Vern Benson
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1943-1953)
Vern Benson was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1953 for the Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 11 seasons. In 55 career games, he hit .202 with 21 hits, 3 home runs, and 12 RBI.
- 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 160 lb
- Died
- 1/20/2014 in Salisbury, NC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1943-07-31
- Last Game
- 1953-05-30
Full name: Vernon Adair Benson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 104 | 17 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 13 | 22 | .202 | .291 | .356 | .646 | -23 |
Career AVG .202 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 21.7% below league average.
Career OBP .291 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 12.0% below league average.
Career SLG .356 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .646 vs. league average .700 across their career seasons — 7.7% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | PHA | AL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | PHA | AL | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | SLN | NL | 13 | 46 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 8 | .261 | — | — | — | — | 54.6 |
| 1952 | SLN | NL | 20 | 47 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 9 | .191 | — | — | — | — | -78.0 |
| 1953 | SLN | NL | 13 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 55 | 104 | 17 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 13 | 22 | .202 | — | — | — | — | -23 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (55 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 28 | 63 | 11 | 15 | 3 | 9 | .238 |
| Away | 27 | 41 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | .146 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-05-30 | STL | ATL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1953-05-28 | STL | CIN | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-26 | STL | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-18 | STL | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-17 | STL | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-10 | STL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-03 | STL | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1953-05-01 | STL | NY1 | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-04-29 | STL | PHI | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-04-28 | STL | PHI | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Third Base | 24 |
| Left Field | 6 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catawba College | Salisbury | NC | 1942, 1943 |
Vern Benson: the record in brief
The profile opens with Vern Benson's first major league game on July 31, 1943; the last one listed came on May 30, 1953. The season rows list, in order, the Philadelphia Athletics (1943 through 1946) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1951 to 1953). Benson is listed as a third baseman at 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds. The bio says Benson threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The recorded birth is September 19, 1924, in Granite Quarry, NC, USA. The bio records the death on January 20, 2014, in Salisbury, NC, USA. Vern Benson was the playing name; the full given name is Vernon Adair.
The batting record for Benson: 55 games, 21 hits in 104 at bats, and a .202 average, adding 3 home runs and 12 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .291 and .356 give Benson a career OPS of .646. Set against a .258 league average for the same years, Benson's .202 average sits 21.7% below it. By OPS the gap is 7.7% below league average (.646 against .700). 1951 produced Benson's most hits, 12 of them for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Frequently Asked Questions about Vern Benson
- What years did Vern Benson play?
- Vern Benson played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1953.
- Was Vern Benson a pitcher?
- No. Vern Benson was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Vern Benson hit?
- Vern Benson hit 3 career home runs with 21 hits.
- What was Vern Benson's career batting average?
- Vern Benson batted .202 over his career, with 21 hits in 104 at bats.
- How many RBI did Vern Benson have?
- Vern Benson drove in 12 runs in his career.
- Is Vern Benson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Vern Benson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.