Hank Greenberg
Greenberg lost nearly four full seasons to World War II military service, yet still managed 331 home runs in what amounts to a 13-season career. That's a pace of 25 homers per year during an era when power was scarce — remarkable efficiency for someone who prioritized duty over personal records.
His two MVP awards tell the story of peak dominance. The Detroit slugger drove in 183 runs in 1937, a total that remains staggering nearly 90 years later. He followed that with 58 home runs in 1938, just two shy of Babe Ruth's then-sacred record.
What made Greenberg special wasn't just the raw numbers but the context. As one of baseball's first Jewish superstars, he carried cultural weight beyond the diamond while producing Hall of Fame numbers in a compressed timeframe. Few players have maximized their available years quite like this.
Career · Batting
13 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | DET | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — |
| 1933 | DET | 117 | 449 | 12 | 87 | .301 | — | — |
| 1934 | DET | 153 | 593 | 26 | 139 | .339 | — | — |
| 1935 | DET | 152 | 619 | 36 | 170 | .328 | — | — |
| 1936 | DET | 12 | 46 | 1 | 16 | .348 | — | — |
| 1937 | DET | 154 | 594 | 40 | 183 | .337 | — | — |
| 1938 | DET | 155 | 556 | 58 | 146 | .315 | — | — |
| 1939 | DET | 138 | 500 | 33 | 112 | .312 | — | — |
| 1940 | DET | 148 | 573 | 41 | 150 | .340 | — | — |
| 1941 | DET | 19 | 67 | 2 | 12 | .269 | — | — |
| 1945 | DET | 78 | 270 | 13 | 60 | .311 | — | — |
| 1946 | DET | 142 | 523 | 44 | 127 | .277 | — | — |
| 1947 | PIT | 125 | 402 | 25 | 74 | .249 | — | — |
| Career | 1394 | 5193 | 331 | 1276 | .313 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.