Sonny Boy Jeffries
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Sonny Boy Jeffries was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Homestead Grays and the New York Black Yankees. Across 6 career appearances, he went 2-1 with a 3.57 ERA and 6 strikeouts. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 400.8.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 154 lb
- Died
- 4/17/1995 in Rochester, NY, USA
Full name: Nathaniel Jeffries
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | HG | NN2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17.1 | 20 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3.63 | 4.21 (+14%) | 400.8 |
| 1948 | NBY | NN2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3.38 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22.2 | 24 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3.57 | — | 401 | ||
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 Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .667 | .750 | .667 | 1.417 | 0 |
Career AVG .667 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — +151.2% above league average.
Career OBP .750 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — +122.1% above league average.
Career SLG .667 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — +73.8% above league average.
Career OPS 1.417 vs. league average .721 across their career seasons — +96.4% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | HG | NN2 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .667 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1948 | NBY | NN2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 6 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .667 | — | — | — | — | 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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (12 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .500 |
| Away | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 3 | 7.2 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Away | 3 | 7.0 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.00 |
Last 6 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948-07-18 | NY5 | BLG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-06-11 | NY5 | HOM | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-05-29 | NY5 | PH5 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-09-02 | HOM | PH5 | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-09-01 | HOM | BLG | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-07-28 | HOM | BLG | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 6 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948-07-18 | NY5 | BLG | L | 3.2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1948-06-11 | NY5 | HOM | — | 0.2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-05-29 | NY5 | PH5 | — | 5.0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1940-09-02 | HOM | PH5 | — | 2.2 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-09-01 | HOM | BLG | W | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-07-28 | HOM | BLG | — | 1.2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 6 |
Sonny Boy Jeffries: the record in brief
The season rows for Sonny Boy Jeffries begin in 1940. Jeffries played for the Homestead Grays (1940) and the New York Black Yankees (1948). Jeffries, born on August 5, 1914, in Rochester, NY, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 154 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Jeffries died on April 17, 1995, in Rochester, NY, USA. Sonny Boy Jeffries was the playing name; the full given name is Nathaniel.
Across 6 games (2 starts), Jeffries recorded 2 wins against 1 loss with a 3.57 ERA. The totals include 6 strikeouts. The leagues Jeffries pitched in allowed 4.16 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 14.1% better than average. In 1940, one of the busiest seasons, Jeffries posted a 3.63 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.21. Jeffries's career Pitcher PIV, which scores run prevention against each season's league, is 400.8.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sonny Boy Jeffries
- Was Sonny Boy Jeffries a pitcher?
- Yes. Sonny Boy Jeffries pitched in the major leagues, recording 2 wins and 6 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Sonny Boy Jeffries hit?
- Sonny Boy Jeffries hit 0 career home runs with 4 hits.
- What teams did Sonny Boy Jeffries play for?
- Sonny Boy Jeffries played for 2 teams: the Homestead Grays (1940) and the New York Black Yankees (1948).
- What were Sonny Boy Jeffries's career stats?
- In 6 games, Sonny Boy Jeffries went 2-1 with a 3.57 ERA, 6 strikeouts, and 22.2 innings pitched.
- What position did Sonny Boy Jeffries play?
- Sonny Boy Jeffries played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Sonny Boy Jeffries and how much did he weigh?
- Sonny Boy Jeffries was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 154 pounds.
- What was Sonny Boy Jeffries's career ERA?
- Sonny Boy Jeffries finished with a 3.57 career ERA, going 2-1 with 6 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Sonny Boy Jeffries have?
- Sonny Boy Jeffries recorded 6 career strikeouts.
- Is Sonny Boy Jeffries in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Sonny Boy Jeffries has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.