatty
    63-63, 3.99 ERA
  3. 88
    Bill McGee
    46-41, 3.74 ERA
  4. 87
    Atley Donald
    65-33, 3.52 ERA
  5. 85
    Orval Grove
    63-73, 3.78 ERA
  6. 83
    Elmer Riddle
    65-52, 3.40 ERA

Vern Bickford: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 24, 1948 and the final game on April 24, 1954, Vern Bickford built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the Boston Braves (1948 through 1952), the Milwaukee Braves (1953), and the Baltimore Orioles (1954). The bio lists Bickford as a pitcher who threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6 feet, 0 inches and 180 pounds. The birth record reads August 17, 1920, in Hellier, KY, USA. Bickford died on May 6, 1960, in Richmond, VA, USA. The bio lists the given name Vernon Edgell.

Bickford pitched in 182 games, starting 149, and finished with a 66-57 record and 3.71 ERA. Also on Bickford's record: 450 strikeouts, 73 complete games, and 9 shutouts. The leagues Bickford pitched in allowed 4.05 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 8.4% better than average. No season topped the 19 wins of 1950. 1950 was Bickford's sharpest full season, a 3.47 ERA against the league's 4.36.

Frequently Asked Questions about Vern Bickford

What years did Vern Bickford play?
Vern Bickford played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1954.
Was Vern Bickford a pitcher?
Yes. Vern Bickford pitched in the major leagues, recording 66 wins and 450 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Vern Bickford hit?
Vern Bickford hit 0 career home runs with 57 hits.
What was Vern Bickford's career batting average?
Vern Bickford batted .156 over his career, with 57 hits in 365 at bats.
How many RBI did Vern Bickford have?
Vern Bickford drove in 28 runs in his career.
What was Vern Bickford's career ERA?
Vern Bickford finished with a 3.71 career ERA, going 66-57 with 450 strikeouts.