Wes Ferrell

Wesley Cheek Ferrell

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.
• High School Guilford High School
• Debut September 9, 1927
• Final Game May 6, 1941
• Born February 2, 1908 in Greensboro, NC USA
• Died December 9, 1976 in Sarasota, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Wes Ferrell wasn't far from being a Hall of Famer, winning 20 games in six different seasons, and posting a lifetime 193-128 record, which is a .601 winning percentage. His performance is even more impressive because his teams usually weren't contenders for the pennant, which means that he brought them up quite a bit. He did appear very briefly (three games) near the end of his career for the 1938 and 1939 New York Yankees, which won the World Series, but he didn't appear in either Series.

He is the brother of Hall of Fame catcher Rick Ferrell, minor league OF/Manager George Ferrell, and minor league pitcher Marvin Ferrell. There were in fact seven Ferrell brothers, and all of them played baseball, although not all of them became professional; they were all pitchers, except for Rick, who was their catcher. Wes has probably a stronger case to be in the Hall of Fame than his brother Rick. Also, a cousin, Beverley "Red" Ferrell, played minor league ball from 1934 to 1941.

Wes Ferrell holds the major league record for home runs by a pitcher (37). He hit a total of 38 home runs. One was as a pinch hitter. Twice during the 1934 season, Ferrell slugged two home runs in a game. Lifetime, as a hitter, he had a .280 batting average and a .446 slugging percentage, which makes one wonder how well he would have done if he had been converted to an outfielder like Babe Ruth or Rick Ankiel.

After his playing career, he worked as a minor league manager in the low minor leagues, with stops in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Florida.

Ferrell's name was on the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot in which the Veterans Committee examined candidates from the pre-integration era.

Notable Achievements

• 2-time AL All-Star (1933 & 1937)
• AL Wins Leader (1935)
• 3-time AL Innings Pitched Leader (1935-1937)
• 4-time AL Complete Games Leader (1931 & 1935-1937)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 7 (1929-1932, 1935, 1936 & 1938)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 6 (1929-1932, 1935 & 1936)
• 25 Wins Seasons: 2 (1930 & 1935)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 8 (1929-1933 & 1935-1937)
• 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (1935 & 1936)
• Won a World Series with the New York Yankees in 1938 (he did not play in the World Series)

Records Held

• Home runs, pitcher, career, 37
• Home runs, pitcher, season, 9, 1931

Further reading

• Dick Thompson: The Ferrell Brothers of Baseball, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2005.

Related Sites

• Wes Ferrell at the SABR Bio Project
• "Ferrell Hurls No-Hit Game: St. Louis Browns Victims as They Drop Sixth Straight," The Southeast Missourian (Thursday, April 30, 1931), p. s

This manager's article is missing a managerial chart. To make this person's article more complete, one should be added.