John Whitehead
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1935-1942)
John Whitehead was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1935 to 1942 for the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Browns, a span of 8 seasons. Across 172 career appearances, he went 49-54 with a 4.60 ERA and 254 strikeouts. He also batted .169 with 0 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 195 lb
- Died
- 10/20/1964 in Bonham, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1935-04-19
- Last Game
- 1942-05-13
Full name: John Henderson Whitehead
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | CHA | AL | 13 | 13 | 28 | 27 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 222.1 | 209 | 92 | 101 | 72 | 3.72 | 4.35 (+14%) | -3220.0 |
| 1936 | CHA | AL | 13 | 13 | 34 | 32 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 230.2 | 254 | 119 | 98 | 70 | 4.64 | 4.59 (-1%) | -62.1 |
| 1937 | CHA | AL | 11 | 8 | 26 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 165.2 | 191 | 75 | 56 | 45 | 4.07 | 4.34 (+6%) | -2170.5 |
| 1938 | CHA | AL | 10 | 11 | 32 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 183.1 | 218 | 97 | 80 | 38 | 4.76 | 4.35 (-10%) | -2474.5 |
| 1939 | CHA | AL | 0 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32.0 | 60 | 29 | 5 | 9 | 8.16 | 4.28 (-90%) | -252.5 |
| 1939 | SLA | AL | 1 | 3 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 66.0 | 88 | 43 | 17 | 9 | 5.86 | 4.28 (-37%) | -2219.3 |
| 1940 | SLA | AL | 1 | 3 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40.0 | 46 | 24 | 14 | 11 | 5.40 | 4.21 (-28%) | -265.1 |
| 1942 | SLA | AL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6.75 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 49 | 54 | 172 | 119 | 52 | 9 | 4 | 944.0 | 1,074 | 482 | 372 | 254 | 4.60 | — | -10,664 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 172 | 325 | 24 | 55 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 20 | 54 | .169 | .220 | .175 | .395 | -2,017 |
Career AVG .169 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 37.9% below league average.
Career OBP .220 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 35.3% below league average.
Career SLG .175 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 54.9% below league average.
Career OPS .395 vs. league average .729 across their career seasons — 45.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | CHA | AL | 28 | 82 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 9 | .146 | .279 (-48%) | .342 (-46%) | .399 (-63%) | .742 (-55%) | -734.6 |
| 1936 | CHA | AL | 34 | 87 | 6 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 9 | .241 | .283 (-15%) | .349 (-19%) | .404 (-37%) | .753 (-29%) | -408.1 |
| 1937 | CHA | AL | 26 | 58 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 10 | .224 | .276 (-19%) | .342 (-17%) | .398 (-39%) | .740 (-29%) | -260.6 |
| 1938 | CHA | AL | 32 | 60 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 15 | .100 | .272 (-63%) | .341 (-50%) | .392 (-75%) | .734 (-63%) | -614.1 |
| 1939 | CHA | AL | 7 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | SLA | AL | 26 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .059 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | SLA | AL | 15 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1942 | SLA | AL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 172 | 325 | 24 | 55 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 20 | 54 | .169 | — | — | — | — | -2,018 | ||
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 (344 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 88 | 150 | 12 | 28 | 0 | 13 | .187 |
| Away | 84 | 175 | 12 | 27 | 0 | 17 | .154 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 88 | 473.1 | 516 | 225 | 177 | 126 | 4.28 |
| Away | 84 | 470.2 | 558 | 253 | 196 | 131 | 4.84 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942-05-13 | SLA | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-05-03 | SLA | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-04-26 | SLA | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-04-17 | SLA | DET | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-09-22 | SLA | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-09-17 | SLA | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-08-14 | SLA | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-08-09 | SLA | CLE | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-08-05 | SLA | DET | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1940-08-03 | SLA | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942-05-13 | SLA | PHA | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-05-03 | SLA | MIN | — | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-04-26 | SLA | DET | — | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-04-17 | SLA | DET | — | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-09-22 | SLA | CHW | — | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-09-17 | SLA | NYY | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-08-14 | SLA | DET | — | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-08-09 | SLA | CLE | — | 8.0 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1940-08-05 | SLA | DET | W | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1940-08-03 | SLA | PHA | — | 1.0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 172 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 19th | 4.0 | 80 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Whitehead (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
John Whitehead: the record in brief
April 19, 1935 and May 13, 1942 bracket John Whitehead's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Whitehead's seasons break down as the Chicago White Sox (1935 through 1939) and the St. Louis Browns (1939 to 1942). Born on April 27, 1909, in Coleman, TX, USA, Whitehead is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Whitehead's listed size is 6 feet, 2 inches and 195 pounds. Whitehead died on October 20, 1964, in Bonham, TX, USA. On the record, John Whitehead was born John Henderson Whitehead.
Whitehead went 49-54 with a 4.60 ERA in 172 games, 119 of them starts. The totals include 254 strikeouts, 52 complete games, and 9 shutouts. The league ERA over Whitehead's seasons was 4.24, so the 4.60 figure ran 8.5% worse than average. The best win total was 13, in 1935. 1935 was Whitehead's sharpest full season, a 3.72 ERA against the league's 4.35.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Whitehead
- What years did John Whitehead play?
- John Whitehead played in Major League Baseball from 1935 to 1942.
- Was John Whitehead a pitcher?
- Yes. John Whitehead pitched in the major leagues, recording 49 wins and 254 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did John Whitehead hit?
- John Whitehead hit 0 career home runs with 55 hits.
- What teams did John Whitehead play for?
- John Whitehead played for 2 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1935–1939) and the St. Louis Browns (1939–1940, 1942).
- What were John Whitehead's career stats?
- In 172 games, John Whitehead went 49-54 with a 4.60 ERA, 254 strikeouts, 944.0 innings pitched, and 4 saves. At the plate he had 55 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did John Whitehead play?
- John Whitehead played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was John Whitehead and how much did he weigh?
- John Whitehead was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 195 pounds.
- What was John Whitehead's career ERA?
- John Whitehead finished with a 4.60 career ERA, going 49-54 with 254 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did John Whitehead have?
- John Whitehead recorded 254 career strikeouts.
- Is John Whitehead in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Whitehead has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.