Walter Hardy
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Walter Hardy was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for the New York Black Yankees. In 117 career games, he hit .198 with 81 hits, 1 home runs, and 31 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 155 lb
- Died
- 1980 in Rockland County, NY, USA
Full name: Walter Lee Hardy
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.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 117 | 409 | 38 | 81 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 4 | 24 | 4 | .198 | .244 | .240 | .484 | -1,936 |
Career AVG .198 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 24.1% below league average.
Career OBP .244 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 26.5% below league average.
Career SLG .240 vs. league average .365 across their career seasons — 34.4% below league average.
Career OPS .484 vs. league average .697 across their career seasons — 30.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | NBY | NN2 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .238 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1945 | NBY | NN2 | 20 | 58 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 3 | .138 | .260 (-47%) | .328 (-33%) | .354 (-42%) | .683 (-38%) | -342.4 |
| 1946 | NBY | NN2 | 38 | 141 | 12 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 1 | .241 | .256 (-6%) | .328 (-14%) | .358 (-29%) | .687 (-22%) | -466.6 |
| 1947 | NBY | NN2 | 31 | 113 | 12 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .177 | .262 (-33%) | .336 (-39%) | .376 (-41%) | .712 (-40%) | -738.7 |
| 1948 | NBY | NN2 | 21 | 76 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .184 | .263 (-30%) | .340 (-28%) | .379 (-34%) | .719 (-31%) | -388.5 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 117 | 409 | 38 | 81 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 4 | 24 | 4 | .198 | — | — | — | — | -1,936 | ||
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 (136 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 37 | 126 | 12 | 29 | 1 | 12 | .230 |
| Away | 99 | 343 | 38 | 72 | 0 | 17 | .210 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-09-05 | NY6 | KCM | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-09-05 | NY6 | KCM | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-09-04 | NY6 | KCM | L | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-24 | NY6 | MEM | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-21 | NY6 | HOE | W | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-08-21 | NY6 | HOE | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-08 | NY6 | IN9 | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | NY6 | IN9 | L | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | NY6 | IN9 | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-27 | NY6 | BLG | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2B | 29 | 26 | 65 | 85 | 9 | 12 |
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 86 | 81 | 176 | 248 | 22 | 40 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | NBY | 1B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1944 | NBY | SS | 7 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 1 | 2 |
| 1945 | NBY | 2B | 14 | 12 | 32 | 41 | 4 | 7 |
| 1945 | NBY | OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945 | NBY | SS | 5 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 4 |
| 1946 | NBY | 2B | 4 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 2 | 1 |
| 1946 | NBY | SS | 34 | 34 | 75 | 105 | 14 | 19 |
| 1947 | NBY | 2B | 11 | 10 | 21 | 28 | 3 | 4 |
| 1947 | NBY | SS | 20 | 20 | 43 | 61 | 5 | 10 |
| 1948 | NBY | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948 | NBY | SS | 20 | 17 | 34 | 51 | 1 | 5 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 29 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Shortstop | 86 |
| Center Field | 1 |
Walter Hardy: the record in brief
Walter Hardy's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1944 to 1948. The team column never changes: it is the New York Black Yankees from 1944 to 1948. Hardy, born on December 1, 1925, in Lakeland, FL, USA, is listed as a shortstop and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6-foot-0 and 155 pounds. The bio records the death in 1980, in Rockland County, NY, USA. The bio lists the given name Walter Lee.
Across 117 games at the plate, Hardy's career line reads 81 hits in 409 at bats for a .198 average, plus 1 home run and 31 runs batted in. Hardy got on base at a .244 rate and slugged .240 (.484 OPS). Measured against the leagues Hardy played in, the .198 career average compares with a .261 league average over the same seasons, 24.1% below the league. The OPS comparison is .484 to a league .697, 30.6% below average. The hits column peaks at 34, in 1946. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .241 in 1946, did not top the league's .256.
Frequently Asked Questions about Walter Hardy
- Was Walter Hardy a pitcher?
- No. Walter Hardy was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Walter Hardy hit?
- Walter Hardy hit 1 career home run with 81 hits.
- What teams did Walter Hardy play for?
- Walter Hardy played for one team, the New York Black Yankees (1944–1948).
- What were Walter Hardy's career stats?
- In 117 games, Walter Hardy had 81 hits, 1 home runs, 31 RBI, 38 runs, and 4 stolen bases, with a .198 batting average.
- What position did Walter Hardy play?
- Walter Hardy played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Walter Hardy and how much did he weigh?
- Walter Hardy was listed at 6 feet and 155 pounds.
- How many home runs did Walter Hardy hit each season?
- Walter Hardy's home runs by season: 0 in 1944, 0 in 1945, 0 in 1946, 0 in 1947, and 1 in 1948. His most in one season was 1, in 1948.
- What was Walter Hardy's career batting average?
- Walter Hardy batted .198 over his career, with 81 hits in 409 at bats.
- How many RBI did Walter Hardy have?
- Walter Hardy drove in 31 runs in his career.
- Is Walter Hardy in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Walter Hardy has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.