Was Sam Bankhead a pitcher?

Both. Sam Bankhead pitched in 11 games, going 2-5 with a 4.36 ERA, but spent most of his career as a Shortstop.

How many home runs did Sam Bankhead hit?

Sam Bankhead hit 19 career home runs with 702 hits.

What teams did Sam Bankhead play for?

Sam Bankhead played for 6 teams: the Birmingham Black Barons (1932), the Louisville Black Caps (1932), the Nashville Elite Giants (1932–1934), the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1935–1938), the Homestead Grays (1939, 1942–1948), and the Cleveland Buckeyes (1945).

Did Sam Bankhead win an MVP award?

No. Sam Bankhead did not win the MVP award.

What awards did Sam Bankhead win?

Sam Bankhead was selected to 9 All-Star Games.

What were Sam Bankhead's career stats?

In 652 games, Sam Bankhead had 702 hits, 19 home runs, 354 RBI, 427 runs, and 103 stolen bases, with a .284 batting average. As a pitcher, in 11 games, he went 2-5 with a 4.36 ERA, 28 strikeouts, and 66.0 innings pitched.

What position did Sam Bankhead play?

Sam Bankhead played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Sam Bankhead and how much did he weigh?

Sam Bankhead was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 165 pounds.

How many home runs did Sam Bankhead hit each season?

Sam Bankhead's home runs by season: 0 in 1932, 0 in 1933, 1 in 1934, 2 in 1935, 1 in 1936, 0 in 1937, 2 in 1938, 2 in 1939, 3 in 1942, 1 in 1943, 1 in 1944, 0 in 1945, 3 in 1946, 1 in 1947, and 2 in 1948. His most in one season was 3, in 1942 and 1946.

What was Sam Bankhead's career batting average?

Sam Bankhead batted .284 over his career, with 702 hits in 2,472 at bats.

How many RBI did Sam Bankhead have?

Sam Bankhead drove in 354 runs in his career.

What was Sam Bankhead's career ERA?

Sam Bankhead finished with a 4.36 career ERA, going 2-5 with 28 strikeouts.

Is Sam Bankhead in the Hall of Fame?

No. Sam Bankhead has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

How many All-Star Games did Sam Bankhead make?

Sam Bankhead was selected to 9 All-Star Games.

Sam Bankhead

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Sam Bankhead was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for 6 teams, including the Birmingham Black Barons. In 652 career games, he hit .284 with 702 hits, 19 home runs, and 354 RBI. He also pitched in 11 games, going 2-5 with a 4.36 ERA. Sam Bankhead was a 9-time All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,589.

AVG (Batting Average):: Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):: Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):: Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):: On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated October 17, 2026

AVG .284

HR 19

RBI 354

H 702

OPS .728

PIV 1,589

Position: Shortstop
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 5'9" / 165 lb
Born: 9/18/1910 in Sulligent, AL, USA
Died: 7/24/1976 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Awards: 9× All-Star

Full name: Samuel Howard Bankhead

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Sam Bankhead — Batting
PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2595.0	2290.0	406.0	666.0	89.0	33.0	24.0	238.0	228.0	20.0	87.0	.291	.358	.390	.748

Pitching

Sam Bankhead — Pitching
W	L	GS	CG	GF	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
2	0	4	3	1	0	28.0	23	12	8	0	7	6	2.57	1.07

Career Batting Statistics

Sam Bankhead — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
652	2,472	427	702	95	35	19	354	103	255	7	.284	.354	.374	.728	1,589

Career AVG .284 vs. league average .268 across their career seasons — +5.8% above league average.

Career OBP .354 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — +5.5% above league average.

Career SLG .374 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .728 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Sam Bankhead Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1932	BBB	NSL	3	7	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.143	—	—	—	—	0.0
1932	LVB	NSL	1	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1932	NEG	NSL	7	16	4	6	1	1	0	0	1	2	0	.375	—	—	—	—	0.0
1933	NEG	NN2	36	141	23	40	5	1	0	18	5	12	0	.284	.270 (+5%)	.329 (+3%)	.377 (-12%)	.707 (-5%)	-82.8
1934	NEG	NN2	37	148	25	50	3	2	1	20	10	8	0	.338	.278 (+22%)	.340 (+10%)	.392 (+3%)	.733 (+7%)	176.1
1935	PC	NN2	51	207	49	70	13	8	2	32	8	24	2	.338	.279 (+21%)	.342 (+20%)	.399 (+27%)	.742 (+24%)	891.8
1936	PC	NN2	63	231	37	77	16	4	1	39	6	20	0	.333	.283 (+17%)	.349 (+11%)	.404 (+11%)	.753 (+11%)	457.9
1937	PC	NN2	8	33	5	9	2	0	0	1	0	2	0	.273	—	—	—	—	0.0
1938	PC	NN2	32	128	23	29	5	0	2	16	6	13	0	.227	.272 (-17%)	.341 (-13%)	.392 (-20%)	.734 (-17%)	-344.5
1939	HG	NN2	35	137	31	40	4	3	2	22	5	13	0	.292	.274 (+6%)	.342 (+4%)	.393 (+4%)	.735 (+4%)	85.2
1942	HG	NN2	58	219	35	62	5	4	3	48	9	30	2	.283	.253 (+12%)	.323 (+15%)	.349 (+10%)	.672 (+12%)	517.5
1943	HG	NN2	72	265	53	69	5	2	1	42	17	32	0	.260	.255 (+2%)	.324 (+7%)	.346 (-12%)	.671 (-3%)	-14.4
1944	HG	NN2	56	217	46	55	9	5	1	28	8	29	1	.253	.261 (-3%)	.325 (+6%)	.357 (-1%)	.683 (+2%)	127.4
1945	HG	NN2	36	132	16	45	8	1	0	22	3	12	1	.341	.260 (+31%)	.328 (+20%)	.354 (+17%)	.683 (+19%)	413.4
1945	CBE	NAL	1	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250	—	—	—	—	413.4
1946	HG	NN2	53	205	28	55	4	1	3	26	5	16	1	.268	.256 (+4%)	.328 (-1%)	.358 (-5%)	.687 (-3%)	-95.1
1947	HG	NN2	61	223	19	52	9	2	1	25	13	21	0	.233	.262 (-11%)	.336 (-10%)	.376 (-19%)	.712 (-15%)	-527.5
1948	HG	NN2	42	155	32	40	6	1	2	14	7	21	0	.258	.263 (-2%)	.340 (+4%)	.379 (-8%)	.719 (-2%)	-15.5
Career · 18 seasons			652	2,472	427	702	95	35	19	354	103	255	7	.284	—	—	—	—	2,003

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Pitching Statistics

Sam Bankhead — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
2	5	11	8	7	0	0	66.0	74	32	0	10	28	4.36	1413.3

Career ERA 4.36 vs. league average 3.89 across their career seasons — 12.2% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Sam Bankhead — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1932	BBB	NSL	0	1	2	1	1	11.2	13	4	2	5	3.09	4.13 (+25%)	392.5
1932	LVB	NSL	0	1	1	1	1	9.1	7	3	0	5	2.89	4.13 (+30%)	0.0
1932	NEG	NSL	1	3	4	4	3	25.2	29	15	2	11	5.26	4.13 (-27%)	896.4
1934	NEG	NN2	0	0	1	0	0	0.1	1	0	0	0	0.00	—	0.0
1942	HG	NN2	1	0	1	1	1	9.0	9	3	2	3	3.00	3.57 (+16%)	0.0
1944	HG	NN2	0	0	2	1	1	10.0	15	7	4	4	6.30	3.57 (-76%)	124.4
Career · 6 seasons			2	5	11	8	7	66.0	74	32	10	28	4.36	—	1,413

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Sam Bankhead — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
38	135	21	33	3	0	0	7	13	4	.244

Playoff Batting by Year

Sam Bankhead — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1948	NLC	HG	4	14	5	3	2	0	2	0	.214
1948	NWS	HG	2	8	0	1	0	0	0	0	.125
1945	NWS	HG	4	16	0	1	0	0	0	0	.062
1944	NWS	HG	5	20	6	7	0	0	2	0	.350
1943	NWS	HG	5	19	1	5	1	3	1	0	.263
1942	NWS	HG	2	7	1	2	0	0	0	1	.286
1939	NLC	HG	5	18	2	6	0	2	2	2	.333
1939	NLP2	HG	2	6	1	0	0	0	2	0	.000
1935	NLC	PC	7	21	5	8	0	2	4	0	.381
1932	NSC	NEG	2	6	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (445 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Sam Bankhead — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	234	813	143	240	11	85	.295
Away	210	814	137	225	8	73	.276

Pitching — Home / Away

Sam Bankhead — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	1	2.0	1	2	2	0	9.00

Last 10 Games — Batting

Sam Bankhead — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	RBI	BB
1948-09-08	HOM	NW2	W	4	1	1	1	1
1948-09-06	HOM	BLG	W	4	2	3	1	1
1948-08-27	HOM	PH5	W	4	0	0	0	0
1948-08-23	HOM	PH5	L	4	0	0	0	0
1948-08-13	HOM	BLG	L	4	0	0	0	0
1948-08-12	HOM	NY6	W	5	0	1	0	1
1948-08-11	HOM	NW2	L	3	0	0	0	1
1948-08-10	HOM	NW2	L	5	0	1	0	0
1948-08-08	HOM	NY5	W	3	2	1	0	0
1948-08-08	HOM	NY5	W	4	0	0	0	0

Last 1 Games — Pitching

Sam Bankhead — Last 1 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1944-09-03	HOM	PH5	—	2.0	1	2	2	2	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Sam Bankhead — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	3	1	17	1	0	0
2B	68	63	157	211	16	34
3B	9	8	8	19	2	0
C	2	1	11	1	1	0
OF	192	191	355	18	12	5
P	11	8	4	16	0	0
SS	386	373	820	1196	89	169

Season-by-Season Fielding

Sam Bankhead — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1932	BBB	2B	1	0	2	0	0	0
1932	BBB	P	2	1	0	3	0	0
1932	LVB	P	1	1	1	2	0	0
1932	NEG	OF	2	2	6	2	0	0
1932	NEG	P	4	4	2	6	0	0
1933	NEG	OF	29	29	63	4	1	1
1933	NEG	SS	10	7	13	25	3	2
1934	NEG	2B	1	1	1	5	1	0
1934	NEG	OF	19	18	36	3	0	2
1934	NEG	P	1	0	0	0	0	0
1934	NEG	SS	21	18	35	43	8	4
1935	PC	OF	49	49	65	1	6	0
1935	PC	SS	3	2	4	6	0	1
1936	PC	2B	6	3	14	15	1	2
1936	PC	3B	7	7	7	13	2	0
1936	PC	OF	39	39	67	5	0	2
1936	PC	SS	14	13	23	43	6	7
1937	PC	C	1	0	0	0	0	0
1937	PC	OF	8	8	15	0	0	0
1938	PC	3B	1	0	0	1	0	0
1938	PC	OF	29	29	73	2	3	0
1938	PC	SS	2	2	2	5	1	0
1939	HG	2B	35	35	82	116	8	20
1942	HG	1B	3	1	17	1	0	0
1942	HG	OF	15	15	29	1	2	0
1942	HG	P	1	1	0	2	0	0
1942	HG	SS	43	41	82	148	9	16
1943	HG	SS	72	72	186	240	9	32
1944	HG	2B	8	8	18	30	3	4
1944	HG	P	2	1	1	3	0	0
1944	HG	SS	48	47	122	163	16	27
1945	HG	3B	1	1	1	5	0	0
1945	HG	C	1	1	11	1	1	0
1945	HG	SS	33	33	73	99	6	15
1945	CBE	2B	1	1	3	1	0	0
1946	HG	SS	53	53	115	185	13	24
1947	HG	OF	2	2	1	0	0	0
1947	HG	SS	59	59	124	149	11	30
1948	HG	2B	16	15	37	44	3	8
1948	HG	SS	28	26	41	90	7	11

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Sam Bankhead Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	11
Catcher	2
First Base	3
Second Base	68
Third Base	9
Shortstop	386
Left Field	110
Center Field	77
Right Field	5

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Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

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Sam Bankhead: the record in brief

Sam Bankhead's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1932 to 1948. Bankhead played for the Birmingham Black Barons (1932), the Louisville Black Caps (1932), the Nashville Elite Giants (1932 to 1934), the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1935 through 1938), the Homestead Grays (1939 to 1948), and the Cleveland Buckeyes (1945). Bankhead, a shortstop by primary position, both batted and threw right-handed. Bankhead is listed at 5'9" and 165 pounds. Bankhead was born on September 18, 1910, in Sulligent, AL, USA. Bankhead died on July 24, 1976, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. The given name on file is Samuel Howard Bankhead.

Bankhead's career batting table shows 652 games, 2,472 at bats and 702 hits, a .284 average, adding 19 home runs, 354 RBI, and 103 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .354 clip and slugging .374, Bankhead finished with a .728 OPS. The league as a whole hit .268 across Bankhead's seasons, which puts the .284 career mark 5.8% above average.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Bankhead

Was Sam Bankhead a pitcher?: Both. Sam Bankhead pitched in 11 games, going 2-5 with a 4.36 ERA, but spent most of his career as a Shortstop.
How many home runs did Sam Bankhead hit?: Sam Bankhead hit 19 career home runs with 702 hits.
What teams did Sam Bankhead play for?: Sam Bankhead played for 6 teams: the Birmingham Black Barons (1932), the Louisville Black Caps (1932), the Nashville Elite Giants (1932–1934), the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1935–1938), the Homestead Grays (1939, 1942–1948), and the Cleveland Buckeyes (1945).
Did Sam Bankhead win an MVP award?: No. Sam Bankhead did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Sam Bankhead win?: Sam Bankhead was selected to 9 All-Star Games.
What were Sam Bankhead's career stats?: In 652 games, Sam Bankhead had 702 hits, 19 home runs, 354 RBI, 427 runs, and 103 stolen bases, with a .284 batting average. As a pitcher, in 11 games, he went 2-5 with a 4.36 ERA, 28 strikeouts, and 66.0 innings pitched.
What position did Sam Bankhead play?: Sam Bankhead played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Sam Bankhead and how much did he weigh?: Sam Bankhead was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 165 pounds.
How many home runs did Sam Bankhead hit each season?: Sam Bankhead's home runs by season: 0 in 1932, 0 in 1933, 1 in 1934, 2 in 1935, 1 in 1936, 0 in 1937, 2 in 1938, 2 in 1939, 3 in 1942, 1 in 1943, 1 in 1944, 0 in 1945, 3 in 1946, 1 in 1947, and 2 in 1948. His most in one season was 3, in 1942 and 1946.
What was Sam Bankhead's career batting average?: Sam Bankhead batted .284 over his career, with 702 hits in 2,472 at bats.
How many RBI did Sam Bankhead have?: Sam Bankhead drove in 354 runs in his career.
What was Sam Bankhead's career ERA?: Sam Bankhead finished with a 4.36 career ERA, going 2-5 with 28 strikeouts.
Is Sam Bankhead in the Hall of Fame?: No. Sam Bankhead has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Sam Bankhead make?: Sam Bankhead was selected to 9 All-Star Games.