Doc Dennis
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Doc Dennis was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Elite Giants and the Philadelphia Stars. In 246 career games, he hit .250 with 218 hits, 13 home runs, and 132 RBI. 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 170 lb
- Died
- 3/6/2001 in Nashville, TN, USA
Full name: Wesley Lewis Dennis
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .250 | .250 | .500 |
| 1952 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .500 | .750 | 1.250 |
| 1953 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .500 | .333 | .833 |
| 1954 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .200 | .800 | 1.000 |
| Listed seasons · 4 | 17 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .312 | — | — | — |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 246 | 871 | 101 | 218 | 38 | 8 | 13 | 132 | 2 | 68 | 3 | .250 | .309 | .357 | .666 | -550 |
Career AVG .250 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .309 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 6.6% below league average.
Career SLG .357 vs. league average .362 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .666 vs. league average .693 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | BEG | NN2 | 10 | 34 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .176 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1944 | BEG | NN2 | 33 | 122 | 16 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 0 | .246 | .261 (-6%) | .325 (-5%) | .357 (+8%) | .683 (+1%) | 13.8 |
| 1945 | BEG | NN2 | 50 | 175 | 21 | 45 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 27 | 2 | 13 | 1 | .257 | .260 (-1%) | .328 (-3%) | .354 (-3%) | .683 (-3%) | -94.6 |
| 1946 | PS | NN2 | 59 | 217 | 35 | 67 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 53 | 0 | 18 | 1 | .309 | .256 (+20%) | .328 (+10%) | .358 (+29%) | .687 (+20%) | 686.2 |
| 1947 | PS | NN2 | 48 | 157 | 13 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 17 | 1 | .217 | .262 (-17%) | .336 (-13%) | .376 (-31%) | .712 (-22%) | -531.1 |
| 1948 | PS | NN2 | 46 | 166 | 12 | 36 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .217 | .263 (-18%) | .340 (-24%) | .379 (-19%) | .719 (-22%) | -624.2 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 246 | 871 | 101 | 218 | 38 | 8 | 13 | 132 | 2 | 68 | 3 | .250 | — | — | — | — | -550 | ||
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 (239 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 118 | 406 | 60 | 109 | 6 | 33 | .268 |
| Away | 121 | 413 | 40 | 101 | 9 | 41 | .245 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948-09-12 | PH5 | NY6 | W | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-06 | PH5 | NW2 | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-05 | PH5 | BLG | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-08-27 | PH5 | HOM | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-08-23 | PH5 | HOM | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1948-08-17 | PH5 | BLG | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-08-16 | PH5 | NW2 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-08-09 | PH5 | NY6 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-08-08 | PH5 | NY6 | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-08-06 | PH5 | BLG | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 219 | 218 | 1992 | 88 | 43 | 114 |
| 2B | 6 | 6 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| 3B | 12 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| OF | 2 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 9 | 9 | 18 | 23 | 9 | 4 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | BEG | 2B | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943 | BEG | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943 | BEG | SS | 8 | 8 | 17 | 21 | 8 | 4 |
| 1944 | BEG | 1B | 20 | 20 | 205 | 11 | 8 | 9 |
| 1944 | BEG | 2B | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1944 | BEG | 3B | 11 | 11 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| 1944 | BEG | SS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945 | BEG | 1B | 50 | 49 | 476 | 17 | 11 | 27 |
| 1946 | PS | 1B | 58 | 58 | 535 | 23 | 10 | 30 |
| 1946 | PS | OF | 1 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947 | PS | 1B | 48 | 48 | 403 | 23 | 11 | 22 |
| 1947 | PS | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948 | PS | 1B | 43 | 43 | 373 | 14 | 3 | 26 |
| 1948 | PS | 2B | 3 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 219 |
| Second Base | 6 |
| Third Base | 12 |
| Shortstop | 9 |
| Left Field | 2 |
Doc Dennis: the record in brief
Doc Dennis's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1943 to 1948. Club by club, the record runs the Baltimore Elite Giants (1943 to 1945) and the Philadelphia Stars (1946 to 1948). Born on February 10, 1918, in Nashville, TN, USA, Dennis is listed as a first baseman and threw and hit right-handed. The bio gives 6'0" and 170 pounds. Dennis died on March 6, 2001, in Nashville, TN, USA. Dennis's full given name, per the bio, is Wesley Lewis Dennis.
The batting record for Dennis: 246 games, 218 hits in 871 at bats, and a .250 average, adding 13 home runs and 132 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .309 and the slugging percentage .357, for an OPS of .666. The .250 career average is close to the .260 the league hit across the same seasons. The hits column peaks at 67, in 1946. In 1946, a season of regular play, Dennis hit .309 while the league hit .256. The seasons in which Dennis beat the league batting average were 1946.
Frequently Asked Questions about Doc Dennis
- Was Doc Dennis a pitcher?
- No. Doc Dennis was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Doc Dennis hit?
- Doc Dennis hit 13 career home runs with 218 hits.
- What was Doc Dennis's career batting average?
- Doc Dennis batted .250 over his career, with 218 hits in 871 at bats.
- How many RBI did Doc Dennis have?
- Doc Dennis drove in 132 runs in his career.
- Is Doc Dennis in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Doc Dennis has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- What teams did Doc Dennis play for?
- Doc Dennis played for the Baltimore Elite Giants and the Philadelphia Stars.