Ron Herbel – Baseball Player Biography, Career, Net Worth Information

Ron Herbel made a name for himself in baseball during his nine-year Major League run from 1963 to 1971. He pitched for four different teams: the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves.

A righty from Denver, Herbel appeared in 331 games, mostly coming out of the bullpen. He put together a 42-37 record, a 3.83 ERA, and racked up 447 strikeouts.

Herbel found his groove on the mound, but, honestly, he became more famous for his almost unbelievable struggles at the plate. He still holds the record for the lowest career batting average in Major League history at .029 for players with at least 100 at-bats. The gap between his pitching ability and hitting futility made him one of the more unforgettable personalities of the 1960s.

Herbel’s journey took him from the University of Northern Colorado to the big leagues. He spent his best years with the Giants, then wrapped things up with short stints in San Diego, New York, and Atlanta.

His story gives us a glimpse into an era when pitchers had to bat, even if it was pretty clear hitting wasn’t their thing.

Early Life and Background

Ronald Samuel Herbel was born on January 16, 1938, in Denver, Colorado. He grew into one of the more notable pitchers of the 1960s and early 1970s.

His path from Colorado high school sports to professional baseball started with solid schooling and amateur baseball experience.

Birth and Family

Ronald Samuel Herbel entered the world on January 16, 1938, in Denver. He grew up in a family that really backed his athletic dreams.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Herbel fell in love with baseball in the Rocky Mountains. Denver gave him plenty of chances to play organized ball as a kid.

His family background shaped his work ethic and determination. Those qualities served him well once he went pro.

At home, Herbel found the support he needed to focus on his pitching skills. His family encouraged his ambitions as he moved through his teens.

Education and Amateur Baseball

Herbel attended Brighton High School and started building a reputation as a talented pitcher. Those high school years were key for developing the skills that put him on the radar for pro scouts.

After high school, he headed to the University of Northern Colorado. The college gave him a place to keep learning and a stage to show off his baseball chops.

At Northern Colorado, Herbel sharpened his pitching technique and gained valuable college-level experience. Scouts started to take notice.

He signed as an amateur free agent with the San Francisco Giants, ending his amateur career. That signing kicked off his journey into professional baseball.

Professional Career Overview

Ron Herbel pitched for nine MLB seasons from 1963 to 1971, finishing with a 42-37 record and a 3.83 ERA in 331 games. He played for four teams but spent most of his career with the San Francisco Giants, wrapping up with the Atlanta Braves.

MLB Debut and Early Years

Herbel made his MLB debut on September 10, 1963, for the San Francisco Giants against the New York Mets at the Polo Grounds. He was 25 at the time.

He’d spent six seasons in the Giants’ farm system before getting called up that September. In his first season, he made two relief appearances, both against the Mets.

Herbel broke through in 1964, working as both a starter and a reliever. That year, he made 22 starts and 18 relief appearances.

His first MLB start came on May 17, 1964, in a doubleheader against the Mets. He threw a complete game shutout, giving up seven hits in a 1-0 win.

He finished 1964 with a 9-9 record, a 3.07 ERA, and 98 strikeouts. That season, he became a regular on the Giants’ pitching staff.

Major League Teams

San Francisco Giants (1963-1969)

Herbel spent most of his career with the Giants, playing seven seasons there. His best year was 1965, when he went 12-9 as part of the starting rotation.

The Giants rattled off 14 straight wins in September 1965, with Herbel pitching some of his best games. Still, they lost the pennant by two games to the Dodgers.

In 1967, Herbel started working mostly out of the bullpen. That season, he made 31 relief appearances and just 11 starts.

San Diego Padres (1970)

After 1969, the Giants traded Herbel, Bob Barton, and Bobby Etheridge to the Padres for Frank Reberger. Herbel made 64 appearances for a Padres team that struggled all year.

New York Mets (1970)

Midway through 1970, the Padres traded Herbel to the defending World Series champion Mets. New York needed bullpen help for their playoff push.

Herbel went 2-2 with a 1.38 ERA and one save in 12 relief appearances for the Mets. His combined 76 appearances between San Diego and New York led the National League.

Retirement in 1971

The Braves traded for Herbel on December 1, 1970, sending Bob Aspromonte to the Mets. Atlanta became his last MLB stop.

He spent one season with the Braves, going 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA and one save in 25 appearances. The Braves finished third that year.

After 1971, Herbel signed with the Minnesota Twins in 1972 but spent the season with their Triple-A affiliate.

He retired after his minor league stint. In the end, he finished his MLB career with 447 strikeouts and a 1.38 WHIP over nine seasons.

San Francisco Giants Years

Ron Herbel spent most of his big league career with the San Francisco Giants from 1963 to 1969. He debuted as a reliever in September 1963 and later worked as both a starter and reliever, going 33-29 with a 3.59 ERA in seven seasons with the team.

Role and Performance with the Giants

Herbel pitched in various roles for the Giants, shifting from the bullpen to the starting rotation as needed. After two relief appearances in 1963, he became a regular starter by 1964.

His most productive seasons came in 1964 and 1965. In ’64, he went 9-9 with a 3.07 ERA, making 22 starts in 40 games. He completed seven games and threw two shutouts.

The next year was even better. Herbel finished 12-9 with a 3.85 ERA in 47 games, including 21 starts. He pitched 170.2 innings and struck out 106 batters, showing he could go deep into games.

As his Giants tenure went on, Herbel mostly worked as a reliever. In 1967, he appeared in 42 games but started only 11. He kept his walks down, usually under three per nine innings.

Key Seasons and Highlights

Herbel’s 1965 season stands out as his best with the Giants. He won 12 games, his career high, and logged 170.2 innings. That year, he posted a 2.26 strikeout-to-walk ratio, showing off better control.

In 1964, he showed his durability and effectiveness as a starter. His 3.07 ERA was well below league average, and he finished seven games, including two shutouts.

In 1967, Herbel posted a 3.08 ERA in 125.2 innings, even with fewer starts. He completed one game and threw a shutout across 42 appearances.

Across his Giants years, Herbel pitched 718.2 innings with a 3.59 ERA. He struck out 364 batters and walked 221, keeping a 1.65 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His consistency and flexibility made him a go-to option for Giants managers during the team’s early San Francisco years.

Notable Stints With Other MLB Teams

After seven seasons with the Giants, Herbel spent his last two years bouncing among three teams. His time with the Padres, Mets, and Braves showed his value as a steady reliever, even if his offense never improved.

San Diego Padres Period

Herbel landed with the Padres in 1970 after a trade that sent him, Bob Barton, and Bobby Etheridge from the Giants for Frank Reberger. The Padres were having a rough season, sitting at 50-82 and way behind the Reds.

With San Diego, Herbel appeared in 64 games out of the bullpen. The Padres leaned heavily on his arm, despite the team’s struggles.

That heavy workload with the Padres helped Herbel reach 76 total appearances in 1970 when you add his games with the Mets.

New York Mets Tenure

The Mets picked up Herbel in 1970 as they chased another playoff spot. At the time, New York was just two games behind the first-place Pirates.

Herbel delivered for the defending champs. He put up a 2-2 record with a sharp 1.38 ERA and one save in 12 relief outings.

His strong work boosted the Mets’ bullpen during their playoff chase. The team ended up third, six games back, but Herbel’s contributions stood out.

Herbel’s 76 total appearances between San Diego and New York led the National League. Only Wilbur Wood had more across the majors that year.

Atlanta Braves Experience

Herbel wrapped up his MLB career with the Atlanta Braves in 1971. Atlanta traded for him on December 1, 1970, sending Bob Aspromonte to the Mets.

His time with the Braves was tough. Herbel went 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA and one save in 25 games for a third-place team.

The 1971 season marked the end for Herbel in the majors. After struggling with Atlanta, he signed with the Twins in 1972 but spent the year with their Triple-A club.

He played his final pro season with the Tacoma Twins, making 20 starts and finishing 6-9 before calling it a career.

Career Achievements and Statistics

Ron Herbel’s nine years in MLB led to a 42-37 record and a 3.82 ERA in 331 games from 1963 to 1971. He stood out for limiting walks and keeping solid control numbers, moving between four teams.

Wins and Losses Record

Herbel wrapped up his career with 42 wins and 37 losses, a .532 winning percentage across nine seasons. His top year was 1965, when he went 12-9 with the Giants—his only season with double-digit wins.

His win totals bounced around from year to year. After that 1965 peak, he managed just four wins in both 1966 and 1967. In his last years, he saw modest success, including a 9-7 record in 1970 split between San Diego and New York.

Herbel pitched in 331 games, starting 79 of them. He completed 11 games and recorded three shutouts, all during his time in San Francisco. His 16 career saves showed he could handle both starting and relieving when called upon.

Earned Run Average (ERA)

Herbel put together a career ERA of 3.82 over 894.1 innings pitched. In 1964, he had his best season, posting a 3.07 ERA across 161 innings and really established himself as a steady part of the Giants’ rotation.

His ERA bounced around over the years and hit 5.23 during his last season with Atlanta in 1971. Still, he showed real consistency in his prime with San Francisco, putting up a 3.59 ERA over seven seasons.

He finished with an ERA+ of 94, so he came in just a bit under league average once you factor in the ballparks. Maybe his most surprising ERA stretch came in a short run with the New York Mets in 1970, where he managed a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings.

WHIP and K/9 Metrics

Herbel’s WHIP (Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched) landed at 1.375 for his career. He showed decent control, even though he let his fair share of runners on base.

Limiting walks stood out as one of his strengths, with a 2.9 BB/9 rate. His strikeout numbers weren’t flashy, coming in at 4.5 K/9 and totaling 447 strikeouts in his career.

He focused more on getting hitters to put the ball in play than blowing them away. In 1965, he struck out 106 batters over 170.2 innings, which was his best year for strikeouts.

The SO/BB ratio of 1.57 really reflects his control-first style. In 1965, he peaked at 2.26, showing off his best command during his top season. With a H/9 rate of 9.5, he basically gave up about one hit per inning for most of his time in the majors.

Fielding and Batting Contributions

On defense, Herbel handled himself fine on the mound. There aren’t a ton of defensive stats from his era, but he did hit 20 batters over nine seasons, which maybe hints at some control lapses in tense moments.

At the plate, well, that’s where things got rough. He set the record for the lowest career batting average (.029) among players with at least 100 at-bats. That kind of futility with the bat became a weird claim to fame.

His struggles at the plate were pretty extreme, even for a pitcher. Herbel picked up just six hits in 206 at-bats, and he struck out a lot when he had to hit. Still, his pitching helped his teams way more than his lack of offense hurt them, especially back when pitchers had to bat.

Legacy and Impact

Ron Herbel’s baseball legacy really comes down to his solid pitching, overshadowed by his record-setting struggles at the plate. Decades later, his stats still draw attention from fans and baseball history buffs.

Reputation Among Peers

Herbel earned plenty of respect from teammates and opponents for what he did on the mound, even if his hitting was a running joke. He wrapped up his career with a 42-37 record and a 3.83 ERA over nine seasons.

Other pitchers noticed his durability and how often he could be counted on in relief. He pitched in 331 games, with 252 coming out of the bullpen.

The Giants relied on him as both a starter and reliever, which made him a useful piece for several teams. In 1965, he had his best year, posting a 12-9 record as the Giants chased the pennant and even helped them win 14 straight games that September.

Contributions to Baseball History

Herbel holds the odd distinction of having the lowest batting average in MLB history for anyone with at least 100 at-bats. That .029 average is still unmatched.

His struggles at the plate turned into a quirky milestone. He went 1-for-108 (.009) before finally getting his second hit on June 9, 1966, off Larry Dierker in Houston.

On the pitching side, he threw a complete game shutout against the New York Mets on May 17, 1964. That 1-0 win came in his very first big league start.

Herbel played through the late 1960s and into the early ’70s, right as the game was changing. He saw shifts in strategy and the way teams approached the sport.

Retrosheet and Statistical Recognition

Modern baseball research organizations like Retrosheet have tracked Herbel’s career stats in impressive detail. These records really keep his unusual spot in baseball history alive.

His batting stats pop up all the time when people talk about struggles at the plate. Baseball researchers often point to his .029 batting average as a sort of low-water mark.

Career Batting Statistics:

• At-bats: 206
• Hits: 6
• Batting Average: .029
• Strikeouts: 109

Retrosheet data shows how he went from a hitless rookie to one of the most famously poor hitters. Their big database lets researchers dig into the patterns of his career.

Statistical websites bring up Herbel’s records whenever folks discuss how pitchers hit. You’ll spot his name in all sorts of baseball reference books and historical write-ups.