Les Fleming
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1939-1949)
Les Fleming was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1949 for the Detroit Tigers, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 11 seasons. In 434 career games, he hit .277 with 369 hits, 29 home runs, and 199 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 5,216.
- 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
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 185 lb
- Died
- 3/5/1980 in Cleveland, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1939-04-22
- Last Game
- 1949-06-09
Full name: Leslie Harvey Fleming
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 434 | 1,330 | 168 | 369 | 69 | 15 | 29 | 199 | 7 | 226 | 152 | .277 | .386 | .417 | .804 | 5,216 |
Career AVG .277 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — +6.0% above league average.
Career OBP .386 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +15.8% above league average.
Career SLG .417 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — +12.9% above league average.
Career OPS .804 vs. league average .703 across their career seasons — +14.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | DET | AL | 8 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1941 | CLE | AL | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1942 | CLE | AL | 156 | 548 | 71 | 160 | 27 | 4 | 14 | 82 | 6 | 106 | 57 | .292 | .253 (+15%) | .323 (+28%) | .349 (+24%) | .672 (+26%) | 3251.7 |
| 1945 | CLE | AL | 42 | 140 | 18 | 46 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 11 | 5 | .329 | .260 (+26%) | .328 (+16%) | .354 (+39%) | .683 (+28%) | 606.2 |
| 1946 | CLE | AL | 99 | 306 | 40 | 85 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 42 | 1 | 50 | 42 | .278 | .256 (+8%) | .328 (+16%) | .358 (+24%) | .687 (+20%) | 1226.0 |
| 1947 | CLE | AL | 103 | 281 | 39 | 68 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 43 | 0 | 53 | 42 | .242 | .262 (-8%) | .336 (+8%) | .376 (-7%) | .712 (avg) | 132.2 |
| 1949 | PIT | NL | 24 | 31 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 2 | .258 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 434 | 1,330 | 168 | 369 | 69 | 15 | 29 | 199 | 7 | 226 | 152 | .277 | — | — | — | — | 5,216 | ||
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 (434 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 208 | 588 | 79 | 159 | 10 | 80 | .270 |
| Away | 226 | 742 | 88 | 210 | 19 | 120 | .283 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-06-09 | PIT | PHI | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-06-06 | PIT | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-06-04 | PIT | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-06-02 | PIT | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-06-01 | PIT | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-05-30 | PIT | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-05-25 | PIT | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-05-24 | PIT | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-05-22 | PIT | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-05-17 | PIT | NY1 | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 325 | 0 | 2867 | 220 | 32 | 299 |
| OF | 37 | 0 | 66 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | DET | OF | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941 | CLE | 1B | 2 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 1942 | CLE | 1B | 156 | 0 | 1503 | 90 | 12 | 152 |
| 1945 | CLE | 1B | 5 | 0 | 32 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 1945 | CLE | OF | 33 | 0 | 59 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 1946 | CLE | 1B | 80 | 0 | 607 | 62 | 11 | 60 |
| 1946 | CLE | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947 | CLE | 1B | 77 | 0 | 662 | 63 | 8 | 78 |
| 1949 | PIT | 1B | 5 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 325 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 36 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 25th | 4.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Les Fleming (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Les Fleming: the record in brief
The profile opens with Les Fleming's first major league game on April 22, 1939; the last one listed came on June 9, 1949. By club, Fleming's seasons break down as the Detroit Tigers (1939), the Cleveland Indians (1941 to 1947), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1949). Fleming, a first baseman by primary position, batted and threw left-handed. Fleming is listed at 5 feet, 10 inches and 185 pounds. Fleming was born on August 7, 1915, in Singleton, TX, USA. The bio records the death on March 5, 1980, in Cleveland, TX, USA. The bio lists the given name Leslie Harvey.
Fleming collected 369 hits in 1,330 at bats across 434 games, good for a .277 batting average, adding 29 homers and 199 runs batted in. Fleming got on base at a .386 rate and slugged .417 (.804 OPS). Set against a .262 league average for the same years, Fleming's .277 average sits 6.0% above it. In OPS terms, Fleming's .804 stands 14.3% above the league's .703.
Frequently Asked Questions about Les Fleming
- What years did Les Fleming play?
- Les Fleming played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1949.
- Was Les Fleming a pitcher?
- No. Les Fleming was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Les Fleming hit?
- Les Fleming hit 29 career home runs with 369 hits.
- What teams did Les Fleming play for?
- Les Fleming played for 3 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1939), the Cleveland Indians (1941–1942, 1945–1947), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1949).
- What were Les Fleming's career stats?
- In 434 games, Les Fleming had 369 hits, 29 home runs, 199 RBI, 168 runs, and 7 stolen bases, with a .277 batting average.
- What position did Les Fleming play?
- Les Fleming played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Les Fleming and how much did he weigh?
- Les Fleming was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 185 pounds.
- How many home runs did Les Fleming hit each season?
- Les Fleming's home runs by season: 0 in 1939, 0 in 1941, 14 in 1942, 3 in 1945, 8 in 1946, 4 in 1947, and 0 in 1949. His most in one season was 14, in 1942.
- What was Les Fleming's career batting average?
- Les Fleming batted .277 over his career, with 369 hits in 1,330 at bats.
- How many RBI did Les Fleming have?
- Les Fleming drove in 199 runs in his career.
- Is Les Fleming in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Les Fleming has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.