Jim Hegan

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1941-1960)

Jim Hegan was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1960 for 5 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 20 seasons. In 1,666 career games, he hit .228 with 1,087 hits, 92 home runs, and 525 RBI. Jim Hegan was a 5-time All-Star.

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 .228
HR 92
RBI 525
H 1,087
OPS .639
PIV -8,750
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 195 lb
Born
8/3/1920 in Lynn, MA, USA
Died
6/17/1984 in Lynn, MA, USA
MLB Debut
1941-09-09
Last Game
1960-07-04
Awards
5× All-Star

Full name: James Edward Hegan

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Career Batting Statistics

Jim Hegan — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,666 4,772 550 1,087 187 46 92 525 15 456 742 .228 .295 .344 .639 -8,750

Career AVG .228 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 12.2% below league average.

Career OBP .295 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 11.2% below league average.

Career SLG .344 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — 10.1% below league average.

Career OPS .639 vs. league average .715 across their career seasons — 10.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jim Hegan 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
1941 CLE AL 16 47 4 15 2 0 1 5 0 4 7 .319 — — — — 101.5
1942 CLE AL 68 170 10 33 5 0 0 11 1 11 31 .194 .253 (-23%) .323 (-25%) .349 (-36%) .672 (-31%) -786.3
1946 CLE AL 88 271 29 64 11 5 0 17 1 17 44 .236 .256 (-8%) .328 (-14%) .358 (-13%) .687 (-13%) -605.4
1947 CLE AL 135 378 38 94 14 5 4 42 3 41 49 .249 .262 (-5%) .336 (-4%) .376 (-9%) .712 (-6%) -378.9
1948 CLE AL 144 472 60 117 21 6 14 61 6 48 74 .248 .263 (-6%) .340 (-7%) .379 (+7%) .719 (+1%) -53.0
1949 CLE AL 152 468 54 105 19 5 8 55 1 49 89 .224 .262 (-15%) .343 (-13%) .384 (-12%) .727 (-13%) -1030.9
1950 CLE AL 131 415 53 91 16 5 14 58 1 42 52 .219 .265 (-18%) .346 (-16%) .401 (-5%) .747 (-10%) -784.2
1951 CLE AL 133 416 60 99 17 5 6 43 0 38 72 .238 .260 (-9%) .336 (-10%) .385 (-10%) .721 (-10%) -741.6
1952 CLE AL 112 333 39 75 17 2 4 41 0 29 47 .225 .252 (-11%) .326 (-12%) .369 (-12%) .696 (-12%) -671.9
1953 CLE AL 112 299 37 65 10 1 9 37 1 25 41 .217 .264 (-18%) .335 (-17%) .397 (-12%) .733 (-14%) -732.9
1954 CLE AL 139 423 56 99 12 7 11 40 0 34 48 .234 .261 (-10%) .333 (-13%) .390 (-4%) .723 (-8%) -681.1
1955 CLE AL 116 304 30 67 5 2 9 40 0 34 33 .220 .258 (-15%) .332 (-12%) .393 (-14%) .726 (-13%) -684.2
1956 CLE AL 122 315 42 70 15 2 6 34 1 49 54 .222 .258 (-14%) .331 (-1%) .397 (-15%) .728 (-9%) -352.4
1957 CLE AL 58 148 14 32 7 0 4 15 0 16 23 .216 .257 (-16%) .323 (-10%) .391 (-12%) .715 (-11%) -261.4
1958 DET AL 45 130 14 25 6 0 1 7 0 10 32 .192 .257 (-25%) .324 (-23%) .394 (-34%) .719 (-29%) -593.7
1958 PHI NL 25 59 5 13 6 0 0 6 0 4 16 .220 .257 (-15%) .324 (-17%) .394 (-18%) .719 (-18%) -593.7
1959 PHI NL 25 51 1 10 1 0 0 8 0 3 10 .196 .256 (-24%) .323 (-28%) .392 (-45%) .715 (-37%) -318.0
1959 SFN NL 21 30 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 10 .133 — — — — -318.0
1960 CHN NL 24 43 4 9 2 1 1 5 0 1 10 .209 — — — — 0.0
Career · 19 seasons 1,666 4,772 550 1,087 187 46 92 525 15 456 742 .228 — — — — -9,486

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Jim Hegan — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
10 32 3 6 1 0 1 5 2 5 .188

Playoff Batting by Year

Jim Hegan — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1954 WS CLE 4 13 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 .154
1948 WS CLE 6 19 2 4 0 0 1 5 1 4 .211

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1665 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jim Hegan — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home815227427652757273.232
Away850249727156035249.224

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jim Hegan — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1960-07-04 CHCSFGL 200000000
1960-07-04 CHCSFGL 000000010
1960-07-03 CHCCINW 400000000
1960-07-01 CHCCINL 300000001
1960-06-29 CHCATLL 201000001
1960-06-26 CHCPITW 412000002
1960-06-25 CHCPITL 311100100
1960-06-24 CHCPITL 411010000
1960-06-23 CHCPHIL 000000000
1960-06-21 CHCPHIL 100000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jim Hegan — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 1629 457 7506 695 86 136

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jim Hegan — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1941 CLE C 16 0 63 10 2 2
1942 CLE C 66 0 227 32 6 7
1946 CLE C 87 0 486 47 5 11
1947 CLE C 133 0 566 54 7 14
1948 CLE C 142 0 637 76 7 17
1949 CLE C 152 0 651 73 7 16
1950 CLE C 129 0 656 64 5 14
1951 CLE C 129 0 597 66 6 8
1952 CLE C 107 0 498 53 7 7
1953 CLE C 106 0 399 42 11 3
1954 CLE C 137 121 661 49 4 9
1955 CLE C 111 91 583 34 2 12
1956 CLE C 118 97 648 28 10 2
1957 CLE C 58 48 287 14 0 4
1958 DET C 45 43 211 19 1 4
1958 PHI C 25 18 104 8 1 1
1959 PHI C 25 18 84 11 1 2
1959 SFN C 21 9 72 6 2 1
1960 CHN C 22 12 76 9 2 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jim Hegan Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 1628

Award Voting History

Jim Hegan — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1954 Most Valuable Player AL 22th 5.0 336 0
1948 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 10.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Jim Hegan (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Johnny Edwards
    .242 avg, 81 HR
  2. 84
    Rick Dempsey
    .233 avg, 96 HR
  3. 83
    Del Rice
    .237 avg, 79 HR
  4. 82
    Steve Yeager
    .228 avg, 102 HR
  5. 79
    Mike Matheny
    .239 avg, 67 HR
  6. 78
    Rick Cerone
    .245 avg, 59 HR

Jim Hegan: the record in brief

Jim Hegan played a first major league game on September 9, 1941 and a last one on July 4, 1960. By club, Hegan's seasons break down as the Cleveland Indians (1941 through 1957), the Detroit Tigers (1958), the Philadelphia Phillies (1958 to 1959), the San Francisco Giants (1959), and the Chicago Cubs (1960). Listed as a catcher, Hegan batted and threw right-handed. Hegan is listed at 6 feet, 2 inches and 195 pounds. The birth record reads August 3, 1920, in Lynn, MA, USA. The bio records the death on June 17, 1984, in Lynn, MA, USA. Jim Hegan was the playing name; the full given name is James Edward.

Hegan collected 1,087 hits in 4,772 at bats across 1,666 games, good for a .228 batting average; the totals also include 92 home runs and 525 RBI. Reaching base at a .295 clip and slugging .344, Hegan finished with a .639 OPS. Set against a .259 league average for the same years, Hegan's .228 average sits 12.2% below it. 1948 was Hegan's biggest home run year, with 14. Hegan collected a career-high 117 hits in 1948.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jim Hegan

What years did Jim Hegan play?
Jim Hegan played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1960.
Was Jim Hegan a pitcher?
No. Jim Hegan was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Jim Hegan hit?
Jim Hegan hit 92 career home runs with 1,087 hits.
What teams did Jim Hegan play for?
Jim Hegan played for 5 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1941–1942, 1946–1957), the Detroit Tigers (1958), the Philadelphia Phillies (1958–1959), the San Francisco Giants (1959), and the Chicago Cubs (1960).
Did Jim Hegan win an MVP award?
No. Jim Hegan did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Jim Hegan win?
Jim Hegan was selected to 5 All-Star Games.
What were Jim Hegan's career stats?
In 1,666 games, Jim Hegan had 1,087 hits, 92 home runs, 525 RBI, 550 runs, and 15 stolen bases, with a .228 batting average.
What position did Jim Hegan play?
Jim Hegan played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jim Hegan and how much did he weigh?
Jim Hegan was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 195 pounds.
How many home runs did Jim Hegan hit each season?
Jim Hegan's home runs by season: 1 in 1941, 0 in 1942, 0 in 1946, 4 in 1947, 14 in 1948, 8 in 1949, 14 in 1950, 6 in 1951, 4 in 1952, 9 in 1953, 11 in 1954, 9 in 1955, 6 in 1956, 4 in 1957, 1 in 1958, 0 in 1959, and 1 in 1960. His most in one season was 14, in 1948 and 1950.
What was Jim Hegan's career batting average?
Jim Hegan batted .228 over his career, with 1,087 hits in 4,772 at bats.
How many RBI did Jim Hegan have?
Jim Hegan drove in 525 runs in his career.
Is Jim Hegan in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jim Hegan has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Jim Hegan make?
Jim Hegan was selected to 5 All-Star Games.