Lee Handley

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1936-1947)

Lee Handley was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1947 for the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 12 seasons. In 968 career games, he hit .269 with 902 hits, 15 home runs, and 297 RBI.

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 .269
HR 15
RBI 297
H 902
OPS .669
PIV -3,740
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'7" / 160 lb
Born
7/13/1913 in Clarion, IA, USA
Died
4/8/1970 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1936-04-15
Last Game
1947-09-28

Full name: Lee Elmer Handley

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Career Batting Statistics

Lee Handley — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
968 3,356 418 902 122 45 15 297 68 267 204 .269 .323 .345 .669 -3,740

Career AVG .269 vs. league average .268 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .323 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .345 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — 9.0% below league average.

Career OPS .669 vs. league average .716 across their career seasons — 6.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lee Handley 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
1936 CIN NL 24 78 10 24 1 0 2 8 3 7 16 .308 .283 (+8%) .349 (+4%) .404 (-2%) .753 (+1%) 30.1
1937 PIT NL 127 480 59 120 21 12 3 37 5 37 40 .250 .276 (-10%) .342 (-11%) .398 (-9%) .740 (-10%) -865.8
1938 PIT NL 139 570 91 153 25 8 6 51 7 53 31 .268 .272 (-2%) .341 (-3%) .392 (-5%) .734 (-4%) -407.4
1939 PIT NL 101 376 43 107 14 5 1 42 17 32 20 .285 .274 (+4%) .342 (avg) .393 (-9%) .735 (-5%) -305.9
1940 PIT NL 98 302 50 85 7 4 1 19 7 27 16 .281 .267 (+5%) .335 (+2%) .387 (-12%) .722 (-6%) -243.3
1941 PIT NL 124 459 59 132 18 4 0 33 16 35 22 .288 .262 (+10%) .332 (+2%) .373 (-8%) .705 (-3%) -230.7
1944 PIT NL 40 86 7 19 2 0 0 5 1 3 5 .221 .261 (-15%) .325 (-24%) .357 (-32%) .683 (-28%) -371.9
1945 PIT NL 98 312 39 93 16 2 1 32 7 20 16 .298 .260 (+14%) .328 (+4%) .354 (+5%) .683 (+4%) 189.1
1946 PIT NL 116 416 43 99 8 7 1 28 4 29 20 .238 .256 (-7%) .328 (-12%) .358 (-17%) .687 (-15%) -974.1
1947 PHI NL 101 277 17 70 10 3 0 42 1 24 18 .253 .262 (-4%) .336 (-7%) .376 (-17%) .712 (-13%) -559.6
Career · 10 seasons 968 3,356 418 902 122 45 15 297 68 267 204 .269 — — — — -3,740

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 (968 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Lee Handley — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home48016282194641151.285
Away488172820043814144.253

Last 10 Games — Batting

Lee Handley — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1947-09-28 PHINY1W 000000000
1947-09-27 PHINY1W 000000000
1947-09-25 PHIBROL 100000000
1947-09-21 PHINY1W 100000000
1947-09-18 PHICINL 100000000
1947-09-16 PHIPITW 000000000
1947-09-15 PHIPITL 101000000
1947-09-14 PHIPITW 000000000
1947-09-14 PHIPITW 101000100
1947-09-10 PHISTLL 401000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Lee Handley — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 169 0 395 459 50 83
3B 713 0 703 1464 117 107
SS 4 0 8 11 2 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Lee Handley — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1936 CIN 2B 16 0 42 45 7 6
1936 CIN 3B 7 0 7 13 1 2
1937 PIT 2B 126 0 296 375 35 67
1937 PIT 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1938 PIT 3B 136 0 119 304 23 26
1939 PIT 3B 100 0 83 180 18 14
1940 PIT 2B 2 0 5 4 1 3
1940 PIT 3B 80 0 84 139 18 12
1941 PIT 3B 114 0 125 247 21 19
1944 PIT 2B 19 0 39 32 4 7
1944 PIT 3B 11 0 6 17 0 0
1944 PIT SS 3 0 6 7 0 3
1945 PIT 3B 79 0 85 183 15 13
1946 PIT 2B 3 0 9 2 2 0
1946 PIT 3B 102 0 107 237 15 13
1947 PHI 2B 3 0 4 1 1 0
1947 PHI 3B 83 0 87 144 6 8
1947 PHI SS 1 0 2 4 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Lee Handley Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 169
Third Base 714
Shortstop 4

College History

Lee Handley — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Bradley University Peoria IL 1933, 1934

Award Voting History

Lee Handley — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1938 Most Valuable Player NL 29th 2.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Lee Handley (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Chick Galloway
    .264 avg, 17 HR
  2. 90
    Bob Jones
    .265 avg, 7 HR
  3. 88
    Jimmy Brown
    .279 avg, 9 HR
  4. 85
    Steve Yerkes
    .268 avg, 6 HR
  5. 85
    Harry Wolverton
    .278 avg, 7 HR
  6. 84
    Babe Pinelli
    .276 avg, 5 HR

Lee Handley: the record in brief

April 15, 1936 and September 28, 1947 bracket Lee Handley's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Handley's seasons break down as the Cincinnati Reds (1936), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1937 through 1946), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1947). At 160 pounds on a 5-foot-7 frame, Handley is listed as a third baseman. The bio says Handley batted and threw right-handed. Handley was born on July 13, 1913, in Clarion, IA, USA. The bio records the death on April 8, 1970, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Handley's full given name, per the bio, is Lee Elmer Handley.

The batting record for Handley: 968 games, 902 hits in 3,356 at bats, and a .269 average; the totals also include 15 home runs, 297 runs batted in, and 68 stolen bases. Handley got on base at a .323 rate and slugged .345 (.669 OPS). Handley hit .269 while the league hit .268 over the same span, a figure close to average. The OPS comparison is .669 to a league .716, 6.6% below average. Handley collected a career-high 153 hits in 1938.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lee Handley

What years did Lee Handley play?
Lee Handley played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1947.
Was Lee Handley a pitcher?
No. Lee Handley was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Lee Handley hit?
Lee Handley hit 15 career home runs with 902 hits.
What teams did Lee Handley play for?
Lee Handley played for 3 teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1936), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1937–1941, 1944–1946), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1947).
What were Lee Handley's career stats?
In 968 games, Lee Handley had 902 hits, 15 home runs, 297 RBI, 418 runs, and 68 stolen bases, with a .269 batting average.
What position did Lee Handley play?
Lee Handley played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Lee Handley and how much did he weigh?
Lee Handley was listed at 5 feet 7 inches and 160 pounds.
How many home runs did Lee Handley hit each season?
Lee Handley's home runs by season: 2 in 1936, 3 in 1937, 6 in 1938, 1 in 1939, 1 in 1940, 0 in 1941, 0 in 1944, 1 in 1945, 1 in 1946, and 0 in 1947. His most in one season was 6, in 1938.
What was Lee Handley's career batting average?
Lee Handley batted .269 over his career, with 902 hits in 3,356 at bats.
How many RBI did Lee Handley have?
Lee Handley drove in 297 runs in his career.
Is Lee Handley in the Hall of Fame?
No. Lee Handley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.