Sonny Harris
Left Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Sonny Harris was a left fielder who played in Major League Baseball for 5 teams, including the Baltimore Black Sox. In 60 career games, he hit .251 with 44 hits, 1 home runs, and 27 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 76.
- 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
- B / —
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 165 lb
- Died
- 11/20/1990 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
Full name: James Harris
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 175 | 26 | 44 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 21 | 1 | .251 | .338 | .371 | .710 | 76 |
Career AVG .251 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — 6.6% below league average.
Career OBP .338 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .371 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .710 vs. league average .715 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | BBS | NN2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1934 | PS | NN2 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .091 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1937 | CT | NAL | 36 | 107 | 18 | 28 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 15 | 1 | .262 | .276 (-5%) | .342 (+3%) | .398 (+6%) | .740 (+4%) | 76.4 |
| 1942 | CCB | NAL | 7 | 21 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .476 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1942 | BBB | NAL | 12 | 31 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .161 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 60 | 175 | 26 | 44 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 21 | 1 | .251 | — | — | — | — | 76 | ||
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 (44 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 26 | 77 | 15 | 27 | 2 | 6 | .351 |
| Away | 18 | 59 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 8 | .237 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942-06-16 | CCB | KCM | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-06-15 | CCB | KCM | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942-06-03 | CCB | JAX | W | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942-06-02 | CCB | JAX | W | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-05-31 | CCB | JAX | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-05-31 | CCB | JAX | W | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-05-24 | CCB | JAX | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937-09-06 | CI1 | KCM | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937-09-06 | CI1 | KCM | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-09-05 | CI1 | KCM | W | 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 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2B | 9 | 8 | 20 | 17 | 3 | 4 |
| 3B | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| OF | 43 | 39 | 67 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| SS | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | BBS | 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934 | BBS | SS | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934 | PS | 1B | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1934 | PS | 2B | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| 1937 | CT | 2B | 7 | 6 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 |
| 1937 | CT | 3B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937 | CT | OF | 25 | 22 | 39 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1937 | CT | SS | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 1942 | CCB | OF | 7 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942 | BBB | OF | 11 | 11 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 9 |
| Third Base | 3 |
| Shortstop | 3 |
| Left Field | 30 |
| Center Field | 3 |
| Right Field | 10 |
Sonny Harris: the record in brief
Sonny Harris's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1934 to 1942. The team column moves through the Baltimore Black Sox (1934), the Philadelphia Stars (1934), the Cincinnati Tigers (1937), the Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes (1942), and the Birmingham Black Barons (1942). Harris is listed as a left fielder at 165 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Harris was born on October 19, 1914, in Kent, AL, USA. Harris's death is recorded on November 20, 1990, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. Sonny Harris was the playing name; the full given name is James.
Harris finished with 44 hits from 175 at bats in 60 games, which works out to .251, adding 1 home run and 27 RBI. Harris got on base at a .338 rate and slugged .371 (.710 OPS). Harris's .251 average ran 6.6% below the .269 that the league posted over the same seasons. 1937 produced Harris's most hits, 28 of them for the Cincinnati Tigers.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sonny Harris
- Was Sonny Harris a pitcher?
- No. Sonny Harris was a position player (Left Fielder).
- How many home runs did Sonny Harris hit?
- Sonny Harris hit 1 career home run with 44 hits.
- What teams did Sonny Harris play for?
- Sonny Harris played for 5 teams: the Baltimore Black Sox (1934), the Philadelphia Stars (1934), the Cincinnati Tigers (1937), the Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes (1942), and the Birmingham Black Barons (1942).
- What were Sonny Harris's career stats?
- In 60 games, Sonny Harris had 44 hits, 1 home runs, 27 RBI, 26 runs, and 1 stolen bases, with a .251 batting average.
- What position did Sonny Harris play?
- Sonny Harris played primarily as a left fielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Sonny Harris and how much did he weigh?
- Sonny Harris was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 165 pounds.
- How many home runs did Sonny Harris hit each season?
- Sonny Harris's home runs by season: 0 in 1934, 1 in 1937, and 0 in 1942. His most in one season was 1, in 1937.
- What was Sonny Harris's career batting average?
- Sonny Harris batted .251 over his career, with 44 hits in 175 at bats.
- How many RBI did Sonny Harris have?
- Sonny Harris drove in 27 runs in his career.
- Is Sonny Harris in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Sonny Harris has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.