Sam Jethroe

Center Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1950-1954)

Sam Jethroe was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1954 for 5 teams, including the Indianapolis ABCs, a span of 5 seasons. In 618 career games, he hit .277 with 680 hits, 59 home runs, and 282 RBI. Sam Jethroe was a 5-time All-Star and a Rookie of the Year. 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 3,883.

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 .277
HR 59
RBI 282
H 680
OPS .784
PIV 3,883
Position
Center Fielder
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 178 lb
Born
1/23/1917 in Lowndes County, MS, USA
Died
6/16/2001 in Erie, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1950-04-18
Last Game
1954-04-15
Awards
5× All-Star · Rookie of the Year

Full name: Samuel Jethroe

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Sam Jethroe — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
948.0 871.0 216.0 373.0 70.0 35.0 34.0 129.0 68.0 10.0 59.0 .428 .475 .706 1.181

Career Batting Statistics

Sam Jethroe — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
618 2,459 428 680 133 45 59 282 135 223 296 .277 .345 .439 .784 3,883

Career AVG .277 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +6.1% above league average.

Career OBP .345 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .439 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — +18.4% above league average.

Career OPS .784 vs. league average .704 across their career seasons — +11.5% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Sam Jethroe 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
1938 AB3 NAL 1 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
1942 CCB NAL 42 164 28 55 14 4 2 27 6 5 2 .335 .253 (+32%) .323 (+12%) .349 (+45%) .672 (+29%) 664.6
1943 CBE NAL 38 152 29 46 13 5 1 14 5 5 0 .303 .255 (+18%) .324 (avg) .346 (+37%) .671 (+19%) 339.1
1944 CBE NAL 24 95 19 31 3 0 2 13 2 8 0 .326 .261 (+25%) .325 (+18%) .357 (+18%) .683 (+18%) 288.4
1945 CBE NAL 21 81 14 27 5 5 1 20 5 8 1 .333 .260 (+28%) .328 (+24%) .354 (+57%) .683 (+41%) 494.2
1946 CBE NAL 19 78 20 21 4 1 1 12 4 6 0 .269 .256 (+5%) .328 (avg) .358 (+7%) .687 (+4%) 36.7
1947 CBE NAL 21 84 26 28 9 3 2 7 10 10 0 .333 .262 (+27%) .336 (+20%) .376 (+55%) .712 (+39%) 497.3
1948 CBE NAL 10 39 12 11 4 2 1 8 5 4 0 .282 — — — — 0.0
1950 BSN NL 141 582 100 159 28 8 18 58 35 52 93 .273 .265 (+3%) .346 (-2%) .401 (+10%) .747 (+4%) 369.5
1951 BSN NL 148 572 101 160 29 10 18 65 35 57 88 .280 .260 (+7%) .336 (+6%) .385 (+19%) .721 (+13%) 1458.1
1952 BSN NL 151 608 79 141 23 7 13 58 28 68 112 .232 .252 (-8%) .326 (-3%) .369 (-3%) .696 (-3%) -265.0
1954 PIT NL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 12 seasons 618 2,459 428 680 133 45 59 282 135 223 296 .277 — — — — 3,883

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

Sam Jethroe — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
9 34 5 10 2 1 0 3 6 0 .294

Playoff Batting by Year

Sam Jethroe — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1947 NWS CBE 5 19 4 6 2 0 0 1 4 0 .316
1945 NWS CBE 4 15 1 4 0 1 0 2 2 0 .267

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (650 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Sam Jethroe — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home355116723839738145.340
Away295113018731534124.279

Last 10 Games — Batting

Sam Jethroe — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1954-04-15 PITBROL 100000000
1954-04-14 PITPHIL 000000000
1952-09-28 BSNBROL 600000001
1952-09-27 BSNBROW 502000201
1952-09-26 BSNBROL 501000100
1952-09-25 BSNNY1L 500000003
1952-09-24 BSNNY1L 311000000
1952-09-24 BSNNY1L 512000012
1952-09-21 BSNBROL 400000001
1952-09-20 BSNBROL 401000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Sam Jethroe — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 1 11 0 1 0
2B 16 15 31 48 8 7
3B 21 20 23 25 3 1
C 10 6 30 11 5 0
OF 566 132 1409 63 51 16
SS 1 1 2 3 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Sam Jethroe — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1938 AB3 C 1 1 6 1 1 0
1942 CCB 2B 2 2 4 8 1 1
1942 CCB 3B 1 1 3 0 0 0
1942 CCB OF 39 39 73 7 5 2
1943 CBE 2B 7 6 12 17 2 1
1943 CBE 3B 15 15 17 18 3 1
1943 CBE OF 16 16 38 2 1 0
1943 CBE SS 1 1 2 3 0 0
1944 CBE 2B 2 2 4 8 0 2
1944 CBE 3B 3 2 0 5 0 0
1944 CBE C 4 2 14 6 1 0
1944 CBE OF 18 18 44 4 3 1
1945 CBE 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1945 CBE 3B 2 2 3 2 0 0
1945 CBE C 5 3 10 4 3 0
1945 CBE OF 16 15 33 1 0 0
1946 CBE 1B 1 1 9 0 1 0
1946 CBE 2B 5 5 11 15 5 3
1946 CBE OF 13 13 26 1 1 0
1947 CBE OF 21 21 47 3 5 0
1948 CBE OF 10 10 23 0 1 0
1950 BSN OF 141 0 355 17 12 6
1951 BSN OF 140 0 356 18 10 4
1952 BSN OF 151 0 413 10 13 3
1954 PIT OF 1 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Sam Jethroe Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 10
First Base 2
Second Base 16
Third Base 21
Shortstop 1
Left Field 26
Center Field 535
Right Field 6

Awards & Honors

Sam Jethroe — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1950 Rookie of the Year

Award Voting History

Sam Jethroe — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1950 Most Valuable Player NL 27th 6.0 336 0
1950 Rookie of the Year NL 1st 11.0 24 11

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Sam Jethroe (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Hank Edwards
    .280 avg, 51 HR
  2. 94
    Alex Ochoa
    .279 avg, 46 HR
  3. 91
    Johnny Lindell
    .273 avg, 72 HR
  4. 86
    Ernie Koy
    .279 avg, 36 HR
  5. 86
    Jarren Duran
    .254 avg, 70 HR
  6. 86
    Johnny Rizzo
    .270 avg, 61 HR

Compare Sam Jethroe

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

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Sam Jethroe: the record in brief

The rows for Sam Jethroe start in 1938, in the Negro Leagues, well before the April 18, 1950 debut listed in the bio, and the final game as April 15, 1954. The team column moves through the Indianapolis ABCs (1938), the Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes (1942), the Cleveland Buckeyes (1943 through 1948), the Boston Braves (1950 to 1952), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1954). Born on January 23, 1917, in Lowndes County, MS, USA, Jethroe is listed as a center fielder and switch-hit and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6-foot-1 and 178 pounds. The bio records the death on June 16, 2001, in Erie, PA, USA. Jethroe's full given name, per the bio, is Samuel Jethroe.

Jethroe's career batting table shows 618 games, 2,459 at bats and 680 hits, a .277 average, adding 59 homers, 282 RBI, and 135 stolen bases. Jethroe got on base at a .345 rate and slugged .439 (.784 OPS). The league as a whole hit .261 across Jethroe's seasons, which puts the .277 career mark 6.1% above average.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Jethroe

What years did Sam Jethroe play?
Sam Jethroe played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1954.
Was Sam Jethroe a pitcher?
No. Sam Jethroe was a position player (Center Fielder).
How many home runs did Sam Jethroe hit?
Sam Jethroe hit 59 career home runs with 680 hits.
What was Sam Jethroe's career batting average?
Sam Jethroe batted .277 over his career, with 680 hits in 2,459 at bats.
How many RBI did Sam Jethroe have?
Sam Jethroe drove in 282 runs in his career.
Is Sam Jethroe in the Hall of Fame?
No. Sam Jethroe has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.