Wes Ferrell
Born: 2/2/1908 in Greensboro, NC, USA
Died: 12/9/1976 in Sarasota, FL, USA
MLB Debut: 1927-09-09 | Final Game: 1941-05-06
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 195 lbs
Full name: Wesley Cheek Ferrell
Biography
Wes Ferrell was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, known for his exceptional skills on the mound and a career that spanned from 1927 to 1941. Born in 1908, Ferrell made a significant impact in the sport during an era characterized by offensive prowess and the gradual evolution of the game. He finished his career with a record of 193 wins and 128 losses, alongside an earned run average (ERA) of 4.04. Over his tenure, he recorded 985 strikeouts and collected 13 saves, showcasing his versatility as a pitcher.
Ferrell was selected as an All-Star twice during his career, reflecting his status as one of the top players of his time. His contributions were vital to the teams he played for, and his competitive spirit on the mound made him a formidable opponent. Known for his durability and effectiveness, Ferrell's performances helped shape the pitching landscape of the late 1920s through the early 1940s, a period when baseball was experiencing both the excitement of the live-ball era and the challenges of the Great Depression. His legacy remains as a testament to the talent and grit that defined his era in baseball history.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 193 | 128 | 374 | 323 | 227 | 17 | 13 | 2623.0 | 2845 | 1177 | 132 | 1040 | 985 | 4.04 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | CLE | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 27.00 | 0.0 |
| 1928 | CLE | AL | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2.25 | 269.0 |
| 1929 | CLE | AL | 21 | 10 | 43 | 25 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 242.7 | 256 | 97 | 109 | 100 | 3.60 | 2413.6 |
| 1930 | CLE | AL | 25 | 13 | 43 | 35 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 296.7 | 299 | 109 | 106 | 143 | 3.31 | 4640.3 |
| 1931 | CLE | AL | 22 | 12 | 40 | 35 | 27 | 2 | 3 | 276.3 | 276 | 115 | 130 | 123 | 3.75 | 236.8 |
| 1932 | CLE | AL | 23 | 13 | 38 | 34 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 287.7 | 299 | 117 | 104 | 105 | 3.66 | 281.4 |
| 1933 | CLE | AL | 11 | 12 | 28 | 26 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 201.0 | 225 | 94 | 70 | 41 | 4.21 | -919.6 |
| 1934 | BOS | AL | 14 | 5 | 26 | 23 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 181.0 | 205 | 73 | 49 | 67 | 3.63 | 3766.5 |
| 1935 | BOS | AL | 25 | 14 | 41 | 38 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 322.3 | 336 | 126 | 108 | 110 | 3.52 | 1589.2 |
| 1936 | BOS | AL | 20 | 15 | 39 | 38 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 301.0 | 330 | 140 | 119 | 106 | 4.19 | 1937.4 |
| 1937 | BOS | AL | 3 | 6 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 73.3 | 111 | 62 | 34 | 31 | 7.61 | -3432.0 |
| 1937 | WSN | AL | 11 | 13 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 207.7 | 214 | 91 | 88 | 92 | 3.94 | - |
| 1938 | NYY | AL | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 | 52 | 27 | 18 | 7 | 8.10 | - |
| 1938 | WSN | AL | 13 | 8 | 23 | 22 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 149.0 | 193 | 98 | 68 | 36 | 5.92 | - |
| 1939 | NYY | AL | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19.3 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 6 | 4.66 | - |
| 1940 | BRO | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6.75 | 0.0 |
| 1941 | BSN | NL | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 5.14 | -146.1 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 548 | 1176 | 175 | 329 | 57 | 12 | 38 | 208 | 2 | 129 | 185 | 0.280 | 0.351 | 0.446 | 0.797 | 1364.8 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | CLE | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1928 | CLE | AL | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
| 1929 | CLE | AL | 47 | 93 | 12 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 28 | 0.237 | -261.6 |
| 1930 | CLE | AL | 53 | 118 | 19 | 35 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 12 | 15 | 0.297 | -40.4 |
| 1931 | CLE | AL | 48 | 116 | 24 | 37 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 30 | 0 | 10 | 21 | 0.319 | 693.8 |
| 1932 | CLE | AL | 55 | 128 | 14 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 21 | 0.242 | -347.0 |
| 1933 | CLE | AL | 61 | 140 | 26 | 38 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 26 | 0 | 20 | 22 | 0.271 | 470.5 |
| 1934 | BOS | AL | 34 | 78 | 12 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 0.282 | 152.8 |
| 1935 | BOS | AL | 75 | 150 | 25 | 52 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 32 | 0 | 21 | 16 | 0.347 | 901.7 |
| 1936 | BOS | AL | 61 | 135 | 20 | 36 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 24 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 0.267 | 51.1 |
| 1937 | BOS | AL | 18 | 33 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0.364 | 0.0 |
| 1937 | WSN | AL | 53 | 106 | 7 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 18 | 0.255 | 0.0 |
| 1938 | NYY | AL | 5 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.167 | 0.0 |
| 1938 | WSN | AL | 26 | 49 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 7 | 0.224 | 0.0 |
| 1939 | NYY | AL | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.125 | 0.0 |
| 1940 | BRO | NL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1941 | BSN | NL | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.500 | 0.0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 13 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| P | 374 | 0 | 122 | 532 | 17 | 30 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | CLE | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928 | CLE | P | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929 | CLE | P | 43 | 0 | 10 | 63 | 2 | 3 |
| 1930 | CLE | P | 43 | 0 | 19 | 39 | 2 | 0 |
| 1931 | CLE | P | 40 | 0 | 19 | 74 | 3 | 3 |
| 1932 | CLE | P | 38 | 0 | 14 | 59 | 1 | 5 |
| 1933 | CLE | P | 28 | 0 | 12 | 48 | 0 | 4 |
| 1933 | CLE | OF | 13 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1934 | BOS | P | 26 | 0 | 8 | 23 | 1 | 2 |
| 1935 | BOS | P | 41 | 0 | 9 | 76 | 2 | 1 |
| 1936 | BOS | P | 39 | 0 | 9 | 42 | 2 | 2 |
| 1937 | BOS | P | 12 | 0 | 6 | 21 | 1 | 4 |
| 1937 | WS1 | P | 25 | 0 | 5 | 34 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938 | NYA | P | 5 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 3 |
| 1938 | WS1 | P | 23 | 0 | 8 | 32 | 1 | 3 |
| 1939 | NYA | P | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | BRO | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941 | BSN | P | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 374 |
| Left Field | 13 |
Awards & Honors
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 2nd | 62.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1934 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 8th | 16.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1932 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 19th | 5.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1931 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 11th | 12.0 | 80 | 0 |