What years did Willard Hershberger play?

Willard Hershberger played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1940.

Was Willard Hershberger a pitcher?

No. Willard Hershberger was a position player (Catcher).

How many home runs did Willard Hershberger hit?

Willard Hershberger hit 0 career home runs with 127 hits.

What was Willard Hershberger's career batting average?

Willard Hershberger batted .316 over his career, with 127 hits in 402 at bats.

How many RBI did Willard Hershberger have?

Willard Hershberger drove in 70 runs in his career.

Is Willard Hershberger in the Hall of Fame?

No. Willard Hershberger has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Willard Hershberger

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1938-1940)

Willard Hershberger was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1940 for the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 3 seasons. In 160 career games, he hit .316 with 127 hits and 70 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 77.

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 September 9, 2026

AVG .316

HR 0

RBI 70

H 127

OPS .737

PIV 77

Position: Catcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 5'10" / 167 lb
Born: 5/28/1910 in Lemoncove, CA, USA
Died: 8/3/1940 in Boston, MA, USA
MLB Debut: 1938-04-19
Last Game: 1940-08-02

Full name: Willard McKee Hershberger

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Career Batting Statistics

Willard Hershberger — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
160	402	41	127	16	5	0	70	2	20	16	.316	.356	.381	.737	77

Career AVG .316 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — +16.4% above league average.

Career OBP .356 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .381 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .737 vs. league average .731 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Willard Hershberger — Season-by-Season Batting
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1938	CIN	NL	49	105	12	29	3	1	12	1	5	6	.276	.272 (+1%)	.341 (-8%)	.392 (-18%)	.734 (-13%)	-221.6
1939	CIN	NL	63	174	23	60	9	2	32	1	9	4	.345	.274 (+26%)	.342 (+12%)	.393 (+7%)	.735 (+9%)	291.8
1940	CIN	NL	48	123	6	38	4	2	26	0	6	6	.309	.267 (+16%)	.335 (+5%)	.387 (-4%)	.722 (avg)	6.4
Career · 3 seasons			160	402	41	127	16	5	70	2	20	16	.316	—	—	—	—	77

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

Willard Hershberger — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
3	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	.500

Playoff Batting by Year

Willard Hershberger — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1939	WS	CIN	3	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	.500

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (160 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Willard Hershberger — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	80	183	17	60	0	32	.328
Away	80	219	24	67	0	38	.306

Last 10 Games — Batting

Willard Hershberger — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO
1940-08-02	CIN	BSN	L	5	0	0	0	0	1	1
1940-07-31	CIN	NY1	L	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
1940-07-30	CIN	NY1	W	4	0	3	0	1	0	0
1940-07-29	CIN	NY1	L	4	0	0	0	0	0	1
1940-07-28	CIN	PHI	L	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
1940-07-27	CIN	PHI	L	4	0	0	0	1	0	0
1940-07-26	CIN	PHI	W	5	0	1	0	2	0	0
1940-07-24	CIN	BRO	W	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
1940-07-23	CIN	BRO	W	5	1	4	1	2	0	0
1940-07-23	CIN	BRO	W	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Willard Hershberger — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2B	1	0	0	0	1	0
C	136	0	433	45	10	4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Willard Hershberger — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1938	CIN	2B	1	0	0	1	0
1938	CIN	C	39	108	13	5	2
1939	CIN	C	60	204	21	3	2
1940	CIN	C	37	121	11	2	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Willard Hershberger — Career Games by Position
Position	Games
Catcher	136
Second Base	1

Frequently Asked Questions about Willard Hershberger

What years did Willard Hershberger play?: Willard Hershberger played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1940.
Was Willard Hershberger a pitcher?: No. Willard Hershberger was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Willard Hershberger hit?: Willard Hershberger hit 0 career home runs with 127 hits.
What was Willard Hershberger's career batting average?: Willard Hershberger batted .316 over his career, with 127 hits in 402 at bats.
How many RBI did Willard Hershberger have?: Willard Hershberger drove in 70 runs in his career.
Is Willard Hershberger in the Hall of Fame?: No. Willard Hershberger has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.