Don Heffner

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1934-1944)

Don Heffner was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1944 for 4 teams, including the New York Yankees, a span of 11 seasons. In 743 career games, he hit .241 with 610 hits, 6 home runs, and 248 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

AVG .241
HR 6
RBI 248
H 610
OPS .620
PIV -4,962
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 155 lb
Born
2/8/1911 in Rouzerville, PA, USA
Died
8/1/1989 in Pasadena, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1934-04-17
Last Game
1944-04-29

Full name: Donald Henry Heffner

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Career Batting Statistics

Don Heffner — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
743 2,526 275 610 99 19 6 248 18 270 218 .241 .317 .303 .620 -4,962

Career AVG .241 vs. league average .270 across their career seasons — 10.4% below league average.

Career OBP .317 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 5.8% below league average.

Career SLG .303 vs. league average .381 across their career seasons — 20.6% below league average.

Career OPS .620 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — 13.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Heffner 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
1934 NYA AL 72 241 29 63 8 3 0 25 1 25 18 .261 .278 (-6%) .340 (-3%) .392 (-19%) .733 (-11%) -405.6
1935 NYA AL 10 36 3 11 3 1 0 8 0 4 1 .306 — — — — 0.0
1936 NYA AL 19 48 7 11 2 1 0 6 0 6 5 .229 — — — — -132.7
1937 NYA AL 60 201 23 50 6 5 0 21 1 19 19 .249 .276 (-10%) .342 (-8%) .398 (-18%) .740 (-13%) -444.4
1938 SLA AL 141 473 47 116 23 3 2 69 1 65 53 .245 .272 (-10%) .341 (avg) .392 (-19%) .734 (-10%) -634.0
1939 SLA AL 110 375 45 100 10 2 1 35 1 48 39 .267 .274 (-3%) .342 (+2%) .393 (-21%) .735 (-10%) -478.5
1940 SLA AL 126 487 52 115 23 2 3 53 5 39 37 .236 .267 (-12%) .335 (-12%) .387 (-20%) .722 (-16%) -1264.8
1941 SLA AL 110 399 48 93 14 2 0 17 5 38 27 .233 .262 (-11%) .332 (-9%) .373 (-25%) .705 (-18%) -1053.2
1942 SLA AL 19 36 2 6 2 0 0 3 1 1 4 .167 — — — — 0.0
1943 SLA AL 18 33 2 4 1 0 0 2 0 2 2 .121 — — — — 0.0
1943 PHA AL 52 178 17 37 6 0 0 8 3 18 12 .208 .255 (-19%) .324 (-13%) .346 (-30%) .671 (-22%) 0.0
1944 DET AL 6 19 0 4 1 0 0 1 0 5 1 .211 — — — — 0.0
Career · 12 seasons 743 2,526 275 610 99 19 6 248 18 270 218 .241 — — — — -4,413

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 (744 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Don Heffner — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home37412491503145133.251
Away37012771252961116.232

Last 10 Games — Batting

Don Heffner — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1944-04-29 DETCLEL 100000000
1944-04-23 DETCLEW 503100100
1944-04-21 DETCLEL 300000020
1944-04-20 DETSLAL 400000010
1944-04-19 DETSLAL 200000020
1944-04-18 DETSLAL 401000001
1943-09-15 PHANYYL 200000000
1943-09-14 PHANYYL 501000000
1943-09-12 PHAMINL 421100010
1943-08-29 PHAMINL 301000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Don Heffner — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 7 0 29 4 0 4
2B 595 0 1416 1678 86 395
3B 11 0 14 28 1 2
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
SS 89 0 159 256 24 38

Season-by-Season Fielding

Don Heffner — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1934 NYA 2B 68 0 158 179 10 46
1935 NYA 2B 10 0 20 29 1 5
1936 NYA 2B 5 0 3 10 0 2
1936 NYA 3B 8 0 11 22 1 2
1936 NYA SS 3 0 5 6 1 3
1937 NYA 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1937 NYA 2B 38 0 107 94 4 28
1937 NYA 3B 3 0 3 6 0 0
1937 NYA OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1937 NYA SS 13 0 16 32 2 2
1938 SLA 2B 141 0 365 363 22 103
1939 SLA 2B 32 0 84 97 8 21
1939 SLA SS 73 0 138 218 21 33
1940 SLA 2B 125 0 311 426 17 102
1941 SLA 2B 105 0 224 307 14 52
1942 SLA 1B 4 0 21 3 0 4
1942 SLA 2B 6 0 13 16 3 1
1943 SLA 1B 1 0 6 1 0 0
1943 SLA 2B 13 0 21 17 1 4
1943 PHA 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1943 PHA 2B 47 0 98 127 5 27
1944 DET 2B 5 0 12 13 1 4

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Don Heffner Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 7
Second Base 596
Third Base 11
Shortstop 88
Right 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

Don Heffner (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Billy Hitchcock
    .243 avg, 5 HR
  2. 91
    Joe Gedeon
    .244 avg, 1 HR
  3. 85
    Ernie Courtney
    .245 avg, 5 HR
  4. 85
    Rocky Bridges
    .247 avg, 16 HR
  5. 84
    Nicky Lopez
    .248 avg, 8 HR
  6. 81
    Alex Grammas
    .247 avg, 12 HR

Don Heffner: the record in brief

Don Heffner played a first major league game on April 17, 1934 and a last one on April 29, 1944. The season rows list, in order, the New York Yankees (1934 through 1937), the St. Louis Browns (1938 to 1943), the Philadelphia Athletics (1943), and the Detroit Tigers (1944). Born on February 8, 1911, in Rouzerville, PA, USA, Heffner is listed as a second baseman and threw and hit right-handed. The bio gives 5'10" and 155 pounds. Heffner's death is recorded on August 1, 1989, in Pasadena, CA, USA. The given name on file is Donald Henry Heffner.

The batting record for Heffner: 743 games, 610 hits in 2,526 at bats, and a .241 average; the totals also include 6 home runs and 248 RBI. The on-base percentage is .317 and the slugging percentage .303, for an OPS of .620. The league as a whole hit .270 across Heffner's seasons, which puts the .241 career mark 10.4% below average. The OPS comparison is .620 to a league .718, 13.6% below average. Heffner collected a career-high 116 hits in 1938. 1938 brought the most runs batted in, 69.

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Heffner

What years did Don Heffner play?
Don Heffner played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1944.
Was Don Heffner a pitcher?
No. Don Heffner was a position player (Second Baseman).
How many home runs did Don Heffner hit?
Don Heffner hit 6 career home runs with 610 hits.
What teams did Don Heffner play for?
Don Heffner played for 4 teams: the New York Yankees (1934–1937), the St. Louis Browns (1938–1943), the Philadelphia Athletics (1943), and the Detroit Tigers (1944).
What were Don Heffner's career stats?
In 743 games, Don Heffner had 610 hits, 6 home runs, 248 RBI, 275 runs, and 18 stolen bases, with a .241 batting average.
What position did Don Heffner play?
Don Heffner played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Don Heffner and how much did he weigh?
Don Heffner was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 155 pounds.
How many home runs did Don Heffner hit each season?
Don Heffner's home runs by season: 0 in 1934, 0 in 1935, 0 in 1936, 0 in 1937, 2 in 1938, 1 in 1939, 3 in 1940, 0 in 1941, 0 in 1942, 0 in 1943, and 0 in 1944. His most in one season was 3, in 1940.
What was Don Heffner's career batting average?
Don Heffner batted .241 over his career, with 610 hits in 2,526 at bats.
How many RBI did Don Heffner have?
Don Heffner drove in 248 runs in his career.
Is Don Heffner in the Hall of Fame?
No. Don Heffner has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.