Howard Easterling
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Howard Easterling was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Tigers, the Chicago American Giants, and the Homestead Grays. In 311 career games, he hit .312 with 372 hits, 19 home runs, and 225 RBI. Howard Easterling was a 4-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 3,929.
- 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
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 179 lb
- Died
- 9/6/1993 in Collins, MS, USA
- Awards
- 4× All-Star
Full name: Howard Willis Easterling
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | 25.0 | 23.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | .174 | .240 | .261 | .501 |
| 1949 | 149.0 | 135.0 | 29.0 | 45.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 18.0 | 14.0 | 0 | 3.0 | .333 | .396 | .481 | .877 |
| Listed seasons · 2 | 174 | 158 | 32 | 49 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 16 | 0 | 3 | .310 | — | — | — |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 311 | 1,194 | 236 | 372 | 66 | 36 | 19 | 225 | 24 | 102 | 13 | .312 | .370 | .475 | .845 | 3,929 |
Career AVG .312 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — +18.2% above league average.
Career OBP .370 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +11.2% above league average.
Career SLG .475 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — +27.5% above league average.
Career OPS .845 vs. league average .705 across their career seasons — +19.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | CT | NAL | 35 | 131 | 25 | 46 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 9 | 1 | .351 | .276 (+27%) | .342 (+17%) | .398 (+44%) | .740 (+32%) | 652.8 |
| 1938 | CAG | NAL | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .750 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | HG | NN2 | 54 | 203 | 42 | 68 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 45 | 3 | 21 | 0 | .335 | .267 (+25%) | .335 (+19%) | .387 (+33%) | .722 (+27%) | 925.2 |
| 1941 | HG | NN2 | 55 | 208 | 49 | 62 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 39 | 8 | 17 | 6 | .298 | .262 (+14%) | .332 (+8%) | .373 (+28%) | .705 (+18%) | 619.8 |
| 1942 | HG | NN2 | 67 | 258 | 51 | 67 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 36 | 2 | 27 | 6 | .260 | .253 (+2%) | .323 (+4%) | .349 (+20%) | .672 (+12%) | 509.8 |
| 1943 | HG | NN2 | 64 | 250 | 47 | 87 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 52 | 8 | 19 | 0 | .348 | .255 (+36%) | .324 (+21%) | .346 (+40%) | .671 (+31%) | 1196.7 |
| 1946 | HG | NN2 | 35 | 140 | 21 | 39 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .279 | .256 (+8%) | .328 (-3%) | .358 (+10%) | .687 (+3%) | 24.2 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 311 | 1,194 | 236 | 372 | 66 | 36 | 19 | 225 | 24 | 102 | 13 | .312 | — | — | — | — | 3,929 | ||
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 (267 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 143 | 509 | 107 | 171 | 8 | 89 | .336 |
| Away | 124 | 467 | 86 | 144 | 12 | 62 | .308 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-09-05 | NY6 | KCM | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-05 | NY6 | KCM | W | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1949-09-04 | NY6 | KCM | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-04 | NY6 | KCM | L | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-24 | NY6 | MEM | W | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-21 | NY6 | HOE | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-21 | NY6 | HOE | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-08 | NY6 | IN9 | W | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | NY6 | IN9 | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | NY6 | IN9 | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 68 | 55 | 128 | 163 | 12 | 19 |
| 3B | 165 | 156 | 130 | 291 | 31 | 16 |
| OF | 63 | 59 | 105 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| SS | 41 | 38 | 76 | 100 | 23 | 12 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | CT | 3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937 | CT | OF | 5 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937 | CT | SS | 29 | 29 | 51 | 67 | 17 | 8 |
| 1938 | CAG | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | HG | 2B | 6 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 2 |
| 1940 | HG | 3B | 31 | 26 | 18 | 51 | 3 | 1 |
| 1940 | HG | OF | 22 | 22 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | HG | SS | 5 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 2 |
| 1941 | HG | 2B | 11 | 6 | 18 | 20 | 2 | 2 |
| 1941 | HG | 3B | 28 | 27 | 20 | 48 | 4 | 5 |
| 1941 | HG | OF | 19 | 18 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941 | HG | SS | 3 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 1 |
| 1942 | HG | 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942 | HG | 3B | 62 | 62 | 55 | 123 | 14 | 4 |
| 1942 | HG | OF | 6 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942 | HG | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943 | HG | 2B | 49 | 47 | 99 | 132 | 7 | 15 |
| 1943 | HG | 3B | 11 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 1943 | HG | OF | 10 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | HG | 3B | 32 | 31 | 29 | 56 | 9 | 5 |
| 1946 | HG | SS | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 68 |
| Third Base | 165 |
| Shortstop | 41 |
| Left Field | 18 |
| Center Field | 15 |
| Right Field | 30 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Howard Easterling: the record in brief
The season rows for Howard Easterling begin in 1937. The team column moves through the Cincinnati Tigers (1937), the Chicago American Giants (1938), and the Homestead Grays (1940 to 1946). Easterling is listed as a third baseman at 5'9" and 179 pounds. The bio says Easterling batted from both sides and threw right-handed. Easterling was born on November 26, 1911, in Mount Olive, MS, USA. The bio records the death on September 6, 1993, in Collins, MS, USA. The bio lists the given name Howard Willis.
Easterling's career batting table shows 311 games, 1,194 at bats and 372 hits, a .312 average, adding 19 homers, 225 RBI, and 24 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .370 clip and slugging .475, Easterling finished with a .845 OPS. Set against a .264 league average for the same years, Easterling's .312 average sits 18.2% above it. The OPS comparison is .845 to a league .705, 19.8% above average. Easterling collected a career-high 87 hits in 1943.
Frequently Asked Questions about Howard Easterling
- Was Howard Easterling a pitcher?
- No. Howard Easterling was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Howard Easterling hit?
- Howard Easterling hit 19 career home runs with 372 hits.
- What was Howard Easterling's career batting average?
- Howard Easterling batted .312 over his career, with 372 hits in 1,194 at bats.
- How many RBI did Howard Easterling have?
- Howard Easterling drove in 225 runs in his career.
- Is Howard Easterling in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Howard Easterling has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- What teams did Howard Easterling play for?
- Howard Easterling played for the Cincinnati Tigers, the Chicago American Giants, and the Homestead Grays.