Johnny Niggeling
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1938-1946)
Johnny Niggeling was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1946 for 4 teams, including the Boston Braves, a span of 9 seasons. Across 184 career appearances, he went 64-69 with a 3.22 ERA and 620 strikeouts. He also batted .140 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 1684.2.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 170 lb
- Died
- 9/16/1963 in Le Mars, IA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1938-04-30
- Last Game
- 1946-09-01
Full name: John Arnold Niggeling
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | BSN | NL | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | CIN | NL | 2 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 40.1 | 51 | 26 | 13 | 20 | 5.80 | 4.28 (-35%) | 454.6 |
| 1940 | SLA | AL | 7 | 11 | 28 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 153.2 | 148 | 76 | 69 | 82 | 4.45 | 4.21 (-6%) | 282.1 |
| 1941 | SLA | AL | 7 | 9 | 24 | 20 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 168.1 | 168 | 71 | 63 | 68 | 3.80 | 3.94 (+4%) | -2163.5 |
| 1942 | SLA | AL | 15 | 11 | 28 | 27 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 206.1 | 173 | 61 | 93 | 107 | 2.66 | 3.57 (+25%) | -585.5 |
| 1943 | SLA | AL | 6 | 8 | 20 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 150.1 | 122 | 53 | 57 | 73 | 3.17 | 3.50 (+9%) | -149.9 |
| 1943 | WS1 | AL | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 51.0 | 27 | 5 | 17 | 24 | 0.88 | 3.50 (+75%) | 1021.8 |
| 1944 | WS1 | AL | 10 | 8 | 24 | 24 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 206.0 | 164 | 53 | 88 | 121 | 2.32 | 3.57 (+35%) | 2237.1 |
| 1945 | WS1 | AL | 7 | 12 | 26 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 176.2 | 161 | 62 | 73 | 90 | 3.16 | 3.67 (+14%) | 747.1 |
| 1946 | WS1 | AL | 3 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 38.0 | 39 | 17 | 21 | 10 | 4.03 | 3.59 (-12%) | -520.7 |
| 1946 | BSN | NL | 2 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 58.0 | 54 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 3.26 | 3.59 (+9%) | 361.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 64 | 69 | 184 | 161 | 81 | 12 | 0 | 1,250.2 | 1,111 | 447 | 516 | 620 | 3.22 | — | 1,684 | ||
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.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 184 | 420 | 16 | 59 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 20 | 100 | .140 | .181 | .155 | .336 | -2,966 |
Career AVG .140 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 46.5% below league average.
Career OBP .181 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 45.3% below league average.
Career SLG .155 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 58.0% below league average.
Career OPS .336 vs. league average .700 across their career seasons — 52.0% 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 | BSN | NL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | CIN | NL | 10 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .154 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | SLA | AL | 28 | 51 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | .176 | .267 (-34%) | .335 (-38%) | .387 (-49%) | .722 (-44%) | -360.6 |
| 1941 | SLA | AL | 24 | 60 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 16 | .167 | .262 (-36%) | .332 (-38%) | .373 (-55%) | .705 (-47%) | -439.3 |
| 1942 | SLA | AL | 28 | 72 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 15 | .139 | .253 (-45%) | .323 (-43%) | .349 (-60%) | .672 (-52%) | -557.5 |
| 1943 | SLA | AL | 20 | 49 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 11 | .061 | — | — | — | — | -541.1 |
| 1943 | WS1 | AL | 6 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .278 | — | — | — | — | -541.1 |
| 1944 | WS1 | AL | 24 | 69 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 17 | .130 | .261 (-50%) | .325 (-45%) | .357 (-55%) | .683 (-51%) | -537.1 |
| 1945 | WS1 | AL | 26 | 59 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | .119 | .260 (-55%) | .328 (-55%) | .354 (-62%) | .683 (-59%) | -530.9 |
| 1946 | WS1 | AL | 8 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | BSN | NL | 8 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 184 | 420 | 16 | 59 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 20 | 100 | .140 | — | — | — | — | -3,508 | ||
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 (368 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 93 | 205 | 8 | 29 | 0 | 9 | .141 |
| Away | 91 | 215 | 8 | 30 | 0 | 8 | .140 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 93 | 655.0 | 556 | 226 | 255 | 342 | 3.11 |
| Away | 91 | 595.2 | 555 | 222 | 260 | 278 | 3.35 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-09-01 | BSN | PHI | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-08-26 | BSN | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946-08-20 | BSN | STL | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946-08-04 | BSN | CHC | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1946-07-28 | BSN | STL | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-07-21 | BSN | STL | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946-07-15 | BSN | PIT | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946-07-06 | BSN | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-06-22 | MIN | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946-06-08 | MIN | CHW | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-09-01 | BSN | PHI | W | 9.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1946-08-26 | BSN | PIT | L | 8.1 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 1946-08-20 | BSN | STL | L | 7.0 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 1946-08-04 | BSN | CHC | — | 7.0 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1946-07-28 | BSN | STL | L | 8.0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1946-07-21 | BSN | STL | L | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 1946-07-15 | BSN | PIT | W | 9.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 1946-07-06 | BSN | BRO | L | 2.2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1946-06-22 | MIN | SLA | — | 0.2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-06-08 | MIN | CHW | — | 5.2 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | BSN | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | CIN | P | 10 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 1940 | SLA | P | 28 | 0 | 9 | 22 | 2 | 5 |
| 1941 | SLA | P | 24 | 0 | 9 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942 | SLA | P | 28 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943 | SLA | P | 20 | 0 | 10 | 25 | 0 | 4 |
| 1943 | WS1 | P | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 1944 | WS1 | P | 24 | 0 | 7 | 29 | 0 | 2 |
| 1945 | WS1 | P | 26 | 0 | 6 | 25 | 2 | 2 |
| 1946 | WS1 | P | 8 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 1946 | BSN | P | 8 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 184 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Johnny Niggeling (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Johnny Niggeling: the record in brief
According to the bio, Johnny Niggeling debuted on April 30, 1938 and played a final game on September 1, 1946. The team column moves through the Boston Bees (1938), the Cincinnati Reds (1939), the St. Louis Browns (1940 to 1943), the Washington Senators (1943 through 1946), and the Boston Braves (1946). Niggeling, born on July 10, 1903, in Remsen, IA, USA, is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Niggeling's listed size is 6 feet, 0 inches and 170 pounds. The bio records the death on September 16, 1963, in Le Mars, IA, USA. Johnny Niggeling was the playing name; the full given name is John Arnold.
Niggeling went 64-69 with a 3.22 ERA in 184 games, 161 of them starts. The totals include 620 strikeouts, 81 complete games, and 12 shutouts. That 3.22 ERA compares with a 3.85 league average across the same seasons, 16.5% better. The best win total was 15, in 1942. 1944 produced Niggeling's most strikeouts, 121.
Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Niggeling
- What years did Johnny Niggeling play?
- Johnny Niggeling played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1946.
- Was Johnny Niggeling a pitcher?
- Yes. Johnny Niggeling pitched in the major leagues, recording 64 wins and 620 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Johnny Niggeling hit?
- Johnny Niggeling hit 0 career home runs with 59 hits.
- What teams did Johnny Niggeling play for?
- Johnny Niggeling played for 4 teams: the Boston Braves (1938, 1946), the Cincinnati Reds (1939), the St. Louis Browns (1940–1943), and the Washington Senators (1943–1946).
- What were Johnny Niggeling's career stats?
- In 184 games, Johnny Niggeling went 64-69 with a 3.22 ERA, 620 strikeouts, and 1,250.2 innings pitched. At the plate he had 59 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Johnny Niggeling play?
- Johnny Niggeling played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Johnny Niggeling and how much did he weigh?
- Johnny Niggeling was listed at 6 feet and 170 pounds.
- What was Johnny Niggeling's career ERA?
- Johnny Niggeling finished with a 3.22 career ERA, going 64-69 with 620 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Johnny Niggeling have?
- Johnny Niggeling recorded 620 career strikeouts.
- Is Johnny Niggeling in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Johnny Niggeling has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.