José María Fernández

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records

José María Fernández was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball for 4 teams, including the Cuban Stars East. In 500 career games, he hit .283 with 484 hits, 4 home runs, and 233 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

AVG .283
HR 4
RBI 233
H 484
OPS .672
PIV -1,532
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 170 lb
Born
6/6/1896 in Guanabacoa, La Habana, Cuba
Died
7/20/1972 in Guanabacoa, La Habana, Cuba

Full name: José María Tranquilino Fernández

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

José María Fernández — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
210.0 189.0 20.0 44.0 6.0 1.0 2.0 14.0 16.0 2.0 0 .233 .298 .307 .605

Pitching

José María Fernández — Pitching
W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
1 0 1 1 0 0 9.0 9 4 4 0 5 3 4.00 1.56

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

José María Fernández — Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1936 13.0 12.0 2.0 4.0 0 0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0 0 .333 .385 .583 .968
1937 14.0 13.0 2.0 4.0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 .308 .308 .462 .770
Listed seasons · 2 27 25 4 8 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 .320 — — —

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

José María Fernández — Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching
Season W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
1936 1 0 1 1 0 0 9.0 9 4 4 0 5 3 4.00 1.56
Listed seasons · 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 9.0 9 4 4 0 5 3 4.00 1.56

Career Batting Statistics

José María Fernández — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
500 1,712 182 484 68 11 4 233 18 113 2 .283 .330 .342 .672 -1,532

Career AVG .283 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .330 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .342 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 9.8% below league average.

Career OPS .672 vs. league average .717 across their career seasons — 6.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

José María Fernández Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1916 CSE EAS 8 26 2 5 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 .192 — — — — 0.0
1917 CSE EAS 26 102 13 33 5 0 0 16 1 7 0 .324 .248 (+30%) .312 (+17%) .323 (+15%) .635 (+16%) 251.3
1918 CSE EAS 25 93 11 32 4 3 0 15 1 9 0 .344 .255 (+35%) .318 (+26%) .326 (+38%) .645 (+32%) 447.0
1919 CSE EAS 17 65 11 25 3 0 0 14 2 5 0 .385 .262 (+47%) .322 (+33%) .347 (+24%) .670 (+28%) 297.0
1920 CSE EAS 14 56 6 14 2 0 0 10 0 2 0 .250 .271 (-8%) .331 (-17%) .363 (-21%) .694 (-19%) -169.0
1922 CSE IND 16 51 5 11 1 1 1 3 2 5 0 .216 .285 (-24%) .345 (-17%) .397 (-16%) .743 (-17%) -144.9
1923 CSE ECL 32 113 13 26 9 0 0 16 1 5 0 .230 .282 (-19%) .344 (-22%) .390 (-21%) .734 (-21%) -408.2
1924 CSE ECL 48 169 13 43 3 0 0 18 1 14 1 .254 .283 (-10%) .345 (-8%) .389 (-30%) .734 (-20%) -489.0
1925 CSE ECL 35 133 13 37 4 1 1 14 2 9 0 .278 .288 (-3%) .349 (-7%) .407 (-15%) .756 (-11%) -249.7
1926 CSE ECL 42 146 19 39 7 2 1 19 2 11 0 .267 .279 (-4%) .345 (-5%) .390 (-7%) .735 (-6%) -153.2
1927 CSE ECL 55 186 18 49 6 0 1 25 2 15 0 .263 .282 (-7%) .344 (-8%) .392 (-21%) .736 (-14%) -413.5
1928 CSE ECL 30 125 11 44 7 1 0 18 2 1 0 .352 .280 (+25%) .342 (+6%) .395 (+7%) .737 (+7%) 116.2
1929 CSE ANL 54 180 20 49 6 0 0 17 0 12 0 .272 .289 (-6%) .353 (-9%) .415 (-26%) .769 (-19%) -534.7
1929 CSW NNL 3 13 2 6 1 1 0 4 0 0 0 .462 — — — — -534.7
1930 CAG NNL 32 103 13 41 5 2 0 27 0 8 0 .398 .293 (+35%) .354 (+26%) .429 (+13%) .784 (+19%) 382.6
1939 NYC NN2 5 14 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .071 — — — — 0.0
1940 NYC NN2 17 52 9 12 2 0 0 7 0 5 0 .231 .267 (-14%) .335 (-11%) .387 (-31%) .722 (-22%) -170.8
1941 NYC NN2 23 59 1 13 1 0 0 3 0 2 0 .220 .262 (-16%) .332 (-26%) .373 (-36%) .705 (-32%) -292.6
1942 NYC NN2 11 19 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .105 — — — — 0.0
1944 NYC NN2 6 6 1 2 2 0 0 5 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
1947 NYC NN2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 21 seasons 500 1,712 182 484 68 11 4 233 18 113 2 .283 — — — — -2,066

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 Pitching Statistics

José María Fernández — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
1 0 1 1 0 0 0 8.1 9 2 0 3 5 2.16 0.0

Career ERA 2.16 vs. league average 2.83 across their career seasons — 23.6% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

José María Fernández — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1918 CSE EAS 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 8.1 9 2 3 5 2.16 — 0.0
Career · 1 season 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 8.1 9 2 3 5 2.16 — 0

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 (66 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

José María Fernández — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home11160200.125
Away551261230112.238

Last 10 Games — Batting

José María Fernández — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1947-06-04 NY6BLGL 000000000
1944-09-04 NY6HOMW 000000100
1944-07-02 NY6PH5L 100000000
1944-06-25 NY6BLGL 100000000
1944-06-02 NY6HOMW 100000010
1944-05-28 NY6PH5L 100000000
1944-05-21 NY6NY5W 111100200
1944-05-20 NY6PH5W 101100300
1942-07-12 NY6BLGL 100000000
1942-07-02 NY6PH5L 000000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

José María Fernández — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 62 39 437 15 10 21
2B 1 1 4 0 0 0
C 419 328 1640 364 63 33
OF 13 2 11 3 0 0
P 1 0 2 3 1 0
PH 1 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

José María Fernández — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1916 CSE C 8 0 27 10 3 1
1917 CSE 1B 4 0 41 1 3 5
1917 CSE C 19 0 91 26 2 1
1917 CSE OF 3 0 5 0 0 0
1918 CSE 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1918 CSE C 20 0 65 27 3 2
1918 CSE OF 6 0 3 3 0 0
1918 CSE P 1 0 2 3 1 0
1919 CSE 1B 8 8 84 2 1 5
1919 CSE C 10 9 29 6 0 0
1920 CSE 1B 2 1 9 0 0 0
1920 CSE C 13 12 51 11 2 3
1920 CSE OF 1 1 2 0 0 0
1922 CSE 1B 3 2 8 0 1 0
1922 CSE C 15 14 73 13 4 1
1923 CSE 1B 1 1 5 0 0 0
1923 CSE C 32 31 140 30 3 2
1924 CSE 1B 17 12 124 4 3 5
1924 CSE C 35 33 162 33 5 0
1925 CSE 1B 9 0 0 0 0 0
1925 CSE C 28 0 0 0 0 0
1926 CSE 1B 4 3 28 2 0 1
1926 CSE C 38 38 148 34 3 7
1927 CSE 1B 3 3 29 2 0 0
1927 CSE C 50 50 198 50 13 3
1927 CSE OF 1 1 1 0 0 0
1928 CSE 1B 7 7 77 2 2 4
1928 CSE C 23 23 95 15 2 0
1929 CSE 1B 1 1 15 0 0 1
1929 CSE C 52 50 202 48 10 8
1929 CSW C 3 3 16 5 0 0
1930 CAG 1B 1 1 15 2 0 0
1930 CAG 2B 1 1 4 0 0 0
1930 CAG C 29 28 162 19 4 2
1939 NYC C 4 4 18 2 1 0
1940 NYC C 16 14 68 16 4 0
1941 NYC 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1941 NYC C 20 15 73 14 3 3
1942 NYC C 4 4 22 5 1 0
1944 NYC OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1947 NYC PH 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

José María Fernández Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 1
Catcher 419
First Base 62
Second Base 1
Left Field 3
Right Field 10

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

  1. 98
    Bennie Tate
    .279 avg, 4 HR
  2. 82
    Bill Merritt
    .272 avg, 8 HR
  3. 71
    Hank DeBerry
    .267 avg, 11 HR
  4. 66
    Bob Wood
    .281 avg, 2 HR
  5. 66
    Grover Hartley
    .268 avg, 3 HR
  6. 62
    Clyde Kluttz
    .268 avg, 19 HR

José María Fernández: the record in brief

The season rows for José María Fernández begin in 1916. By club, Fernández's seasons break down as the Cuban Stars East (1916 through 1929), the Cuban Stars West (1929), the Chicago American Giants (1930), and the New York Cubans (1939 to 1947). At 170 pounds on a 5-foot-8 frame, Fernández is listed as a catcher. Fernández threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is June 6, 1896, in Guanabacoa, La Habana, Cuba. Fernández's death is recorded on July 20, 1972, in Guanabacoa, La Habana, Cuba. The given name on file is José María Tranquilino Fernández.

The batting record for Fernández: 500 games, 484 hits in 1,712 at bats, and a .283 average; the totals also include 4 home runs and 233 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .330 and .342 give Fernández a career OPS of .672. Against a .273 league average for those years, Fernández's .283 average was near the norm. By OPS the gap is 6.2% below league average (.672 against .717).

Frequently Asked Questions about José María Fernández

Was José María Fernández a pitcher?
No. José María Fernández was a position player (Catcher), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
How many home runs did José María Fernández hit?
José María Fernández hit 4 career home runs with 484 hits.
What teams did José María Fernández play for?
José María Fernández played for 4 teams: the Cuban Stars East (1916–1920, 1922–1929), the Cuban Stars West (1929), the Chicago American Giants (1930), and the New York Cubans (1939–1942, 1944, 1947).
What were José María Fernández's career stats?
In 500 games, José María Fernández had 484 hits, 4 home runs, 233 RBI, 182 runs, and 18 stolen bases, with a .283 batting average.
What position did José María Fernández play?
José María Fernández played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was José María Fernández and how much did he weigh?
José María Fernández was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 170 pounds.
How many home runs did José María Fernández hit each season?
José María Fernández's home runs by season: 0 in 1916, 0 in 1917, 0 in 1918, 0 in 1919, 0 in 1920, 1 in 1922, 0 in 1923, 0 in 1924, 1 in 1925, 1 in 1926, 1 in 1927, 0 in 1928, 0 in 1929, 0 in 1930, 0 in 1939, 0 in 1940, 0 in 1941, 0 in 1942, 0 in 1944, and 0 in 1947. His most in one season was 1, in 1922, 1925, 1926, and 1927.
What was José María Fernández's career batting average?
José María Fernández batted .283 over his career, with 484 hits in 1,712 at bats.
How many RBI did José María Fernández have?
José María Fernández drove in 233 runs in his career.
What was José María Fernández's career ERA?
José María Fernández finished with a 2.16 career ERA, going 1-0 with 5 strikeouts.
Is José María Fernández in the Hall of Fame?
No. José María Fernández has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.