Johnny Welaj

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1939-1943)

Johnny Welaj was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1943 for the Washington Senators and the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 5 seasons. In 293 career games, he hit .250 with 198 hits, 4 home runs, and 74 RBI.

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

AVG .250
HR 4
RBI 74
H 198
OPS .621
PIV -1,555
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 164 lb
Born
5/27/1914 in Moss Creek, PA, USA
Died
9/13/2003 in Arlington, TX, USA
MLB Debut
1939-05-02
Last Game
1943-09-27

Full name: John Ludwig Welaj

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Batting Statistics

Johnny Welaj — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
293 793 115 198 40 3 4 74 36 53 73 .250 .298 .323 .621 -1,555

Career AVG .250 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 5.7% below league average.

Career OBP .298 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 10.6% below league average.

Career SLG .323 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 13.9% below league average.

Career OPS .621 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — 12.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Johnny Welaj — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1939 WS1 AL 63 201 23 55 11 2 1 33 13 13 20 .274 .274 (avg) .342 (-7%) .393 (-8%) .735 (-7%) -267.2
1940 WS1 AL 88 215 31 55 9 0 3 21 8 19 20 .256 .267 (-4%) .335 (-4%) .387 (-12%) .722 (-8%) -267.0
1941 WS1 AL 49 96 16 20 4 0 0 5 3 6 16 .208 .262 (-21%) .332 (-23%) .373 (-33%) .705 (-28%) -432.1
1943 PHA AL 93 281 45 68 16 1 0 15 12 15 17 .242 .255 (-5%) .324 (-14%) .346 (-12%) .671 (-13%) -589.2
Career · 4 seasons 293 793 115 198 40 3 4 74 36 53 73 .250 — — — — -1,555

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 (293 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Johnny Welaj — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home14638756107135.276
Away1474065991338.224

Last 10 Games — Batting

Johnny Welaj — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1943-09-27 PHASLAL 512000200
1943-09-27 PHASLAW 522000001
1943-09-26 PHASLAL 401000001
1943-09-26 PHASLAL 401000000
1943-09-25 PHACHWL 000000000
1943-09-22 PHACHWL 000000000
1943-09-22 PHACHWL 400000000
1943-09-19 PHABOSL 301000000
1943-09-18 PHABOSW 010000000
1943-09-16 PHANYYL 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Johnny Welaj — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 199 0 479 6 15 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Johnny Welaj — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1939 WS1 OF 55 0 113 2 3 1
1940 WS1 OF 53 0 132 1 3 0
1941 WS1 OF 19 0 47 0 1 0
1943 PHA OF 72 0 187 3 8 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Johnny Welaj — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Left Field 57
Center Field 83
Right Field 64

Johnny Welaj: the record in brief

May 2, 1939 and September 27, 1943 bracket Johnny Welaj's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Washington Senators (1939 through 1941) and the Philadelphia Athletics (1943). Welaj is listed as an outfielder at 164 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. The bio says Welaj both batted and threw right-handed. Welaj was born on May 27, 1914, in Moss Creek, PA, USA. Welaj's death is recorded on September 13, 2003, in Arlington, TX, USA. Johnny Welaj was the playing name; the full given name is John Ludwig.

Welaj's career batting table shows 293 games, 793 at bats and 198 hits, a .250 average, plus 4 homers, 74 RBI, and 36 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .298 clip and slugging .323, Welaj finished with a .621 OPS. Over the seasons Welaj played, league hitters batted .265; the .250 career figure is 5.7% below that. No season topped the 68 hits of 1943. The RBI column peaks at 33 in 1939. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .274 in 1939, did not top the league's .274.

Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Welaj

What years did Johnny Welaj play?
Johnny Welaj played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1943.
Was Johnny Welaj a pitcher?
No. Johnny Welaj was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Johnny Welaj hit?
Johnny Welaj hit 4 career home runs with 198 hits.
What teams did Johnny Welaj play for?
Johnny Welaj played for 2 teams: the Washington Senators (1939–1941) and the Philadelphia Athletics (1943).
What were Johnny Welaj's career stats?
In 293 games, Johnny Welaj had 198 hits, 4 home runs, 74 RBI, 115 runs, and 36 stolen bases, with a .250 batting average.
What position did Johnny Welaj play?
Johnny Welaj played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Johnny Welaj and how much did he weigh?
Johnny Welaj was listed at 6 feet and 164 pounds.
How many home runs did Johnny Welaj hit each season?
Johnny Welaj's home runs by season: 1 in 1939, 3 in 1940, 0 in 1941, and 0 in 1943. His most in one season was 3, in 1940.
What was Johnny Welaj's career batting average?
Johnny Welaj batted .250 over his career, with 198 hits in 793 at bats.
How many RBI did Johnny Welaj have?
Johnny Welaj drove in 74 runs in his career.
Is Johnny Welaj in the Hall of Fame?
No. Johnny Welaj has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.