Napoleon Hairston
Left Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Napoleon Hairston was a left fielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Crawfords. In 37 career games, he hit .221 with 29 hits, 2 home runs, and 18 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
- Left Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 208 lb
- Died
- 1/26/1980 in Johnston County, NC, USA
Full name: Napoleon Richard Hairston
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 131 | 28 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | .221 | .311 | .344 | .654 | -232 |
Career AVG .221 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 18.9% below league average.
Career OBP .311 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 9.0% below league average.
Career SLG .344 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 12.5% below league average.
Career OPS .654 vs. league average .734 across their career seasons — 10.9% below 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 | PC | NN2 | 37 | 131 | 28 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | .221 | .272 (-19%) | .341 (-9%) | .392 (-13%) | .734 (-11%) | -232.2 |
| Career · 1 season | 37 | 131 | 28 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | .221 | — | — | — | — | -232 | ||
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 (29 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 9 | 28 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 3 | .429 |
| Away | 20 | 71 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 12 | .141 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938-08-28 | PTC | HOM | L | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-08-07 | PTC | PH5 | L | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-08-06 | PTC | PH5 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938-07-31 | PTC | NY5 | W | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-07-16 | PTC | PH5 | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-07-16 | PTC | PH5 | W | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-07-13 | PTC | PH5 | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-07-03 | PTC | HOM | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938-07-03 | PTC | HOM | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938-06-26 | PTC | NY5 | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 37 |
Napoleon Hairston: the record in brief
Napoleon Hairston's record on this page is drawn from the season tables. Every season row on the page belongs to the Pittsburgh Crawfords, in 1938. Hairston is listed as a left fielder at 5-foot-11 and 208 pounds. Hairston batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is August 22, 1912, in Winston-Salem, NC, USA. Hairston died on January 26, 1980, in Johnston County, NC, USA. The given name on file is Napoleon Richard Hairston.
Hairston's career batting table shows 37 games, 131 at bats and 29 hits, a .221 average; the totals also include 2 homers and 18 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .311 and the slugging percentage .344, for an OPS of .654. Hairston's .221 average ran 18.9% below the .273 that the league posted over the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 10.9% below league average (.654 against .734). Hairston's lone season row is 1938 with the Pittsburgh Crawfords: 37 games, 29 hits in 131 at bats. That year the league hit .272, the figure in the row's Lg AVG column.
Frequently Asked Questions about Napoleon Hairston
- Was Napoleon Hairston a pitcher?
- No. Napoleon Hairston was a position player (Left Fielder).
- How many home runs did Napoleon Hairston hit?
- Napoleon Hairston hit 2 career home runs with 29 hits.
- What teams did Napoleon Hairston play for?
- Napoleon Hairston played for one team, the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1938).
- What were Napoleon Hairston's career stats?
- In 37 games, Napoleon Hairston had 29 hits, 2 home runs, 18 RBI, 28 runs, and 2 stolen bases, with a .221 batting average.
- What position did Napoleon Hairston play?
- Napoleon Hairston played primarily as a left fielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Napoleon Hairston and how much did he weigh?
- Napoleon Hairston was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 208 pounds.
- What was Napoleon Hairston's career batting average?
- Napoleon Hairston batted .221 over his career, with 29 hits in 131 at bats.
- How many RBI did Napoleon Hairston have?
- Napoleon Hairston drove in 18 runs in his career.
- Is Napoleon Hairston in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Napoleon Hairston has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.