Tommy Butts
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Tommy Butts was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for 4 teams, including the Atlanta Black Crackers. In 483 career games, he hit .272 with 497 hits, 4 home runs, and 202 RBI. Tommy Butts was a 5-time All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 142 lb
- Died
- 12/30/1972 in Atlanta, GA, USA
- Awards
- 5× All-Star
Full name: Thomas Lee Butts
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
| Season | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 246.0 | 221.0 | 40.0 | 63.0 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 30.0 | 14.0 | 0 | 7.0 | .285 | .331 | .357 | .688 |
| 1950 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .200 | .000 | .200 |
| 1953 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Listed seasons · 3 | 253 | 227 | 41 | 63 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 15 | 0 | 7 | .278 | — | — | — |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 483 | 1,829 | 317 | 497 | 58 | 27 | 4 | 202 | 38 | 164 | 25 | .272 | .338 | .340 | .678 | -965 |
Career AVG .272 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .338 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .340 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 8.8% below league average.
Career OPS .678 vs. league average .706 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | BCA | NAL | 25 | 86 | 11 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 4 | .221 | .272 (-19%) | .341 (-23%) | .392 (-26%) | .734 (-25%) | -360.4 |
| 1939 | IAB | NAL | 22 | 77 | 7 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 | .208 | .274 (-24%) | .342 (-25%) | .393 (-27%) | .735 (-26%) | -345.9 |
| 1939 | BEG | NN2 | 8 | 25 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .480 | — | — | — | — | -345.9 |
| 1940 | BEG | NN2 | 55 | 218 | 44 | 62 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 3 | 28 | 2 | .284 | .267 (+6%) | .335 (+11%) | .387 (-10%) | .722 (avg) | 82.5 |
| 1941 | BEG | NN2 | 60 | 232 | 39 | 43 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 18 | 11 | .185 | .262 (-29%) | .332 (-24%) | .373 (-38%) | .705 (-31%) | -1121.7 |
| 1942 | BEG | NN2 | 59 | 218 | 28 | 52 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 8 | 19 | 7 | .239 | .253 (-6%) | .323 (-4%) | .349 (-25%) | .672 (-15%) | -431.9 |
| 1944 | BEG | NN2 | 31 | 116 | 14 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 0 | .216 | .261 (-18%) | .325 (-11%) | .357 (-30%) | .683 (-21%) | -352.3 |
| 1944 | PS | NN2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | -352.3 |
| 1945 | BEG | NN2 | 48 | 182 | 31 | 48 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 10 | 0 | .264 | .260 (+1%) | .328 (-6%) | .354 (-7%) | .683 (-7%) | -205.6 |
| 1946 | BEG | NN2 | 64 | 238 | 43 | 75 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 31 | 7 | 25 | 0 | .315 | .256 (+23%) | .328 (+18%) | .358 (+20%) | .687 (+19%) | 773.5 |
| 1947 | BEG | NN2 | 59 | 242 | 50 | 85 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 29 | 5 | 14 | 0 | .351 | .262 (+34%) | .336 (+16%) | .376 (+22%) | .712 (+19%) | 762.5 |
| 1948 | BEG | NN2 | 51 | 191 | 44 | 58 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 24 | 0 | .304 | .263 (+15%) | .340 (+15%) | .379 (-5%) | .719 (+4%) | 234.4 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 483 | 1,829 | 317 | 497 | 58 | 27 | 4 | 202 | 38 | 164 | 25 | .272 | — | — | — | — | -1,663 | ||
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 (475 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 305 | 1106 | 211 | 318 | 1 | 110 | .288 |
| Away | 170 | 640 | 104 | 168 | 3 | 39 | .263 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-09-05 | BLG | PH5 | W | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-02 | BLG | PH5 | W | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-30 | BLG | KCM | W | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-08-28 | BLG | KCM | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-28 | BLG | KCM | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-26 | BLG | PH5 | W | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-24 | BLG | PH5 | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-23 | BLG | MEM | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-08-21 | BLG | MEM | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-21 | BLG | MEM | W | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 3B | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 479 | 478 | 971 | 1502 | 162 | 219 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | BCA | SS | 25 | 25 | 46 | 76 | 9 | 8 |
| 1939 | IAB | 3B | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | IAB | SS | 20 | 19 | 33 | 58 | 8 | 5 |
| 1939 | BEG | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | BEG | SS | 7 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 3 | 4 |
| 1940 | BEG | 2B | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1940 | BEG | SS | 54 | 54 | 104 | 170 | 18 | 35 |
| 1941 | BEG | SS | 60 | 60 | 112 | 171 | 12 | 27 |
| 1942 | BEG | SS | 59 | 59 | 131 | 202 | 24 | 27 |
| 1944 | BEG | SS | 31 | 31 | 61 | 86 | 9 | 12 |
| 1944 | PS | SS | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945 | BEG | SS | 48 | 48 | 97 | 140 | 24 | 24 |
| 1946 | BEG | SS | 64 | 64 | 139 | 233 | 22 | 22 |
| 1947 | BEG | SS | 59 | 59 | 129 | 193 | 19 | 26 |
| 1948 | BEG | SS | 51 | 51 | 105 | 155 | 14 | 29 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 1 |
| Third Base | 3 |
| Shortstop | 479 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Tommy Butts: the record in brief
The season rows for Tommy Butts begin in 1938. By club, Butts's seasons break down as the Atlanta Black Crackers (1938), the Indianapolis ABCs/Atlanta Black Crackers (1939), the Baltimore Elite Giants (1939 through 1948), and the Philadelphia Stars (1944). Listed as a shortstop, Butts threw and hit right-handed. The recorded size is 5-foot-8 and 142 pounds. Butts was born on August 27, 1919, in Sparta, GA, USA. Butts's death is recorded on December 30, 1972, in Atlanta, GA, USA. The given name on file is Thomas Lee Butts.
Butts finished with 497 hits from 1,829 at bats in 483 games, which works out to .272, plus 4 home runs, 202 runs batted in, and 38 stolen bases. Butts's career OPS of .678 combines a .338 on-base mark with .340 slugging. Against a .263 league average for those years, Butts's .272 average was near the norm. The highest hit total in a season was 85, in 1947. The Lg AVG column puts Butts's 1947 at .351 against .262, the widest margin among the busiest seasons at 34%.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tommy Butts
- Was Tommy Butts a pitcher?
- No. Tommy Butts was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Tommy Butts hit?
- Tommy Butts hit 4 career home runs with 497 hits.
- What was Tommy Butts's career batting average?
- Tommy Butts batted .272 over his career, with 497 hits in 1,829 at bats.
- How many RBI did Tommy Butts have?
- Tommy Butts drove in 202 runs in his career.
- Is Tommy Butts in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Tommy Butts has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- What teams did Tommy Butts play for?
- Tommy Butts played for the Atlanta Black Crackers, the Indianapolis ABCs/Atlanta Black Crackers, the Baltimore Elite Giants, and the Philadelphia Stars.