MVP Profile: Bucky Walters, 1939

Pitcher, Cincinnati Reds

Age:  30 (April 19)

2^nd season with Reds (first complete)

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 180

 

Prior to 1939:

A Philadelphia native, William Henry Walters Jr. also inherited his father’s nickname of “Bucky”. He left high school to become an electrician after his sophomore year and played sandlot baseball. A scout, who liked his performance at shortstop, got him an invitation to try out for a team in Montgomery, Alabama. That didn’t pan out but he instead caught on with the High Point Pointers of the Class C Piedmont League as a 20-year-old in 1929, where he was a pitcher and infielder. He produced a 5-6 pitching record with a 5.29 ERA, but as a batter he hit .296. Walters spent most of 1930 with Williamsport of the Class B New York-Pennsylvania League where he played a solid third base and batted .297. He also saw action with Providence of the Class A Eastern League, where he played second base. Back with Williamsport in 1931, Walters played third base and hit .326 with 31 doubles, 14 triples, and 6 home runs. He earned a late-season trial with the Boston Braves, batting .211 in nine games. Walters spent most of 1932 with the Montreal Royals of the International League where he hit .259 and led all third basemen with a .961 fielding percentage. Receiving another late-season call-up to the Braves, he still failed to hit. Sold to the Mission Reds of the Pacific Coast League for 1933, Walters batted .376 and committed only 8 errors at third base. Purchased by the Boston Red Sox, he finished the season with them and hit .256 in 52 games. Starting off with the Red Sox in 1934, Walters was hindered by a broken thumb and was batting only .216 when he was sold to the Philadelphia Phillies. He hit .260 in 83 games for the Phillies the rest of the way and found himself battling for playing time at third base in 1935. With his strong throwing arm, he was tried as a pitcher and posted a 9-9 record with a 4.17 ERA while relying on a naturally sinking fastball and curve. The sinking fastball had been a source of criticism when throwing across the field as a third baseman. He added a slider to his repertoire as well. The Phillies were a poor club and pitching at the hitter-friendly Baker Bowl was no help. With the 54-100 Phillies in 1936 Walters produced an 11-21 tally with a 4.26 ERA and four shutouts while pitching 258 innings. In 1937 the club was only slightly better, and Walters produced a 14-15 mark although his ERA rose to 4.75. He was an All-Star for the first time. Midway through the 1938 season the cash-strapped Phillies traded Walters to the Reds for two players and $55,000. 4-8 at the time of the deal, he went 11-6 the rest of the way with the Reds, who were on the rise, to finish at a combined 15-14 with a 4.20 ERA and 93 strikeouts. He was part of a solid rotation that included RHP Paul Derringer and LHP Johnny Vander Meer.

 

1939 Season Summary

Appeared in 40 games

P – 39, PH – 1

 

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

 

Pitching

Games – 39 [16, tied with Jack Russell & Vito Tamulis]

Games Started – 36 [1, tied with Luke Hamlin & Bill Lee]

Complete Games – 31 [1]

Wins – 27 [1]

Losses – 11 [19, tied with Harry Gumbert, Jim Turner & Al Hollingsworth]

PCT – .711 [3]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 2 [8, tied with fourteen others]

Innings Pitched – 319 [1]

Hits – 250 [8]

Runs – 98 [16]

Earned Runs – 81 [18]

Home Runs – 15 [6, tied with four others]

Bases on Balls – 109 [2]

Strikeouts – 137 [1, tied with Claude Passeau]

ERA – 2.29 [1]

Hit Batters – 6 [6, tied with Whitey Moore & Bob Weiland]

Balks – 3 [1]

Wild Pitches – 8 [3]

 

League-leading complete games were +3 ahead of runner-up Paul Derringer

League-leading wins were +2 ahead of runner-up Paul Derringer

League-leading innings pitched were +18 ahead of runner-up Paul Derringer

League-leading ERA was -0.31 lower than runner-up Bob Bowman

League-leading balks were +1 ahead of runner-up Johnny Vander Meer

 

Midseason Snapshot: 14-10, ERA – N/A, SO - 117 in 205.2 IP

 

Most strikeouts, game – 8 (in 9 IP) at Boston Bees 5/6

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 9 IP) at Brooklyn 8/26

 

Batting

PA – 131, AB – 120, R – 16, H – 39, 2B – 8, 3B – 1, HR – 1, RBI – 16, BB – 5, SO – 12, SB – 1, CS – 0, AVG - .325, GDP – 2, HBP – 1, SH – 5, SF – N/A

 

Fielding

Chances – 95

Put Outs – 16

Assists – 77

Errors – 2

DP – 10

Pct. - .979

 

Postseason Pitching: (World Series vs. NY Yankees)

G – 2, GS – 1, CG – 1, Record – 0-2, PCT – .000, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 11, H – 13, R – 9, ER – 6, HR – 1, BB – 1, SO – 6, ERA – 4.91, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 0

 

Awards & Honors:

NL MVP: BBWAA

All-Star

 

Top 5 in NL MVP Voting:

Bucky Walters, Cin.: 303 pts. – 18 of 24 first place votes, 90% share

Johnny Mize, StLC.: 178 pts. – 1 first place vote, 53% share

Paul Derringer, Cin.: 174 pts. – 2 first place votes, 52% share

Frank McCormick, Cin.: 159 pts. – 2 first place votes, 47% share

Curt Davis, StLC.: 106 pts. – 32% share

(1 first place vote for Jimmy Brown, StLC., who ranked sixth)

 

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Reds went 97-57 to win the NL pennant by 4.5 games over the St. Louis Cardinals. The pitching staff led the league in ERA (3.27), complete games (86), strikeouts (637), fewest hits allowed (1340), and fewest earned runs (510). With solid hitting and outstanding pitching, as Walters and Paul Derringer combined for 52 wins, the Reds held off a late charge by the Cardinals to win their first pennant in 20 years. Lost World Series to the New York Yankees, 4 games to 0.

 

Aftermath of ‘39:

The Reds again won the NL pennant in 1940 and Walters had another strong season as he posted a 22-10 record with a league-leading 2.48 ERA, 29 complete games, and 305 innings pitched. In the World Series triumph over Detroit, he was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. During the season he was deeply affected by the suicide of backup catcher Willard Hershberger. In 1941 he led the NL in innings pitched (302) and complete games (27) while also posting a 19-15 record and a 2.83 ERA. Not drafted during World War II, his tally dropped to 15-14 in 1942, to go along with a 2.66 ERA and 109 strikeouts over 253.2 innings. Hindered by a leg injury in 1943 he went 15-15 with a 3.54 ERA. Following an appendectomy, Walters produced a 23-8 mark in 1944 with a 2.40 ERA. An arm injury during the 1945 season limited him to a 10-10 tally. In 1946 he was 10-7 with a 2.56 ERA as his period of pitching dominance tailed off. Following an 8-8 performance with a 5.75 ERA in 1947, and 0-3 in 1948, his time as a hurler with the Reds came to an end. He served as manager of the Reds for 53 games in ’48 and for 151 games in 1949, producing an 81-123 record. He made one more pitching appearance with the Boston Braves, who he served as pitching coach, in 1950. For his major league career as a pitcher, he compiled a 198-160 record with a 3.30 ERA, 242 complete games, 42 shutouts, and 1107 strikeouts over 3104.2 innings pitched. With the Reds he went 160-107 with a 2.93 ERA, 195 complete games, 32 shutouts, and 879 strikeouts in 2355.2 innings. Pitching in four World Series games he was 2-2 with a 2.79 ERA. An excellent fielder and good hitting pitcher, his career batting average was .243 and he compiled 99 doubles, 16 triples, 23 home runs, and 234 RBIs. Walters was a six-time All-Star. Following his playing career and stint as Cincinnati manager, he was a pitching coach with the Braves and Giants and supervised the Phillies’ farm system. Well-liked and respected during his playing career, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1958. Walters died in 1991 at age 82.

 

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player.