What years did Fred Sanford play?

Fred Sanford played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1951.

Was Fred Sanford a pitcher?

Yes. Fred Sanford pitched in the major leagues, recording 37 wins and 285 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Fred Sanford hit?

Fred Sanford hit 1 career home run with 39 hits.

What teams did Fred Sanford play for?

Fred Sanford played for 3 teams: the St. Louis Browns (1943, 1946–1948, 1951), the New York Yankees (1949–1951), and the Washington Senators (1951).

What were Fred Sanford's career stats?

In 164 games, Fred Sanford went 37-55 with a 4.45 ERA, 285 strikeouts, 744.0 innings pitched, and 6 saves. At the plate he had 39 hits and 1 home runs.

What position did Fred Sanford play?

Fred Sanford played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Fred Sanford and how much did he weigh?

Fred Sanford was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds.

What was Fred Sanford's career ERA?

Fred Sanford finished with a 4.45 career ERA, going 37-55 with 285 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Fred Sanford have?

Fred Sanford recorded 285 career strikeouts.

Is Fred Sanford in the Hall of Fame?

No. Fred Sanford has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fred Sanford

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1943-1951)

Fred Sanford was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1951 for the St. Louis Browns, the New York Yankees, and the Washington Senators, a span of 9 seasons. Across 164 career appearances, he went 37-55 with a 4.45 ERA and 285 strikeouts. He also batted .170 with 1 home runs.

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 October 17, 2026

W–L 37–55

ERA 4.45

WHIP 1.56

SO 285

Pitcher PIV -10443.5

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: B / R
Height / Weight: 6'1" / 200 lb
Born: 8/9/1919 in Garfield, UT, USA
Died: 3/15/2011 in Salt Lake City, UT, USA
MLB Debut: 1943-05-05
Last Game: 1951-09-14

Full name: John Frederick Sanford

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Fred Sanford — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
37	55	164	98	26	3	6	744.0	768	368	67	391	285	4.45	-10443.5

Career ERA 4.45 vs. league average 3.94 across their career seasons — 13.1% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Fred Sanford Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1943	SLA	AL	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	9.1	7	2	4	2	1.93	3.50 (+45%)	0.0
1946	SLA	AL	2	1	3	3	2	2	0	22.0	19	5	9	8	2.05	3.59 (+43%)	278.8
1947	SLA	AL	7	16	34	23	9	0	4	186.2	186	77	76	62	3.71	3.97 (+7%)	-2172.2
1948	SLA	AL	12	21	42	33	9	1	2	227.0	250	117	91	79	4.64	4.10 (-13%)	-1654.0
1949	NYA	AL	7	3	29	11	3	0	0	95.1	100	41	57	51	3.87	4.12 (+6%)	-820.2
1950	NYA	AL	5	4	26	12	2	0	0	112.2	103	57	79	54	4.55	4.36 (-4%)	-1226.2
1951	NYA	AL	0	3	11	2	0	0	0	26.2	15	11	25	10	3.71	4.04 (+8%)	-984.6
1951	WS1	AL	2	3	7	7	0	0	0	37.0	51	27	27	12	6.57	4.04 (-63%)	-1606.5
1951	SLA	AL	2	4	9	7	1	0	0	27.1	37	31	23	7	10.21	4.04 (-153%)	-2258.6
Career · 9 seasons			37	55	164	98	26	3	6	744.0	768	368	391	285	4.45	—	-10,443

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

Fred Sanford — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
165	229	22	39	9	0	1	10	0	12	67	.170	.212	.223	.434	-803

Career AVG .170 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 34.8% below league average.

Career OBP .212 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 37.1% below league average.

Career SLG .223 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 40.6% below league average.

Career OPS .434 vs. league average .711 across their career seasons — 38.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Fred Sanford Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1943	SLA	AL	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1946	SLA	AL	3	7	0	2	1	0	1	1	0	.286	—	—	—	—	0.0
1947	SLA	AL	34	54	5	11	2	0	1	1	23	.204	.262 (-22%)	.336 (-35%)	.376 (-36%)	.712 (-36%)	-313.4
1948	SLA	AL	43	73	9	11	3	1	4	4	17	.151	.263 (-43%)	.340 (-43%)	.379 (-39%)	.719 (-41%)	-489.9
1949	NYA	AL	29	34	1	4	0	0	1	1	9	.118	—	—	—	—	0.0
1950	NYA	AL	26	35	4	8	2	0	3	1	6	.229	—	—	—	—	0.0
1951	NYA	AL	11	5	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1951	WS1	AL	7	14	2	1	1	0	0	1	8	.071	—	—	—	—	0.0
1951	SLA	AL	9	7	1	2	0	0	0	2	3	.286	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 9 seasons			165	229	22	39	9	1	10	12	67	.170	—	—	—	—	-803

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 (329 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Fred Sanford — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	82	99	12	18	0	6	.182
Away	83	130	10	21	1	4	.162

Pitching — Home / Away

Fred Sanford — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	82	352.0	348	178	191	162	4.55
Away	82	392.0	420	193	200	124	4.43

Last 10 Games — Batting

Fred Sanford — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	BB	SO
1951-09-14	SLA	BOS	L	0	0	0	0	0
1951-09-08	SLA	CLE	L	0	0	0	0	0
1951-09-03	SLA	DET	W	3	0	0	0	2
1951-08-26	SLA	MIN	L	0	0	0	0	0
1951-08-25	SLA	PHA	L	0	0	0	0	0
1951-08-23	SLA	BOS	L	0	0	0	0	0
1951-08-18	SLA	DET	W	1	0	1	0	0
1951-08-09	SLA	DET	W	1	1	0	2	0
1951-08-02	SLA	BOS	L	2	0	1	0	1
1951-07-22	MIN	CHW	W	3	1	0	1	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Fred Sanford — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1951-09-14	SLA	BOS	L	0.1	4	5	5	1	0	1
1951-09-08	SLA	CLE	L	1.0	4	5	4	1	0	0
1951-09-03	SLA	DET	W	9.0	5	2	1	4	1	1
1951-08-26	SLA	MIN	—	2.0	1	0	0	1	0	0
1951-08-25	SLA	PHA	—	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0
1951-08-23	SLA	BOS	L	0.1	2	5	5	3	1	0
1951-08-18	SLA	DET	—	3.2	7	6	6	4	3	2
1951-08-09	SLA	DET	W	6.0	4	3	3	3	1	2
1951-08-02	SLA	BOS	L	4.0	9	7	7	6	1	0
1951-07-22	MIN	CHW	W	7.0	11	5	5	4	2	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Fred Sanford — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	164	0	33	140	7	8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Fred Sanford — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1943	SLA	P	3	0	3	0	0
1946	SLA	P	3	1	3	0	1
1947	SLA	P	34	7	26	1	0
1948	SLA	P	42	9	46	4	1
1949	NYA	P	29	2	17	2	1
1950	NYA	P	26	9	30	0	5
1951	NYA	P	11	3	7	0	0
1951	WS1	P	7	1	4	0	0
1951	SLA	P	9	1	4	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Fred Sanford Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	164

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Fred Sanford (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Fred Sanford: the record in brief

The profile opens with Fred Sanford's first major league game on May 5, 1943; the last one listed came on September 14, 1951. By club, Sanford's seasons break down as the St. Louis Browns (1943 to 1951), the New York Yankees (1949 to 1951), and the Washington Senators (1951). Sanford played primarily as a pitcher and switch-hit and threw right-handed. Born on August 9, 1919, in Garfield, UT, USA, Sanford was listed at 200 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Sanford died on March 15, 2011, in Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Sanford's full given name, per the bio, is John Frederick Sanford.

Sanford went 37-55 with a 4.45 ERA in 164 games, 98 of them starts. Sanford had 285 strikeouts and 26 complete games. The league ERA over Sanford's seasons was 3.94, so the 4.45 figure ran 13.1% worse than average. The best win total was 12, in 1948. In 1947, one of the busiest seasons, Sanford posted a 3.71 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.97.

Frequently Asked Questions about Fred Sanford

What years did Fred Sanford play?: Fred Sanford played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1951.
Was Fred Sanford a pitcher?: Yes. Fred Sanford pitched in the major leagues, recording 37 wins and 285 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Fred Sanford hit?: Fred Sanford hit 1 career home run with 39 hits.
What teams did Fred Sanford play for?: Fred Sanford played for 3 teams: the St. Louis Browns (1943, 1946–1948, 1951), the New York Yankees (1949–1951), and the Washington Senators (1951).
What were Fred Sanford's career stats?: In 164 games, Fred Sanford went 37-55 with a 4.45 ERA, 285 strikeouts, 744.0 innings pitched, and 6 saves. At the plate he had 39 hits and 1 home runs.
What position did Fred Sanford play?: Fred Sanford played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Fred Sanford and how much did he weigh?: Fred Sanford was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds.
What was Fred Sanford's career ERA?: Fred Sanford finished with a 4.45 career ERA, going 37-55 with 285 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Fred Sanford have?: Fred Sanford recorded 285 career strikeouts.
Is Fred Sanford in the Hall of Fame?: No. Fred Sanford has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.