Pinky Hargrave

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1923-1933)

Pinky Hargrave was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1933 for 4 teams, including the Washington Senators, a span of 11 seasons. In 650 career games, he hit .278 with 445 hits, 39 home runs, and 265 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,117.

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

AVG .278
HR 39
RBI 265
H 445
OPS .767
PIV 1,117
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 180 lb
Born
1/31/1896 in New Haven, IN, USA
Died
10/3/1942 in Fort Wayne, IN, USA
MLB Debut
1923-05-18
Last Game
1933-09-23

Full name: William McKinley Hargrave

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Career Batting Statistics

Pinky Hargrave — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
650 1,601 177 445 91 16 39 265 17 140 165 .278 .339 .428 .767 1,117

Career AVG .278 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .339 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .428 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — +7.5% above league average.

Career OPS .767 vs. league average .742 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Pinky Hargrave 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
1923 WS1 AL 33 59 4 17 2 0 0 8 0 2 6 .288 .282 (+2%) .344 (-10%) .390 (-17%) .734 (-14%) -132.6
1924 WS1 AL 24 33 3 5 1 1 0 5 0 1 4 .152 — — — — 0.0
1925 WS1 AL 5 6 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .500 — — — — 0.0
1925 SLA AL 67 225 34 64 15 2 8 43 2 13 13 .284 .288 (-1%) .349 (-7%) .407 (+17%) .756 (+6%) 0.0
1926 SLA AL 92 235 20 66 16 3 7 37 3 10 38 .281 .279 (avg) .345 (-8%) .390 (+19%) .735 (+6%) 178.1
1928 DET AL 121 320 38 88 13 5 10 63 4 32 28 .275 .280 (-2%) .342 (avg) .395 (+11%) .737 (+6%) 369.9
1929 DET AL 76 185 26 61 12 0 3 26 2 20 24 .330 .289 (+14%) .353 (+13%) .415 (+7%) .769 (+10%) 410.6
1930 DET AL 55 137 18 39 8 0 5 18 2 20 12 .285 .293 (-3%) .354 (+7%) .429 (+5%) .784 (+6%) 206.0
1930 WS1 AL 10 31 3 6 2 2 1 7 1 3 1 .194 — — — — 206.0
1931 WS1 AL 40 80 6 26 8 0 1 19 1 9 12 .325 .276 (+18%) .338 (+16%) .388 (+19%) .726 (+18%) 256.4
1932 BSN NL 82 217 20 57 14 3 4 33 1 24 18 .263 .275 (-5%) .335 (avg) .391 (+5%) .726 (+3%) 101.3
1933 BSN NL 45 73 5 13 0 0 0 6 1 5 7 .178 .270 (-34%) .329 (-27%) .377 (-53%) .707 (-41%) -448.8
Career · 12 seasons 650 1,601 177 445 91 16 39 265 17 140 165 .278 — — — — 1,147

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 (650 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Pinky Hargrave — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home3278009121414134.268
Away3238078523125140.286

Last 10 Games — Batting

Pinky Hargrave — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1933-09-23 BSNPHIW 000000010
1933-09-23 BSNPHIL 000000000
1933-09-17 BSNCINL 100000000
1933-09-10 BSNSTLL 100000001
1933-09-06 BSNCHCL 110000000
1933-08-27 BSNCINL 100000001
1933-08-18 BSNCHCL 101000000
1933-08-13 BSNBROL 100000000
1933-08-06 BSNPHIL 300000000
1933-08-05 BSNBROW 200000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Pinky Hargrave — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 8 0 6 5 1 1
C 442 0 1445 246 41 38
OF 1 0 1 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Pinky Hargrave — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1923 WS1 3B 8 0 6 5 1 1
1923 WS1 C 5 0 12 4 1 1
1923 WS1 OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1924 WS1 C 8 0 17 2 0 0
1925 WS1 C 1 0 6 1 0 0
1925 SLA C 62 0 211 44 5 4
1926 SLA C 58 0 165 50 5 7
1928 DET C 88 0 301 35 8 5
1929 DET C 48 0 175 38 6 7
1930 DET C 40 0 175 14 3 3
1930 WS1 C 9 0 39 4 0 3
1931 WS1 C 25 0 79 8 2 1
1932 BSN C 73 0 206 39 8 4
1933 BSN C 25 0 59 7 3 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Pinky Hargrave Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 442
Third Base 8
Left Field 1

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Pinky Hargrave (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Don Padgett
    .288 avg, 37 HR
  2. 83
    Bill Perkins
    .279 avg, 27 HR
  3. 82
    Alejandro Kirk
    .270 avg, 61 HR
  4. 81
    Butch Henline
    .291 avg, 40 HR
  5. 79
    Mack Eggleston
    .273 avg, 25 HR
  6. 76
    Clarence Palm
    .291 avg, 52 HR

Compare Pinky Hargrave

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Hargrave's closest peers by position and era.

vs Bubbles Hargrave

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Pinky Hargrave: the record in brief

Pinky Hargrave's major league career runs from a debut on May 18, 1923 to a final game on September 23, 1933. Club by club, the record runs the Washington Senators (1923 to 1931), the St. Louis Browns (1925 through 1926), the Detroit Tigers (1928 through 1930), and the Boston Braves (1932 to 1933). At 5'8" and 180 pounds, Hargrave is listed as a catcher. Hargrave switch-hit and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Hargrave was born on January 31, 1896, in New Haven, IN, USA. Hargrave's death is recorded on October 3, 1942, in Fort Wayne, IN, USA. On the record, Pinky Hargrave was born William McKinley Hargrave.

In 650 games and 1,601 at bats, Hargrave batted .278 with 445 hits, along with 39 home runs and 265 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .339 and the slugging percentage .428, for an OPS of .767. Hargrave hit .278 while the league hit .282 over the same span, a figure close to average. The single-season home run high is 10, set in 1928.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pinky Hargrave

What years did Pinky Hargrave play?
Pinky Hargrave played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1933.
Was Pinky Hargrave a pitcher?
No. Pinky Hargrave was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Pinky Hargrave hit?
Pinky Hargrave hit 39 career home runs with 445 hits.
What teams did Pinky Hargrave play for?
Pinky Hargrave played for 4 teams: the Washington Senators (1923–1925, 1930–1931), the St. Louis Browns (1925–1926), the Detroit Tigers (1928–1930), and the Boston Braves (1932–1933).
What were Pinky Hargrave's career stats?
In 650 games, Pinky Hargrave had 445 hits, 39 home runs, 265 RBI, 177 runs, and 17 stolen bases, with a .278 batting average.
What position did Pinky Hargrave play?
Pinky Hargrave played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Pinky Hargrave and how much did he weigh?
Pinky Hargrave was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 180 pounds.
How many home runs did Pinky Hargrave hit each season?
Pinky Hargrave's home runs by season: 0 in 1923, 0 in 1924, 8 in 1925, 7 in 1926, 10 in 1928, 3 in 1929, 6 in 1930, 1 in 1931, 4 in 1932, and 0 in 1933. His most in one season was 10, in 1928.
What was Pinky Hargrave's career batting average?
Pinky Hargrave batted .278 over his career, with 445 hits in 1,601 at bats.
How many RBI did Pinky Hargrave have?
Pinky Hargrave drove in 265 runs in his career.
Is Pinky Hargrave in the Hall of Fame?
No. Pinky Hargrave has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.