Ben Cantwell

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1927-1937)

Ben Cantwell was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1937 for the New York Giants, the Boston Braves, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 11 seasons. Across 316 career appearances, he went 76-108 with a 3.91 ERA, 348 strikeouts, and 21 saves. He also batted .231 with 0 home runs.

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 76–108
ERA 3.91
WHIP 1.32
SO 348
Pitcher PIV -97.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 168 lb
Born
4/13/1902 in Milan, TN, USA
Died
12/4/1962 in Salem, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1927-08-19
Last Game
1937-09-23

Full name: Benjamin Caldwell Cantwell

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Career Pitching Statistics

Ben Cantwell — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
76 108 316 163 75 6 21 1534.0 1,640 666 90 382 348 3.91 -97.2

Career ERA 3.91 vs. league average 4.30 across their career seasons — 9.1% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ben Cantwell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1927 NY1 NL 1 1 5 2 1 0 0 19.2 26 9 2 6 4.12 4.08 (-1%) 238.9
1928 NY1 NL 1 0 7 1 0 0 1 18.1 20 9 4 0 4.42 4.13 (-7%) -223.4
1928 BSN NL 3 3 22 9 3 0 0 90.0 112 51 36 18 5.10 4.13 (-23%) -1885.6
1929 BSN NL 4 13 27 20 8 0 2 157.0 171 78 52 25 4.47 4.60 (+3%) -1444.8
1930 BSN NL 9 15 31 21 10 0 2 173.1 213 94 45 43 4.88 4.80 (-2%) -1006.8
1931 BSN NL 7 9 33 16 9 2 2 156.1 160 63 34 32 3.63 4.10 (+12%) 1556.2
1932 BSN NL 13 11 37 9 3 1 5 146.0 133 48 33 33 2.96 4.13 (+28%) 514.4
1933 BSN NL 20 10 40 29 18 2 2 254.2 242 74 54 57 2.62 3.86 (+32%) 729.2
1934 BSN NL 5 11 27 19 6 1 5 143.1 163 69 34 45 4.33 4.29 (-1%) 811.7
1935 BSN NL 4 25 39 24 13 0 0 210.2 235 108 44 34 4.61 4.35 (-6%) -532.5
1936 BSN NL 9 9 34 12 4 0 2 133.1 127 45 35 42 3.04 4.59 (+34%) 691.5
1937 NY1 NL 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 4.0 6 4 1 1 9.00 — 0.0
1937 BRO NL 0 0 13 0 0 0 0 27.1 32 14 8 12 4.61 4.34 (-6%) 453.9
Career · 13 seasons 76 108 316 163 75 6 21 1,534.0 1,640 666 382 348 3.91 — -97

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

Ben Cantwell — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
340 503 46 116 9 2 0 31 1 12 57 .231 .249 .256 .505 -1,842

Career AVG .231 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — 17.9% below league average.

Career OBP .249 vs. league average .343 across their career seasons — 27.6% below league average.

Career SLG .256 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — 35.7% below league average.

Career OPS .505 vs. league average .742 across their career seasons — 32.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ben Cantwell 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
1927 NY1 NL 5 8 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 .250 — — — — 0.0
1928 NY1 NL 7 4 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .500 — — — — 0.0
1928 BSN NL 22 29 3 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 .172 — — — — 0.0
1929 BSN NL 27 50 5 9 3 0 0 5 0 4 5 .180 .289 (-38%) .353 (-32%) .415 (-42%) .769 (-37%) -321.0
1930 BSN NL 34 63 4 19 1 1 0 5 0 0 7 .302 .293 (+3%) .354 (-15%) .429 (-19%) .784 (-17%) -188.6
1931 BSN NL 40 57 7 13 1 0 0 2 0 0 7 .228 .276 (-17%) .338 (-33%) .388 (-37%) .726 (-35%) -319.9
1932 BSN NL 37 50 3 14 0 0 0 4 0 1 3 .280 .275 (+2%) .335 (-12%) .391 (-28%) .726 (-21%) -162.7
1933 BSN NL 49 85 9 12 2 1 0 7 0 4 10 .141 .270 (-48%) .329 (-46%) .377 (-50%) .707 (-48%) -648.9
1934 BSN NL 29 43 5 12 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 .279 — — — — 0.0
1935 BSN NL 41 67 4 19 1 0 0 2 0 2 8 .284 .279 (+1%) .342 (-11%) .399 (-25%) .742 (-19%) -200.8
1936 BSN NL 35 41 3 8 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 .195 — — — — 0.0
1937 NY1 NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1937 BRO NL 13 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .167 — — — — 0.0
Career · 13 seasons 340 503 46 116 9 2 0 31 1 12 57 .231 — — — — -1,842

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.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (656 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Ben Cantwell — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1802812464016.228
Away1602212252011.235

Pitching — Home / Away

Ben Cantwell — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home170881.08803332162103.40
Away146651.07613341701374.62

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ben Cantwell — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1937-09-23 BROSTLL 000000000
1937-09-21 BROSTLL 201000000
1937-09-21 BROSTLL 000000000
1937-09-15 BROCINL 100000001
1937-09-09 BRONY1L 000000000
1937-09-08 BRONY1L 200000000
1937-09-04 BRONY1L 000000000
1937-08-28 BROCINL 000000000
1937-08-25 BROSTLL 000000000
1937-08-20 BROBSNL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Ben Cantwell — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1937-09-23 BROSTL — 0.2100000
1937-09-21 BROSTL — 5.1511230
1937-09-21 BROSTL — 1.0000000
1937-09-15 BROCIN — 5.0422000
1937-09-09 BRONY1 — 1.0100010
1937-09-08 BRONY1 — 5.0611130
1937-09-04 BRONY1 — 1.0322010
1937-08-28 BROCIN — 1.0222110
1937-08-25 BROSTL — 1.0211000
1937-08-20 BROBSN — 1.0000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ben Cantwell — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 316 0 95 463 19 33

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ben Cantwell — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1927 NY1 P 5 0 2 2 0 0
1928 NY1 P 7 0 2 7 0 0
1928 BSN P 22 0 5 27 3 1
1929 BSN P 27 0 12 53 4 5
1930 BSN P 31 0 13 50 1 9
1931 BSN P 33 0 7 49 3 2
1932 BSN P 37 0 12 43 1 6
1933 BSN P 40 0 12 77 1 3
1934 BSN P 27 0 8 40 3 1
1935 BSN P 39 0 12 54 1 4
1936 BSN P 34 0 9 44 2 2
1937 NY1 P 1 0 0 2 0 0
1937 BRO P 13 0 1 15 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ben Cantwell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 316

Awards & Honors

Ben Cantwell — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1933 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3

College History

Ben Cantwell — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Tennessee Knoxville TN 1921, 1922, 1923

Award Voting History

Ben Cantwell — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1933 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 18.0 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

Ben Cantwell (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ray Kolp
    79-95, 4.08 ERA
  2. 90
    Jack Scott
    103-109, 3.85 ERA
  3. 88
    Huck Betts
    61-68, 3.93 ERA
  4. 84
    Watson Clark
    111-97, 3.66 ERA
  5. 84
    Hal Carlson
    114-120, 3.97 ERA
  6. 83
    Hugh McQuillan
    88-94, 3.83 ERA

Ben Cantwell: the record in brief

Ben Cantwell played a first major league game on August 19, 1927 and a last one on September 23, 1937. Club by club, the record runs the New York Giants (1927 through 1937), the Boston Braves (1928 to 1935), the Boston Bees (1936), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1937). Cantwell played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on April 13, 1902, in Milan, TN, USA and a listed size of 168 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Cantwell died on December 4, 1962, in Salem, MO, USA. The given name on file is Benjamin Caldwell Cantwell.

Across 316 games (163 starts), Cantwell recorded 76 wins against 108 losses with a 3.91 ERA. The same table counts 348 strikeouts, 75 complete games, 6 shutouts, and 21 saves. That 3.91 ERA compares with a 4.30 league average across the same seasons, 9.1% better. Cantwell won 20 games in 1933, the most of any season listed.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Cantwell

What years did Ben Cantwell play?
Ben Cantwell played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1937.
Was Ben Cantwell a pitcher?
Yes. Ben Cantwell pitched in the major leagues, recording 76 wins and 348 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Ben Cantwell hit?
Ben Cantwell hit 0 career home runs with 116 hits.
What was Ben Cantwell's career batting average?
Ben Cantwell batted .231 over his career, with 116 hits in 503 at bats.
How many RBI did Ben Cantwell have?
Ben Cantwell drove in 31 runs in his career.
What was Ben Cantwell's career ERA?
Ben Cantwell finished with a 3.91 career ERA, going 76-108 with 348 strikeouts.