Butch Henline

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1921-1931)

Butch Henline was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1921 to 1931 for 4 teams, including the New York Giants, a span of 11 seasons. In 740 career games, he hit .291 with 611 hits, 40 home runs, and 268 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,702.

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 .291
HR 40
RBI 268
H 611
OPS .774
PIV 2,702
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 175 lb
Born
12/20/1894 in Fort Wayne, IN, USA
Died
10/9/1957 in Sarasota, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1921-04-13
Last Game
1931-07-18

Full name: Walter John Henline

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Career Batting Statistics

Butch Henline — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
740 2,101 258 611 96 21 40 268 18 192 156 .291 .361 .414 .774 2,702

Career AVG .291 vs. league average .285 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .361 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .414 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .774 vs. league average .746 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Butch Henline 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
1921 NY1 NL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1921 PHI NL 33 111 8 34 2 0 0 8 1 2 6 .306 .286 (+7%) .344 (-8%) .395 (-18%) .739 (-13%) 0.0
1922 PHI NL 125 430 57 136 20 4 14 64 2 36 33 .316 .285 (+11%) .345 (+10%) .397 (+21%) .743 (+16%) 1390.7
1923 PHI NL 111 330 45 107 14 3 7 46 7 37 33 .324 .282 (+15%) .344 (+18%) .390 (+15%) .734 (+16%) 1225.4
1924 PHI NL 115 289 41 82 18 4 5 35 1 27 15 .284 .283 (avg) .345 (+5%) .389 (+9%) .734 (+7%) 429.7
1925 PHI NL 93 263 43 80 12 5 8 48 3 24 16 .304 .288 (+6%) .349 (+9%) .407 (+18%) .756 (+13%) 722.0
1926 PHI NL 99 283 32 80 14 1 2 30 1 21 18 .283 .279 (+1%) .345 (-2%) .390 (-8%) .735 (-5%) -212.9
1927 BRO NL 67 177 12 47 10 3 1 18 1 17 10 .266 .282 (-6%) .344 (-2%) .392 (-5%) .736 (-4%) -105.6
1928 BRO NL 55 132 12 28 3 1 2 8 2 17 8 .212 .280 (-24%) .342 (-12%) .395 (-25%) .737 (-19%) -386.5
1929 BRO NL 27 62 5 15 2 0 1 7 0 9 9 .242 .289 (-16%) .353 (-4%) .415 (-22%) .769 (-14%) -128.6
1930 CHA AL 3 8 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 .125 — — — — 0.0
1931 CHA AL 11 15 2 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 4 .067 — — — — 0.0
Career · 12 seasons 740 2,101 258 611 96 21 40 268 18 192 156 .291 — — — — 2,934

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 (741 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Butch Henline — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home370102015131730159.311
Away371108010829410106.272

Last 10 Games — Batting

Butch Henline — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1931-07-18 CHWPHAL 100000000
1931-06-27 CHWMINL 100000000
1931-06-21 CHWPHAL 100000001
1931-06-13 CHWNYYL 200000001
1931-06-08 CHWMINL 100000000
1931-06-07 CHWMINL 111100000
1931-05-14 CHWPHAL 100000001
1931-05-09 CHWNYYL 100000100
1931-05-03 CHWSLAL 010000010
1931-04-26 CHWDETL 200000111

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Butch Henline — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 4 0 26 2 1 3
C 608 0 1928 494 72 67
OF 6 0 7 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Butch Henline — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1921 PHI C 32 0 113 44 2 5
1922 PHI C 119 0 400 113 9 13
1923 PHI C 96 0 288 71 8 8
1923 PHI OF 1 0 3 0 0 0
1924 PHI C 83 0 248 76 9 12
1924 PHI OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1925 PHI C 68 0 209 53 12 9
1925 PHI OF 1 0 2 0 0 0
1926 PHI 1B 4 0 26 2 1 3
1926 PHI C 77 0 217 46 8 9
1926 PHI OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1927 BRO C 60 0 216 50 15 6
1928 BRO C 45 0 141 22 4 3
1929 BRO C 21 0 72 15 3 2
1930 CHA C 3 0 10 2 0 0
1931 CHA C 4 0 14 2 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Butch Henline Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 605
First Base 4
Left Field 6
Center 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

Butch Henline (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Don Padgett
    .288 avg, 37 HR
  2. 97
    Mitchell Murray
    .301 avg, 30 HR
  3. 97
    Earl Smith
    .303 avg, 46 HR
  4. 95
    Pinky Hargrave
    .278 avg, 39 HR
  5. 89
    Tom Young
    .296 avg, 13 HR
  6. 89
    Billy Sullivan
    .289 avg, 29 HR

Butch Henline: the record in brief

According to the bio, Butch Henline debuted on April 13, 1921 and played a final game on July 18, 1931. By club, Henline's seasons break down as the New York Giants (1921), the Philadelphia Phillies (1921 to 1926), the Brooklyn Robins (1927 to 1929), and the Chicago White Sox (1930 through 1931). Henline, born on December 20, 1894, in Fort Wayne, IN, USA, is listed as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Henline's listed size is 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds. Henline died on October 9, 1957, in Sarasota, FL, USA. The given name on file is Walter John Henline.

In 740 games and 2,101 at bats, Henline batted .291 with 611 hits, adding 40 homers and 268 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .361 clip and slugging .414, Henline finished with a .774 OPS. Henline hit .291 while the league hit .285 over the same span, a figure close to average. No season beat the 14 home runs Henline hit in 1922. The highest hit total in a season was 136, in 1922.

Frequently Asked Questions about Butch Henline

What years did Butch Henline play?
Butch Henline played in Major League Baseball from 1921 to 1931.
Was Butch Henline a pitcher?
No. Butch Henline was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Butch Henline hit?
Butch Henline hit 40 career home runs with 611 hits.
What teams did Butch Henline play for?
Butch Henline played for 4 teams: the New York Giants (1921), the Philadelphia Phillies (1921–1926), the Brooklyn Robins (1927–1929), and the Chicago White Sox (1930–1931).
What were Butch Henline's career stats?
In 740 games, Butch Henline had 611 hits, 40 home runs, 268 RBI, 258 runs, and 18 stolen bases, with a .291 batting average.
What position did Butch Henline play?
Butch Henline played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Butch Henline and how much did he weigh?
Butch Henline was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 175 pounds.
How many home runs did Butch Henline hit each season?
Butch Henline's home runs by season: 0 in 1921, 14 in 1922, 7 in 1923, 5 in 1924, 8 in 1925, 2 in 1926, 1 in 1927, 2 in 1928, 1 in 1929, 0 in 1930, and 0 in 1931. His most in one season was 14, in 1922.
What was Butch Henline's career batting average?
Butch Henline batted .291 over his career, with 611 hits in 2,101 at bats.
How many RBI did Butch Henline have?
Butch Henline drove in 268 runs in his career.
Is Butch Henline in the Hall of Fame?
No. Butch Henline has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.