Danny Litwhiler
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1940-1951)
Danny Litwhiler was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1951 for 4 teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,057 career games, he hit .281 with 982 hits, 107 home runs, and 451 RBI. Danny Litwhiler was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 7,010.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 198 lb
- Died
- 9/23/2011 in Clearwater, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1940-04-25
- Last Game
- 1951-09-25
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Daniel Webster Litwhiler
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,057 | 3,494 | 428 | 982 | 162 | 32 | 107 | 451 | 11 | 299 | 377 | .281 | .342 | .438 | .780 | 7,010 |
Career AVG .281 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +7.7% above league average.
Career OBP .342 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .438 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — +17.7% above league average.
Career OPS .780 vs. league average .705 across their career seasons — +10.6% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | PHI | NL | 36 | 142 | 10 | 49 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 13 | .345 | .267 (+29%) | .335 (+8%) | .387 (+27%) | .722 (+18%) | 401.9 |
| 1941 | PHI | NL | 151 | 590 | 72 | 180 | 29 | 6 | 18 | 66 | 1 | 39 | 43 | .305 | .262 (+16%) | .332 (+5%) | .373 (+25%) | .705 (+16%) | 1682.7 |
| 1942 | PHI | NL | 151 | 591 | 59 | 160 | 25 | 9 | 9 | 56 | 2 | 27 | 42 | .271 | .253 (+7%) | .323 (-4%) | .349 (+11%) | .672 (+4%) | 219.2 |
| 1943 | PHI | NL | 36 | 139 | 23 | 36 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 11 | 14 | .259 | .255 (+1%) | .324 (-4%) | .346 (+18%) | .671 (+8%) | 140.5 |
| 1943 | SLN | NL | 80 | 258 | 40 | 72 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 31 | 1 | 19 | 31 | .279 | .255 (+9%) | .324 (+3%) | .346 (+26%) | .671 (+15%) | 140.5 |
| 1944 | SLN | NL | 140 | 492 | 53 | 130 | 25 | 5 | 15 | 82 | 2 | 37 | 56 | .264 | .261 (+1%) | .325 (+1%) | .357 (+19%) | .683 (+10%) | 912.0 |
| 1946 | SLN | NL | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | BSN | NL | 79 | 247 | 29 | 72 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 38 | 1 | 19 | 23 | .291 | .256 (+13%) | .328 (+5%) | .358 (+26%) | .687 (+16%) | 0.0 |
| 1947 | BSN | NL | 91 | 226 | 38 | 59 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 31 | 1 | 25 | 43 | .261 | .262 (-1%) | .336 (avg) | .376 (+5%) | .712 (+3%) | 113.1 |
| 1948 | BSN | NL | 13 | 33 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | .273 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1948 | CIN | NL | 106 | 338 | 51 | 93 | 19 | 2 | 14 | 44 | 1 | 48 | 41 | .275 | .263 (+4%) | .340 (+7%) | .379 (+23%) | .719 (+16%) | 0.0 |
| 1949 | CIN | NL | 102 | 292 | 35 | 85 | 18 | 1 | 11 | 48 | 0 | 44 | 42 | .291 | .262 (+11%) | .343 (+12%) | .384 (+23%) | .727 (+18%) | 1031.0 |
| 1950 | CIN | NL | 54 | 112 | 15 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 20 | 21 | .259 | .265 (-3%) | .346 (+7%) | .401 (+13%) | .747 (+11%) | 244.8 |
| 1951 | CIN | NL | 12 | 29 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .276 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 1,057 | 3,494 | 428 | 982 | 162 | 32 | 107 | 451 | 11 | 299 | 377 | .281 | — | — | — | — | 4,886 | ||
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 (1057 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 550 | 1809 | 213 | 518 | 49 | 239 | .286 |
| Away | 507 | 1685 | 215 | 464 | 58 | 214 | .275 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-09-25 | CIN | STL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1951-09-23 | CIN | PIT | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-09-18 | CIN | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-09-15 | CIN | PHI | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-09-08 | CIN | CHC | W | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-08-27 | CIN | PHI | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1951-08-24 | CIN | BSN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1951-08-24 | CIN | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1951-08-19 | CIN | STL | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1951-08-17 | CIN | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | 20 | 0 | 15 | 42 | 2 | 2 |
| OF | 915 | 0 | 1927 | 57 | 37 | 9 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | PHI | OF | 34 | 0 | 68 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1941 | PHI | OF | 150 | 0 | 393 | 12 | 15 | 3 |
| 1942 | PHI | OF | 151 | 0 | 308 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943 | PHI | OF | 34 | 0 | 86 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 1943 | SLN | OF | 70 | 0 | 139 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 1944 | SLN | OF | 136 | 0 | 294 | 6 | 8 | 1 |
| 1946 | BSN | 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | BSN | OF | 65 | 0 | 128 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1947 | BSN | OF | 66 | 0 | 119 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1948 | BSN | OF | 8 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948 | CIN | 3B | 15 | 0 | 11 | 34 | 1 | 1 |
| 1948 | CIN | OF | 83 | 0 | 165 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1949 | CIN | 3B | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 1949 | CIN | OF | 82 | 0 | 143 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 1950 | CIN | OF | 29 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1951 | CIN | OF | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Third Base | 20 |
| Left Field | 698 |
| Center Field | 3 |
| Right Field | 219 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania | Bloomsburg | PA | 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 34th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Danny Litwhiler (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Danny Litwhiler: the record in brief
Danny Litwhiler's major league career runs from a debut on April 25, 1940 to a final game on September 25, 1951. Club by club, the record runs the Philadelphia Phillies (1940 through 1942), the Philadelphia Blue Jays (1943), the St. Louis Cardinals (1943 through 1946), the Boston Braves (1946 through 1948), and the Cincinnati Reds (1948 through 1951). Litwhiler, an outfielder by primary position, batted and threw right-handed. Litwhiler is listed at 198 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. Litwhiler was born on August 31, 1916, in Ringtown, PA, USA. The bio records the death on September 23, 2011, in Clearwater, FL, USA. Danny Litwhiler was the playing name; the full given name is Daniel Webster.
In 1,057 games and 3,494 at bats, Litwhiler batted .281 with 982 hits; the totals also include 107 homers and 451 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .342 and .438 give Litwhiler a career OPS of .780. Set against a .261 league average for the same years, Litwhiler's .281 average sits 7.7% above it.
Frequently Asked Questions about Danny Litwhiler
- What years did Danny Litwhiler play?
- Danny Litwhiler played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1951.
- Was Danny Litwhiler a pitcher?
- No. Danny Litwhiler was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Danny Litwhiler hit?
- Danny Litwhiler hit 107 career home runs with 982 hits.
- What teams did Danny Litwhiler play for?
- Danny Litwhiler played for 4 teams: the Philadelphia Blue Jays (1940–1943), the St. Louis Cardinals (1943–1944, 1946), the Boston Braves (1946–1948), and the Cincinnati Reds (1948–1951).
- Did Danny Litwhiler win an MVP award?
- No. Danny Litwhiler did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Danny Litwhiler win?
- Danny Litwhiler was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Danny Litwhiler's career stats?
- In 1,057 games, Danny Litwhiler had 982 hits, 107 home runs, 451 RBI, 428 runs, and 11 stolen bases, with a .281 batting average.
- What position did Danny Litwhiler play?
- Danny Litwhiler played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Danny Litwhiler and how much did he weigh?
- Danny Litwhiler was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 198 pounds.
- How many home runs did Danny Litwhiler hit each season?
- Danny Litwhiler's home runs by season: 5 in 1940, 18 in 1941, 9 in 1942, 12 in 1943, 15 in 1944, 8 in 1946, 7 in 1947, 14 in 1948, 11 in 1949, 6 in 1950, and 2 in 1951. His most in one season was 18, in 1941.
- What was Danny Litwhiler's career batting average?
- Danny Litwhiler batted .281 over his career, with 982 hits in 3,494 at bats.
- How many RBI did Danny Litwhiler have?
- Danny Litwhiler drove in 451 runs in his career.
- Is Danny Litwhiler in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Danny Litwhiler has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Danny Litwhiler make?
- Danny Litwhiler was selected to 1 All-Star Game.