Lloyd Waner (1967)


Date of Birth: 3/16/1906
Date of Death: 7/22/1982
Birthplace: Harrah, Oklahoma
College: East Central University

Lloyd Waner, whose older brother Paul is also in the Baseball Hall of Fame, played for five different teams over an 18 year major league career. He started his professional baseball career in 1925 in the minor leagues (Pacific Coast League). He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in April, 1926. He spent that season in the minors.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Waner had a strong rookie season in 1927 with the Pirates. He had 223 hits, 17 doubles, a career high 14 stolen bases, and a .355 batting average in 150 games. The following season, he batted .335 with 221 hits, 22 doubles, 14 triples, and 61 RBIs in 152 games.

In 1929, Waner led the NL in triples. He had career highs in hits (234), doubles (28), triples (30), and RBIs (74). He batted .353 in 151 games. He also played well defensively, leading NL center fielders in putouts with 451. In 1930, he played in just 68 games and he batted a career high .362 with 94 hits.

Waner led the NL in hits in 1931. He had 214 hits, 25 doubles, 13 triples, 57 RBIs, and a .314 batting average in a career high 154 games. He again led NL center fielders in putouts with 481.

Waner had another good season in 1932, batting .333 in 134 games. He had 188 hits, 27 doubles, 11 triples, and 38 RBIs. He again led NL center fielders in putouts with 419. He didn't play as well in 1933. He finished that season with 138 hits and a .276 batting average in 121 games.

Waner played slightly better in 1934, finishing with a .283 batting average in 140 games. He had 173 hits, 27 doubles, and 48 RBIs. He once more led all NL center fielders in putouts with 400.

Waner batted over .300 each year from 1935 through 1938. He had a .309 batting average in 1935, .321 in 1936, .330 in 1937, and .313 in 1938. He played in 122 games in 1935, and he had 166 hits, 22 doubles, 14 triples, and 46 RBIs. The next year, he played in just 106 games and he had 133 hits. In 1937, he had 177 hits in 129 games. He played in a full season of 147 games in 1938, and he had 194 hits, 25 doubles, and 57 RBIs.

Waner batted .285 with 108 hits in 112 games in 1939. He played in just 72 games in 1940, and he batted .259.

The Pirates traded Waner to the Boston Braves on May 7, 1941.

Final Years as a Player

Waner played for three different teams in 1941. After playing in 3 games with the Pirates and 19 games with the Braves, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on June 12th. He then played in 55 games with the Reds. He finished the season with 64 hits and a .292 batting average. He was released by the Reds on October 8, 1941.

Waner signed with the Philadelphia Phillies on December 4, 1941. He batted just .261 in 101 games in 1942.

The Phillies traded Waner to the Brooklyn Dodgers on March 9, 1943. However, instead of playing baseball that year, he took a war time job. He returned to baseeball in 1944, playing in 15 games with the Dodgers before they released him on June 14th.

Waner returned to the Pirates on June 20, 1944. He played in 19 games with them that season, and in 23 games in 1945.

Career Statistics

Statistics for Waner in 14 seasons (1927-1940) with the Pirates include:

  • 9 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 234 in 1929
  • 5 seasons with over 10 triples, with a high of 20 in 1929
  • 10 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .362 in 1930

Career batting statistics for Waner include:

  • 1,993 games played
  • 2,459 hits
  • 118 triples
  • 598 RBIs
  • 173 strikeouts to 420 walks
  • .316 batting average
  • .353 on-base percentage
  • .746 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Waner as a center fielder include:

  • 1,660 games played
  • 73 errors
  • 4,530 putouts
  • .984 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After leaving major league baseball as a player, Waner worked as a scout for the Pirates (1946-1949) and the Baltimore Orioles (1955).

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Lloyd Waner
ESPN - Lloyd Waner
Baseball Reference - Lloyd Waner

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