Jack Bruton

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Jack Bruton was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for 5 teams, including the Birmingham Black Barons. Across 22 career appearances, he went 6-7 with a 5.89 ERA and 51 strikeouts. Jack Bruton was an All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 297.2.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 6–7
ERA 5.89
WHIP 1.56
SO 51
Pitcher PIV 297.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
— / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 196 lb
Born
3/12/1912 in Cordova, AL, USA
Died
6/1/1973 in Cordova, AL, USA
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Otis Bruton

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Jack Bruton — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
166.0 162.0 19.0 36.0 10.0 1.0 1.0 11.0 3.0 3.0 0 .222 .236 .315 .551

Pitching

Jack Bruton — Pitching
W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
9 11 18 14 11 0 157.0 176 111 82 9 36 58 4.70 1.35

Career Pitching Statistics

Jack Bruton — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
6 7 22 12 8 0 0 113.0 137 74 8 39 51 5.89 297.2

Career ERA 5.89 vs. league average 4.30 across their career seasons — 37.1% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jack Bruton — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1937 BBB NAL 3 4 8 7 6 0 0 60.2 82 37 15 34 5.49 4.34 (-27%) 276.4
1938 PS NN2 3 3 13 5 2 0 0 51.2 51 33 22 17 5.75 4.35 (-32%) 20.8
1940 SNS NAL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.2 4 4 2 0 54.00 — 0.0
Career · 3 seasons 6 7 22 12 8 0 0 113.0 137 74 39 51 5.89 — 297

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 Batting Statistics

Jack Bruton — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
57 155 20 35 9 1 0 12 0 3 1 .226 .241 .297 .537 -291

Career AVG .226 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — 16.2% below league average.

Career OBP .241 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 29.1% below league average.

Career SLG .297 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — 23.4% below league average.

Career OPS .537 vs. league average .726 across their career seasons — 26.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jack Bruton — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1937 BBB NAL 14 46 11 13 5 1 0 4 0 3 0 .283 — — — — 0.0
1938 PS NN2 14 21 2 5 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 .238 — — — — 0.0
1939 CBR NAL 4 8 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .125 — — — — 0.0
1940 SNS NAL 9 20 0 3 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 .150 — — — — 0.0
1941 SNS NAL 14 52 6 11 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 .212 .262 (-19%) .332 (-36%) .373 (-33%) .705 (-35%) -291.2
1948 CBE NAL 2 8 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 57 155 20 35 9 1 0 12 0 3 1 .226 — — — — -291

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 (85 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jack Bruton — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home327971515.190
Away2550111604.320

Pitching — Home / Away

Jack Bruton — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home1680.1954726365.27
Away1255.16734685.53

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jack Bruton — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1948-09-01 CVBKCML 400000000
1948-08-29 CVBKCMW 401000100
1941-08-24 SNOBIRL 000000000
1941-08-12 SNOKCMW 400000000
1941-08-11 SNOKCML 311001100
1941-08-08 SNOKCML 400000000
1941-08-07 SNOKCML 421000000
1941-08-03 SNOKCML 201000000
1941-08-03 SNOKCML 300000000
1941-07-20 SNOMEML 301000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Jack Bruton — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1940-06-30 SNOKCM — 0.1340000
1940-06-25 SNOMEM — 0.0000000
1939-08-14 CV9CAG — 0.0000000
1939-07-03 CV9MEM — 0.0000000
1938-08-27 PH5HOM L 4.2677401
1938-08-16 PH5NW2 W 9.0110000
1938-08-13 PH5HOM — 4.0211000
1938-07-31 PH5BLG — 5.0455410
1938-07-16 PH5PTC W 7.0833041
1938-07-07 PH5NY5 W 9.0511650

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jack Bruton — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 12 8 82 2 3 0
2B 2 2 4 5 0 1
OF 18 16 26 0 1 0
P 22 12 1 28 3 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jack Bruton — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1937 BBB 1B 4 3 27 1 1 0
1937 BBB 2B 2 2 4 5 0 1
1937 BBB P 8 7 1 12 1 0
1938 PS P 13 5 0 15 1 0
1939 CBR OF 2 1 1 0 0 0
1940 SNS 1B 5 2 26 0 2 0
1940 SNS OF 3 2 7 0 0 0
1940 SNS P 1 0 0 1 1 0
1941 SNS 1B 3 3 29 1 0 0
1941 SNS OF 11 11 16 0 0 0
1948 CBE OF 2 2 2 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jack Bruton — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 22
First Base 12
Second Base 2
Left Field 5
Right Field 13

Jack Bruton: the record in brief

Jack Bruton's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1937 to 1948. The season rows list, in order, the Birmingham Black Barons (1937), the Philadelphia Stars (1938), the Cleveland Bears (1939), the St. Louis-New Orleans Stars (1940 to 1941), and the Cleveland Buckeyes (1948). Bruton played primarily as a pitcher. The bio adds a birth date on March 12, 1912, in Cordova, AL, USA and a listed size of 5 feet, 11 inches and 196 pounds. The bio records the death on June 1, 1973, in Cordova, AL, USA. Jack Bruton was the playing name; the full given name is Otis.

Bruton's career pitching line is 6 wins, 7 losses and a 5.89 ERA over 22 appearances. Also on Bruton's record: 51 strikeouts. Against a 4.30 league ERA for the same seasons, the 5.89 mark was 37.1% worse. 1937 was Bruton's sharpest full season, a 5.49 ERA against the league's 4.34.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jack Bruton

Was Jack Bruton a pitcher?
Yes. Jack Bruton pitched in the major leagues, recording 6 wins and 51 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Jack Bruton hit?
Jack Bruton hit 0 career home runs with 35 hits.
What teams did Jack Bruton play for?
Jack Bruton played for 5 teams: the Birmingham Black Barons (1937), the Philadelphia Stars (1938), the Cleveland Bears (1939), the St. Louis-New Orleans Stars (1940–1941), and the Cleveland Buckeyes (1948).
What awards did Jack Bruton win?
Jack Bruton was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Jack Bruton's career stats?
In 22 games, Jack Bruton went 6-7 with a 5.89 ERA, 51 strikeouts, and 113.0 innings pitched.
What position did Jack Bruton play?
Jack Bruton played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jack Bruton and how much did he weigh?
Jack Bruton was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 196 pounds.
What was Jack Bruton's career ERA?
Jack Bruton finished with a 5.89 career ERA, going 6-7 with 51 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Jack Bruton have?
Jack Bruton recorded 51 career strikeouts.
Is Jack Bruton in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jack Bruton has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Jack Bruton make?
Jack Bruton was selected to 1 All-Star Game.