Hank Helf
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1938-1946)
Hank Helf was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1946 for the Cleveland Guardians and the St. Louis Browns, a span of 9 seasons. In 78 career games, he hit .184 with 36 hits, 6 home runs, and 22 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 196 lb
- Died
- 10/27/1984 in Austin, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1938-05-05
- Last Game
- 1946-09-29
Full name: Henry Hartz Helf
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78 | 196 | 18 | 36 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 0 | 10 | 41 | .184 | .227 | .332 | .559 | -487 |
Career AVG .184 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 30.9% below league average.
Career OBP .227 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 32.3% below league average.
Career SLG .332 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — 12.7% below league average.
Career OPS .559 vs. league average .715 across their career seasons — 21.9% below 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 | CLE | AL | 6 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .077 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | CLE | AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | SLA | AL | 71 | 182 | 17 | 35 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 21 | 0 | 9 | 40 | .192 | .256 (-25%) | .328 (-29%) | .358 (-2%) | .687 (-15%) | -486.6 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 78 | 196 | 18 | 36 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 0 | 10 | 41 | .184 | — | — | — | — | -487 | ||
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 (78 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 42 | 108 | 11 | 21 | 4 | 14 | .194 |
| Away | 36 | 88 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 8 | .170 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-09-29 | SLA | CHW | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946-09-27 | SLA | CHW | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-25 | SLA | DET | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-24 | SLA | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-24 | SLA | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1946-09-22 | SLA | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1946-09-18 | SLA | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-15 | SLA | NYY | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1946-09-14 | SLA | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-13 | SLA | MIN | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 75 |
Hank Helf: the record in brief
The profile opens with Hank Helf's first major league game on May 5, 1938; the last one listed came on September 29, 1946. Club by club, the record runs the Cleveland Indians (1938 to 1940) and the St. Louis Browns (1946). Born on August 26, 1913, in Austin, TX, USA, Helf is listed as a catcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds. The bio records the death on October 27, 1984, in Austin, TX, USA. Hank Helf was the playing name; the full given name is Henry Hartz.
Helf collected 36 hits in 196 at bats across 78 games, good for a .184 batting average; the totals also include 6 homers and 22 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .227 and .332 give Helf a career OPS of .559. The league as a whole hit .266 across Helf's seasons, which puts the .184 career mark 30.9% below average. By OPS the gap is 21.9% below league average (.559 against .715). The highest hit total in a season was 35, in 1946.
Frequently Asked Questions about Hank Helf
- What years did Hank Helf play?
- Hank Helf played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1946.
- Was Hank Helf a pitcher?
- No. Hank Helf was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Hank Helf hit?
- Hank Helf hit 6 career home runs with 36 hits.
- What was Hank Helf's career batting average?
- Hank Helf batted .184 over his career, with 36 hits in 196 at bats.
- How many RBI did Hank Helf have?
- Hank Helf drove in 22 runs in his career.
- Is Hank Helf in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Hank Helf has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.