Art Hefner
Center Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Art Hefner was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball for the New York Black Yankees. In 23 career games, he hit .227 with 20 hits and 6 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
- Center Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 154 lb
- Died
- 5/2/1988 in Brevard, NC, USA
Full name: James Chester Arthur Hefner
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 88 | 8 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 0 | .227 | .284 | .227 | .511 | -391 |
Career AVG .227 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 13.8% below league average.
Career OBP .284 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 16.4% below league average.
Career SLG .227 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 40.1% below league average.
Career OPS .511 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — 28.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | NBY | NN2 | 23 | 88 | 8 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 0 | .227 | .263 (-14%) | .340 (-16%) | .379 (-40%) | .719 (-29%) | -391.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 23 | 88 | 8 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 0 | .227 | — | — | — | — | -391 | ||
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 (59 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 28 | 103 | 11 | 23 | 0 | 3 | .223 |
| Away | 31 | 101 | 13 | 25 | 0 | 5 | .248 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-09-05 | PH5 | BLG | L | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-02 | PH5 | BLG | L | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-26 | PH5 | BLG | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-24 | PH5 | BLG | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-06 | PH5 | IN9 | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-08-01 | PH5 | CAG | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-31 | PH5 | CAG | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-31 | PH5 | CAG | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-26 | PH5 | IN9 | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-25 | PH5 | IN9 | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Third Base | 6 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Center Field | 17 |
| Right Field | 3 |
Art Hefner: the record in brief
The season rows for Art Hefner begin in 1948. The team column never changes: it is the New York Black Yankees in 1948. The bio lists Hefner as a center fielder who hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. The recorded size is 6 feet, 1 inch and 154 pounds. Hefner was born on August 2, 1913, in Brevard, NC, USA. The bio records the death on May 2, 1988, in Brevard, NC, USA. On the record, Art Hefner was born James Chester Arthur Hefner.
The batting record for Hefner: 23 games, 20 hits in 88 at bats, and a .227 average, plus 6 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .284 and the slugging percentage .227, for an OPS of .511. Hefner's .227 average ran 13.8% below the .264 that the league posted over the same seasons. Only one season appears, 1948 for the New York Black Yankees, when Hefner played 23 games and went 20 for 88. That year the league hit .263, the figure in the row's Lg AVG column.
Frequently Asked Questions about Art Hefner
- Was Art Hefner a pitcher?
- No. Art Hefner was a position player (Center Fielder).
- How many home runs did Art Hefner hit?
- Art Hefner hit 0 career home runs with 20 hits.
- What was Art Hefner's career batting average?
- Art Hefner batted .227 over his career, with 20 hits in 88 at bats.
- How many RBI did Art Hefner have?
- Art Hefner drove in 6 runs in his career.
- Is Art Hefner in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Art Hefner has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- What teams did Art Hefner play for?
- Art Hefner played for the New York Black Yankees.