Sammy Hughes

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (Final season: 1946)

Sammy Hughes was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball for 6 teams, including the Louisville White Sox. In 412 career games, he hit .316 with 484 hits, 21 home runs, and 235 RBI. Sammy Hughes was a 6-time All-Star. 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 4,570.

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 .316
HR 21
RBI 235
H 484
OPS .842
PIV 4,570
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 192 lb
Born
10/20/1910 in Louisville, KY, USA
Died
8/9/1981 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
Last Game
1946-09-15
Awards
6× All-Star

Full name: Samuel Thomas Hughes

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Sammy Hughes — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1454.0 1276.0 292.0 413.0 68.0 26.0 21.0 120.0 146.0 7.0 22.0 .324 .394 .467 .861

Pitching

Sammy Hughes — Pitching
W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
0 0 0 0 1 0 1.2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 1.20

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.

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Sammy Hughes — Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1941 15.0 14.0 3.0 5.0 1.0 0 0 0 1.0 0 1.0 .357 .400 .429 .829
Listed seasons · 1 15 14 3 5 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 .357 — — —

Career Batting Statistics

Sammy Hughes — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
412 1,530 325 484 91 27 21 235 21 177 11 .316 .390 .452 .842 4,570

Career AVG .316 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — +16.3% above league average.

Career OBP .390 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — +15.5% above league average.

Career SLG .452 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — +17.1% above league average.

Career OPS .842 vs. league average .724 across their career seasons — +16.4% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Sammy Hughes 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
1931 LOW NNL 24 83 13 28 9 1 1 14 0 7 0 .337 .276 (+22%) .338 (+15%) .388 (+30%) .726 (+23%) 306.6
1932 WAP EWL 36 115 22 40 3 3 1 15 2 14 0 .348 .275 (+26%) .335 (+26%) .391 (+16%) .726 (+20%) 451.8
1933 NEG NN2 23 86 11 29 4 1 0 13 1 10 0 .337 .270 (+25%) .329 (+23%) .377 (+8%) .707 (+15%) 243.6
1934 NEG NN2 37 135 26 43 7 0 1 21 5 12 1 .319 .278 (+15%) .340 (+10%) .392 (avg) .733 (+5%) 132.3
1935 CEG NN2 27 120 31 38 10 2 0 17 0 15 0 .317 .279 (+13%) .342 (+15%) .399 (+8%) .742 (+11%) 251.4
1936 WEG NN2 32 119 29 38 2 5 3 22 1 16 0 .319 .283 (+12%) .349 (+16%) .404 (+23%) .753 (+19%) 419.8
1937 WEG NN2 27 100 23 34 8 3 2 15 0 9 0 .340 .276 (+23%) .342 (+17%) .398 (+36%) .740 (+27%) 441.6
1938 BEG NN2 26 105 24 38 7 4 2 22 3 10 0 .362 .272 (+33%) .341 (+24%) .392 (+43%) .734 (+34%) 588.4
1939 BEG NN2 25 95 20 34 10 2 0 11 0 13 2 .358 .274 (+31%) .342 (+27%) .393 (+29%) .735 (+28%) 467.2
1940 BEG NN2 58 229 53 65 15 4 6 37 4 27 4 .284 .267 (+6%) .335 (+8%) .387 (+19%) .722 (+14%) 559.6
1942 BEG NN2 54 211 47 62 13 1 3 30 2 18 4 .294 .253 (+16%) .323 (+8%) .349 (+17%) .672 (+12%) 410.2
1946 BEG NN2 43 132 26 35 3 1 2 18 3 26 0 .265 .256 (+3%) .328 (+20%) .358 (-3%) .687 (+8%) 297.4
Career · 12 seasons 412 1,530 325 484 91 27 21 235 21 177 11 .316 — — — — 4,570

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.

Career Pitching Statistics

Sammy Hughes — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.2 2 1 0 1 0 5.40 0.0

Career ERA 5.40 vs. league average 4.34 across their career seasons — 24.5% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Sammy Hughes — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1937 WEG NN2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.2 2 1 1 0 5.40 — 0.0
Career · 1 season 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.2 2 1 1 0 5.40 — 0

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Sammy Hughes — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
8 26 7 10 3 0 1 5 6 0 .385

Playoff Batting by Year

Sammy Hughes — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1939 NLC BEG 4 11 1 3 1 0 0 1 4 0 .273
1939 NLP1 BEG 4 15 6 7 2 0 1 4 2 0 .467

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Sammy Hughes — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 16 13 134 5 5 5
2B 380 375 882 1078 94 158
3B 1 1 3 3 0 1
C 1 0 1 1 1 0
OF 3 1 3 0 0 0
P 1 0 0 1 0 0
SS 9 9 20 29 5 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Sammy Hughes — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1931 LOW 2B 18 18 40 54 6 8
1931 LOW SS 6 6 15 19 3 4
1932 WAP 1B 15 13 129 5 5 5
1932 WAP 2B 20 18 52 53 2 4
1932 WAP OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1933 NEG 1B 1 0 5 0 0 0
1933 NEG 2B 22 22 47 48 6 13
1933 NEG SS 1 1 2 5 0 2
1934 NEG 2B 37 36 71 79 12 14
1935 CEG 2B 26 26 58 80 9 9
1935 CEG OF 1 1 2 0 0 0
1936 WEG 2B 31 31 85 98 11 16
1937 WEG 2B 25 25 52 74 5 12
1937 WEG P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1937 WEG SS 1 1 1 2 1 1
1938 BEG 2B 26 26 72 86 7 15
1939 BEG 2B 25 25 69 75 4 10
1939 BEG C 1 0 1 1 1 0
1940 BEG 2B 57 56 119 165 9 25
1940 BEG SS 1 1 2 3 1 0
1942 BEG 2B 53 53 125 151 9 23
1946 BEG 2B 40 39 92 115 14 9
1946 BEG 3B 1 1 3 3 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Sammy Hughes Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 1
Catcher 1
First Base 16
Second Base 380
Third Base 1
Shortstop 9
Left Field 2
Center Field 1

Most Similar Players

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

  1. 98
    Bill Pierce
    .317 avg, 18 HR
  2. 91
    George Giles
    .316 avg, 11 HR
  3. 89
    Bill Pettus
    .316 avg, 24 HR
  4. 86
    Robert Hudspeth
    .315 avg, 42 HR
  5. 85
    Howard Easterling
    .312 avg, 19 HR
  6. 84
    Pythias Russ
    .326 avg, 14 HR

Compare Sammy Hughes

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Hughes's closest peers by position and era.

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Sammy Hughes: the record in brief

The season rows for Sammy Hughes begin in 1931. Club by club, the record runs the Louisville White Sox (1931), the Washington Pilots (1932), the Nashville Elite Giants (1933 to 1934), the Columbus Elite Giants (1935), the Washington Elite Giants (1936 to 1937), and the Baltimore Elite Giants (1938 to 1946). Hughes, born on October 20, 1910, in Louisville, KY, USA, is listed as a second baseman and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6'3" and 192 pounds. Hughes died on August 9, 1981, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. On the record, Sammy Hughes was born Samuel Thomas Hughes.

Hughes's career batting table shows 412 games, 1,530 at bats and 484 hits, a .316 average, adding 21 home runs, 235 runs batted in, and 21 stolen bases. Hughes got on base at a .390 rate and slugged .452 (.842 OPS). Set against a .272 league average for the same years, Hughes's .316 average sits 16.3% above it.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sammy Hughes

Was Sammy Hughes a pitcher?
No. Sammy Hughes was a position player (Second Baseman), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
How many home runs did Sammy Hughes hit?
Sammy Hughes hit 21 career home runs with 484 hits.
What teams did Sammy Hughes play for?
Sammy Hughes played for 3 teams: the Louisville White Sox (1931), the Washington Pilots (1932), and the Baltimore Elite Giants (1933–1940, 1942, 1946).
Did Sammy Hughes win an MVP award?
No. Sammy Hughes did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Sammy Hughes win?
Sammy Hughes was selected to 6 All-Star Games.
What were Sammy Hughes's career stats?
In 412 games, Sammy Hughes had 484 hits, 21 home runs, 235 RBI, 325 runs, and 21 stolen bases, with a .316 batting average.
What position did Sammy Hughes play?
Sammy Hughes played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Sammy Hughes and how much did he weigh?
Sammy Hughes was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 192 pounds.
How many home runs did Sammy Hughes hit each season?
Sammy Hughes's home runs by season: 1 in 1931, 1 in 1932, 0 in 1933, 1 in 1934, 0 in 1935, 3 in 1936, 2 in 1937, 2 in 1938, 0 in 1939, 6 in 1940, 3 in 1942, and 2 in 1946. His most in one season was 6, in 1940.
What was Sammy Hughes's career batting average?
Sammy Hughes batted .316 over his career, with 484 hits in 1,530 at bats.
How many RBI did Sammy Hughes have?
Sammy Hughes drove in 235 runs in his career.
What was Sammy Hughes's career ERA?
Sammy Hughes finished with a 5.40 career ERA, going 0-0 with 0 strikeouts.
Is Sammy Hughes in the Hall of Fame?
No. Sammy Hughes has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Sammy Hughes make?
Sammy Hughes was selected to 6 All-Star Games.