Jerry Benjamin
Center Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Jerry Benjamin was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball for 7 teams, including the Memphis Red Sox. In 752 career games, he hit .298 with 891 hits, 28 home runs, and 358 RBI. Jerry Benjamin was a 3-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 4,341.
- 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
- Position
- Center Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 165 lb
- Died
- 11/23/1974 in Detroit, MI, USA
- Awards
- 3× All-Star
Full name: Jerry Charles Benjamin
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 752 | 2,993 | 634 | 891 | 108 | 41 | 28 | 358 | 134 | 312 | 10 | .298 | .367 | .389 | .756 | 4,341 |
Career AVG .298 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — +11.4% above league average.
Career OBP .367 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +9.5% above league average.
Career SLG .389 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .756 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — +6.1% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| 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 | MRS | NSL | 41 | 143 | 25 | 41 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 11 | 10 | 0 | .287 | .275 (+4%) | .335 (-1%) | .391 (-5%) | .726 (-3%) | -84.5 |
| 1933 | ID | NN2 | 35 | 124 | 27 | 38 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 0 | .306 | .270 (+13%) | .329 (+20%) | .377 (+3%) | .707 (+11%) | 276.5 |
| 1935 | HG | NN2 | 44 | 180 | 38 | 57 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 31 | 6 | 10 | 1 | .317 | .279 (+13%) | .342 (+5%) | .399 (+17%) | .742 (+11%) | 321.3 |
| 1936 | HG | NN2 | 39 | 150 | 43 | 54 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 10 | 21 | 0 | .360 | .283 (+27%) | .349 (+26%) | .404 (+47%) | .753 (+37%) | 1011.2 |
| 1937 | HG | NN2 | 52 | 219 | 59 | 65 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 35 | 13 | 30 | 0 | .297 | .276 (+7%) | .342 (+13%) | .398 (+8%) | .740 (+10%) | 472.4 |
| 1938 | HG | NN2 | 42 | 165 | 42 | 51 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 26 | 4 | 24 | 1 | .309 | .272 (+13%) | .341 (+16%) | .392 (+27%) | .734 (+22%) | 650.3 |
| 1939 | HG | NN2 | 19 | 74 | 18 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 1 | .243 | .274 (-11%) | .342 (+4%) | .393 (-28%) | .735 (-13%) | -113.3 |
| 1939 | TC | NAL | 10 | 36 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .167 | — | — | — | — | -113.3 |
| 1939 | NBY | NN2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | -113.3 |
| 1940 | HG | NN2 | 44 | 170 | 38 | 54 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 16 | 17 | 1 | .318 | .267 (+19%) | .335 (+16%) | .387 (-3%) | .722 (+6%) | 247.8 |
| 1941 | HG | NN2 | 57 | 224 | 33 | 61 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 27 | 8 | 23 | 2 | .272 | .262 (+4%) | .332 (+2%) | .373 (-7%) | .705 (-2%) | -63.6 |
| 1942 | HG | NN2 | 67 | 267 | 53 | 73 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 28 | 15 | 33 | 2 | .273 | .253 (+8%) | .323 (+11%) | .349 (-6%) | .672 (+2%) | 208.6 |
| 1943 | HG | NN2 | 71 | 294 | 83 | 110 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 38 | 12 | 25 | 0 | .374 | .255 (+46%) | .324 (+31%) | .346 (+38%) | .671 (+35%) | 1731.8 |
| 1944 | HG | NN2 | 53 | 228 | 43 | 74 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 31 | 4 | 19 | 0 | .325 | .261 (+24%) | .325 (+16%) | .357 (+15%) | .683 (+16%) | 618.9 |
| 1945 | HG | NN2 | 50 | 207 | 42 | 68 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 16 | 2 | .329 | .260 (+26%) | .328 (+14%) | .354 (+9%) | .683 (+11%) | 390.7 |
| 1945 | CBE | NAL | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 390.7 |
| 1946 | HG | NN2 | 59 | 245 | 38 | 61 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 7 | 22 | 0 | .249 | .256 (-3%) | .328 (-6%) | .358 (-18%) | .687 (-12%) | -435.0 |
| 1947 | HG | NN2 | 52 | 204 | 38 | 47 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 15 | 0 | .230 | .262 (-12%) | .336 (-14%) | .376 (-30%) | .712 (-22%) | -705.8 |
| 1948 | NYC | NN2 | 15 | 56 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 0 | .196 | .263 (-25%) | .340 (-10%) | .379 (-34%) | .719 (-22%) | -186.4 |
| Career · 19 seasons | 752 | 2,993 | 634 | 891 | 108 | 41 | 28 | 358 | 134 | 312 | 10 | .298 | — | — | — | — | 4,505 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (534 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 282 | 1073 | 228 | 365 | 12 | 77 | .340 |
| Away | 252 | 1028 | 204 | 284 | 12 | 65 | .276 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948-06-10 | NY6 | PH5 | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-06-08 | NY6 | BLG | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-06-06 | NY6 | HOM | L | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-05-28 | NY6 | NW2 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1948-05-25 | NY6 | BLG | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-05-23 | NY6 | BLG | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-05-23 | NY6 | BLG | L | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1948-05-19 | NY6 | HOM | L | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-05-14 | NY6 | BLG | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1948-05-11 | NY6 | NY5 | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 65 | 43 | 117 | 123 | 21 | 15 |
| 3B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| OF | 713 | 699 | 1494 | 71 | 43 | 13 |
| SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | MRS | 2B | 37 | 36 | 82 | 84 | 13 | 11 |
| 1932 | MRS | OF | 5 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1933 | ID | 2B | 5 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 1933 | ID | 3B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933 | ID | OF | 32 | 30 | 61 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| 1935 | HG | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935 | HG | OF | 46 | 43 | 94 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 1935 | HG | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1936 | HG | OF | 40 | 39 | 76 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937 | HG | 2B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937 | HG | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937 | HG | OF | 52 | 52 | 102 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 1938 | HG | OF | 42 | 42 | 76 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 1939 | HG | OF | 19 | 19 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | TC | OF | 10 | 10 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1939 | NBY | OF | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | HG | OF | 44 | 43 | 81 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| 1941 | HG | OF | 57 | 57 | 126 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1942 | HG | OF | 68 | 67 | 157 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| 1943 | HG | 2B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943 | HG | OF | 71 | 71 | 156 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 1944 | HG | 2B | 7 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| 1944 | HG | OF | 53 | 53 | 116 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 1945 | HG | 2B | 9 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 3 | 3 |
| 1945 | HG | OF | 48 | 46 | 104 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| 1945 | CBE | OF | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | HG | 2B | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946 | HG | 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1946 | HG | OF | 56 | 56 | 123 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 1947 | HG | OF | 52 | 49 | 102 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 1948 | NYC | OF | 16 | 15 | 37 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 65 |
| Third Base | 5 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
| Left Field | 14 |
| Center Field | 677 |
| Right Field | 22 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jerry Benjamin: the record in brief
The season rows for Jerry Benjamin begin in 1932. By club, Benjamin's seasons break down as the Memphis Red Sox (1932), the Indianapolis ABCs/Detroit Stars (1933), the Homestead Grays (1935 to 1947), the Toledo Crawfords (1939), the New York Black Yankees (1939), the Cleveland Buckeyes (1945), and the New York Cubans (1948). Benjamin, a center fielder by primary position, switch-hit and threw right-handed. Benjamin is listed at 5 feet, 9 inches and 165 pounds. The birth record reads November 9, 1909, in Montgomery, AL, USA. The bio records the death on November 23, 1974, in Detroit, MI, USA. Benjamin's full given name, per the bio, is Jerry Charles Benjamin.
Benjamin collected 891 hits in 2,993 at bats across 752 games, good for a .298 batting average, adding 28 homers, 358 runs batted in, and 134 stolen bases. Benjamin got on base at a .367 rate and slugged .389 (.756 OPS). The league as a whole hit .267 across Benjamin's seasons, which puts the .298 career mark 11.4% above average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jerry Benjamin
- Was Jerry Benjamin a pitcher?
- No. Jerry Benjamin was a position player (Center Fielder).
- How many home runs did Jerry Benjamin hit?
- Jerry Benjamin hit 28 career home runs with 891 hits.
- What teams did Jerry Benjamin play for?
- Jerry Benjamin played for 7 teams: the Memphis Red Sox (1932), the Indianapolis ABCs/Detroit Stars (1933), the Homestead Grays (1935–1947), the Toledo Crawfords (1939), the New York Black Yankees (1939), the Cleveland Buckeyes (1945), and the New York Cubans (1948).
- Did Jerry Benjamin win an MVP award?
- No. Jerry Benjamin did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Jerry Benjamin win?
- Jerry Benjamin was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
- What were Jerry Benjamin's career stats?
- In 752 games, Jerry Benjamin had 891 hits, 28 home runs, 358 RBI, 634 runs, and 134 stolen bases, with a .298 batting average.
- What position did Jerry Benjamin play?
- Jerry Benjamin played primarily as a center fielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jerry Benjamin and how much did he weigh?
- Jerry Benjamin was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 165 pounds.
- How many home runs did Jerry Benjamin hit each season?
- Jerry Benjamin's home runs by season: 0 in 1932, 0 in 1933, 3 in 1935, 5 in 1936, 4 in 1937, 6 in 1938, 0 in 1939, 1 in 1940, 2 in 1941, 2 in 1942, 2 in 1943, 2 in 1944, 0 in 1945, 1 in 1946, 0 in 1947, and 0 in 1948. His most in one season was 6, in 1938.
- What was Jerry Benjamin's career batting average?
- Jerry Benjamin batted .298 over his career, with 891 hits in 2,993 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jerry Benjamin have?
- Jerry Benjamin drove in 358 runs in his career.
- Is Jerry Benjamin in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jerry Benjamin has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Jerry Benjamin make?
- Jerry Benjamin was selected to 3 All-Star Games.