Harry Heilmann (1952)


Date of Birth: 8/3/1894
Date of Death: 7/9/1951
Birthplace: San Francisco, California

Although Harry Heilmann was an athlete in high school, he didn't play on the baseball team. In 1913, he played semi-pro baseball in Hanford, California. Later that year, he started his professional career with the Pacific Coast League and the Northwestern League.

Detroit Tigers

Heilmann was drafted by the Detroit Tigers on September 15, 1913, in the Rule 5 draft. He played in 69 games with the Tigers in 1914, but they sent him back to the minor leagues in 1915.

Heilmann returned to the Tigers in 1916. He batted .282 that year with 127 hits and 30 doubles in 136 games. The following season, he batted .281 in 150 games. He finished the 1917 season with 156 hits and 22 doubles.

Heilmann joined the U.S. Navy in 1918, after playing in 79 games with the Tigers. He returned to the team in 1919, and he had a strong season, batting .320 in 140 games. He had 172 hits, 30 doubles, and a career high 15 triples. The following season, he batted .309 in 145 games. He finished the 1920 season with 168 hits, 28 doubles, and 89 RBIs.

Heilmann led the AL in batting average in 1921 with .394. He had a career high 237 hits, 43 doubles, 14 triples, 19 home runs, and 139 RBIs in 149 games. The next season, he batted .356 in 118 games. He finished the 1922 season with 162 hits, 27 doubles, 10 triples, a career high 21 home runs, and 92 RBIs.

In 1923, Heilmann again led the AL in batting average with a career high of .403. He had 211 hits, 44 doubles, 11 triples, 18 home runs, and 115 RBIs in 144 games. He led the AL in doubles in 1924. He finished that season with 197 hits, 45 doubles, 16 triples, 114 RBIs, and a .346 batting average in a career high 153 games. He had a career high 78 walks to 41 strikeouts. He also played well defensively in 1924, leading AL right fielders in putouts with 263.

Heilmann led the AL in batting average and RBIs in 1925. He had 225 hits, 40 doubles, 11 triples, 13 home runs, 134 RBIs, and a .393 batting average in 150 games. The following year, he batted .367 in 141 games. He finished the 1926 season with 184 hits, 41 doubles, and a 103 RBIs.

Heilmann once more led the AL in batting average in 1927. He batted .398 in 141 games, and he had 201 hits, a career high 50 doubles, 14 home runs, and 120 RBIs. He walked 72 times and struck out just 16 times. The following year, he batted .328 in 151 games. He finished the 1928 season with 183 hits, 38 doubles, and 107 RBIs.

Heilmann played in only 125 games in 1929. He batted .344 with 156 hits, 41 doubles, and 120 RBIs. The Tigers traded him to the Cincinnati Reds on October 14th of that year.

Cincinnati Reds

In 1930, his first season with the Reds and in the National League, he batted .333 in 142 games. He had 153 hits, 43 doubles, 19 home runs, and 91 RBIs.

Heilmann didn't play at all in 1931 due to arthritis in his wrists. After only 15 games in 1932, the Reds released him on June 6th.

MLB Records

  • Led AL in batting average (4 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Heilmann in 15 seasons (1916-1930) in the major leagues include:

  • 13 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 237 in 1921
  • 11 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 50 in 1927
  • 9 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 16 in 1924
  • 8 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 139 in 1921
  • 12 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .403 in 1923

Career batting statistics for Heilmann include:

  • 2,148 games played
  • 2,660 hits
  • 542 doubles
  • 151 triples
  • 183 home runs
  • 113 stolen bases
  • 550 strikeouts to 856 walks
  • .342 batting average
  • .410 on-base percentage
  • .930 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Heilmann as a right fielder include:

  • 1,525 games played
  • 2,667 putouts
  • 107 errors
  • .964 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After leaving major league baseball as a player, Heilmann started a long career (1934-1950) as a radio announcer for the Detroit Tigers.

Heilmann was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1952 on the twelfth ballot with 86.8% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Harry Heilmann
ESPN - Harry Heilmann
Baseball Reference - Harry Heilmann

Back to Top