Bobby Shantz
Born: 9/26/1925 in Pottstown, PA, USA
MLB Debut: 1949-05-01 | Final Game: 1964-09-29
Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 5'6" | Weight: 139 lbs
Full name: Robert Clayton Shantz
Biography
Bobby Shantz was a prominent left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who enjoyed a successful career from 1949 to 1964. Born in 1925, Shantz made a significant impact on the game during an era marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensively driven style. Over his career, he compiled a record of 119 wins against 99 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.38. Shantz was known for his exceptional control and ability to generate strikeouts, finishing his career with a total of 1,072 strikeouts. Additionally, he demonstrated versatility and reliability by recording 48 saves throughout his time in the league.
Shantz was selected as an All-Star three times, showcasing his status as one of the premier pitchers of his time. His ability to compete at a high level against some of the most formidable hitters of the era solidified his legacy in baseball history. After retiring in 1964, Shantz remained a respected figure within the sport, with his achievements continuing to resonate among baseball historians and enthusiasts alike. His contributions to the game were significant, and he is remembered as a standout pitcher who exemplified skill and perseverance on the mound.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 119 | 99 | 537 | 171 | 78 | 15 | 48 | 1935.7 | 1795 | 726 | 151 | 643 | 1072 | 3.38 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | PHA | AL | 6 | 8 | 33 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 127.0 | 100 | 48 | 74 | 58 | 3.40 | -717.3 |
| 1950 | PHA | AL | 8 | 14 | 36 | 23 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 214.7 | 251 | 110 | 85 | 93 | 4.61 | 1490.4 |
| 1951 | PHA | AL | 18 | 10 | 32 | 25 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 205.3 | 213 | 90 | 70 | 77 | 3.94 | 1421.5 |
| 1952 | PHA | AL | 24 | 7 | 33 | 33 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 279.7 | 230 | 77 | 63 | 152 | 2.48 | 5221.3 |
| 1953 | PHA | AL | 5 | 9 | 16 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 105.7 | 107 | 48 | 26 | 58 | 4.09 | 1825.2 |
| 1954 | PHA | AL | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7.88 | 0.0 |
| 1955 | KC1 | AL | 5 | 10 | 23 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 125.0 | 124 | 63 | 66 | 58 | 4.54 | 380.1 |
| 1956 | KC1 | AL | 2 | 7 | 45 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 101.3 | 95 | 49 | 37 | 67 | 4.35 | 501.8 |
| 1957 | NYY | AL | 11 | 5 | 30 | 21 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 173.0 | 157 | 47 | 40 | 72 | 2.45 | - |
| 1958 | NYY | AL | 7 | 6 | 33 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 126.0 | 127 | 47 | 35 | 80 | 3.36 | - |
| 1959 | NYY | AL | 7 | 3 | 33 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 94.7 | 64 | 25 | 33 | 66 | 2.38 | - |
| 1960 | NYY | AL | 5 | 4 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 67.7 | 57 | 21 | 24 | 54 | 2.79 | - |
| 1961 | PIT | NL | 6 | 3 | 43 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 89.3 | 91 | 33 | 26 | 61 | 3.32 | 2463.1 |
| 1962 | HOU | NL | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20.7 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 1.31 | 694.3 |
| 1962 | STL | NL | 5 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 57.7 | 45 | 14 | 20 | 47 | 2.18 | - |
| 1963 | STL | NL | 6 | 4 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 79.3 | 55 | 23 | 17 | 70 | 2.61 | - |
| 1964 | CHC | NL | 0 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11.3 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 5.56 | - |
| 1964 | PHI | NL | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32.0 | 23 | 8 | 6 | 18 | 2.25 | 911.4 |
| 1964 | STL | NL | 1 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17.3 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 3.12 | - |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 578 | 548 | 60 | 107 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 46 | 3 | 47 | 96 | 0.195 | 0.265 | 0.245 | 0.509 | -1312.5 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | PHA | AL | 33 | 37 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0.189 | 0.0 |
| 1950 | PHA | AL | 37 | 66 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 0.167 | -448.3 |
| 1951 | PHA | AL | 36 | 72 | 11 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0.250 | -185.8 |
| 1952 | PHA | AL | 34 | 96 | 13 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 0.198 | -429.7 |
| 1953 | PHA | AL | 21 | 38 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.237 | 0.0 |
| 1954 | PHA | AL | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.333 | 0.0 |
| 1955 | KC1 | AL | 26 | 41 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.146 | 0.0 |
| 1956 | KC1 | AL | 51 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0.091 | 0.0 |
| 1957 | NYY | AL | 33 | 56 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 0.179 | -248.6 |
| 1958 | NYY | AL | 33 | 35 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0.229 | 0.0 |
| 1959 | NYY | AL | 40 | 23 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0.217 | 0.0 |
| 1960 | NYY | AL | 43 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.100 | 0.0 |
| 1961 | PIT | NL | 44 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.438 | 0.0 |
| 1962 | HOU | NL | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1962 | STL | NL | 28 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0.154 | 0.0 |
| 1963 | STL | NL | 55 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.143 | 0.0 |
| 1964 | CHC | NL | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1964 | PHI | NL | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1964 | STL | NL | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.250 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | WS | NYA | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.333 |
| 1957 | WS | NYA | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 13.0 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 4.15 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | WS | NYA | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6.3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4.26 |
| 1957 | WS | NYA | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6.7 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 4.05 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | 537 | 67 | 174 | 468 | 16 | 48 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | PHA | P | 33 | 0 | 12 | 36 | 0 | 5 |
| 1950 | PHA | P | 36 | 0 | 13 | 52 | 2 | 6 |
| 1951 | PHA | P | 32 | 0 | 20 | 44 | 2 | 7 |
| 1952 | PHA | P | 33 | 0 | 29 | 49 | 0 | 3 |
| 1953 | PHA | P | 16 | 0 | 10 | 21 | 1 | 3 |
| 1954 | PHA | P | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1955 | KC1 | P | 23 | 17 | 9 | 26 | 2 | 2 |
| 1956 | KC1 | P | 45 | 2 | 10 | 20 | 2 | 2 |
| 1957 | NYA | P | 30 | 21 | 14 | 57 | 1 | 8 |
| 1958 | NYA | P | 33 | 13 | 6 | 35 | 0 | 4 |
| 1958 | NYA | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | NYA | P | 33 | 4 | 8 | 20 | 2 | 1 |
| 1960 | NYA | P | 42 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961 | PIT | P | 43 | 6 | 13 | 18 | 0 | 2 |
| 1962 | HOU | P | 3 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 1962 | SLN | P | 28 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 1963 | SLN | P | 55 | 0 | 9 | 22 | 1 | 2 |
| 1964 | CHN | P | 20 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964 | PHI | P | 14 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 1964 | SLN | P | 16 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 537 |
| Center Field | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Gold Glove | P |
| 1963 | Gold Glove | P |
| 1962 | Gold Glove | P |
| 1961 | Gold Glove | P |
| 1960 | Gold Glove | P |
| 1959 | Gold Glove | P |
| 1958 | Gold Glove | P |
| 1957 | Gold Glove | P |
| 1952 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 1952 | TSN All-Star | P |
| 1952 | TSN Pitcher of the Year |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 26th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1952 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 1st | 280.0 | 336 | 16 |
| 1951 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 21th | 14.0 | 336 | 0 |