Johnny Gerlach
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1938-1939)
Johnny Gerlach was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1939 for the Chicago White Sox, a span of 2 seasons. In 12 career games, he hit .333 with 9 hits and 1 RBI.
- 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
- Position
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 165 lb
- Died
- 8/28/1999 in Madison, WI, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1938-09-03
- Last Game
- 1939-09-21
Full name: John Glenn Gerlach
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 27 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | .333 | .419 | .333 | .753 | 0 |
Career AVG .333 vs. league average .274 across their career seasons — +21.9% above league average.
Career OBP .419 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — +22.6% above league average.
Career SLG .333 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 15.1% below league average.
Career OPS .753 vs. league average .735 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | CHA | AL | 9 | 25 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | .280 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | CHA | AL | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 12 | 27 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (12 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 8 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | .286 |
| Away | 4 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .500 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939-09-21 | CHW | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-20 | CHW | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-16 | CHW | PHA | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-10-02 | CHW | SLA | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-10-02 | CHW | SLA | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1938-10-01 | CHW | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938-09-30 | CHW | SLA | L | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-09-25 | CHW | SLA | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938-09-17 | CHW | PHA | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938-09-15 | CHW | PHA | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Third Base | 1 |
| Shortstop | 8 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin at Madison | Madison | WI | 1936, 1937, 1938 |
Johnny Gerlach: the record in brief
Johnny Gerlach's major league career runs from a debut on September 3, 1938 to a final game on September 21, 1939. Gerlach spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Chicago White Sox. Gerlach is listed as a shortstop at 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds. Gerlach batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Gerlach was born on May 11, 1917, in Shullsburg, WI, USA. Gerlach's death is recorded on August 28, 1999, in Madison, WI, USA. The bio lists the given name John Glenn.
In 12 games and 27 at bats, Gerlach batted .333 with 9 hits, along with 1 runs batted in. Set against a .274 league average for the same years, Gerlach's .333 average sits 21.9% above it. The hits column peaks at 7, in 1938.
Most of Gerlach's defensive work, 8 games, came at shortstop; the rest of the position table shows third base (1).
The college table lists University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1936, 1937, and 1938. Gerlach's game-by-game log, linked below the splits, holds 12 games from Retrosheet. In the last-games table, September 30, 1938 was Gerlach's biggest day, 2 hits in 3 at bats.
Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Gerlach
- What years did Johnny Gerlach play?
- Johnny Gerlach played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1939.
- Was Johnny Gerlach a pitcher?
- No. Johnny Gerlach was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Johnny Gerlach hit?
- Johnny Gerlach hit 0 career home runs with 9 hits.
- What teams did Johnny Gerlach play for?
- Johnny Gerlach played for one team, the Chicago White Sox (1938–1939).
- What were Johnny Gerlach's career stats?
- In 12 games, Johnny Gerlach had 9 hits, 1 RBI, and 2 runs, with a .333 batting average.
- What position did Johnny Gerlach play?
- Johnny Gerlach played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Johnny Gerlach and how much did he weigh?
- Johnny Gerlach was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 165 pounds.
- What was Johnny Gerlach's career batting average?
- Johnny Gerlach batted .333 over his career, with 9 hits in 27 at bats.
- How many RBI did Johnny Gerlach have?
- Johnny Gerlach drove in 1 runs in his career.
- Is Johnny Gerlach in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Johnny Gerlach has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.