Sam Leslie

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1929-1938)

Sam Leslie was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1938 for the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 10 seasons. In 822 career games, he hit .304 with 749 hits, 36 home runs, and 389 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,890.

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 .304
HR 36
RBI 389
H 749
OPS .787
PIV 3,890
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'0" / 192 lb
Born
7/26/1905 in Moss Point, MS, USA
Died
1/21/1979 in Pascagoula, MS, USA
MLB Debut
1929-10-06
Last Game
1938-09-27

Full name: Samuel Andrew Leslie

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Career Batting Statistics

Sam Leslie — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
822 2,460 311 749 123 28 36 389 14 216 118 .304 .366 .421 .787 3,890

Career AVG .304 vs. league average .280 across their career seasons — +8.8% above league average.

Career OBP .366 vs. league average .343 across their career seasons — +6.7% above league average.

Career SLG .421 vs. league average .400 across their career seasons — +5.4% above league average.

Career OPS .787 vs. league average .743 across their career seasons — +6.0% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Sam Leslie 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
1929 NY1 NL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1930 NY1 NL 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .500 — — — — 0.0
1931 NY1 NL 53 53 11 16 4 0 3 5 3 1 2 .302 .276 (+9%) .338 (-7%) .388 (+41%) .726 (+19%) 141.8
1932 NY1 NL 77 75 5 22 4 0 1 15 0 2 5 .293 .275 (+7%) .335 (-2%) .391 (-1%) .726 (-2%) -18.6
1933 NY1 NL 40 137 21 44 12 3 3 27 0 12 9 .321 .270 (+19%) .329 (+15%) .377 (+37%) .707 (+27%) 592.7
1933 BRO NL 96 364 41 104 11 4 5 46 1 23 14 .286 .270 (+6%) .329 (+3%) .377 (avg) .707 (+2%) 592.7
1934 BRO NL 146 546 75 181 29 6 9 102 5 69 34 .332 .278 (+19%) .340 (+20%) .392 (+16%) .733 (+18%) 2261.4
1935 BRO NL 142 520 72 160 30 7 5 93 4 55 19 .308 .279 (+10%) .342 (+11%) .399 (+5%) .742 (+8%) 956.5
1936 NY1 NL 117 417 49 123 19 5 6 54 0 23 16 .295 .283 (+4%) .349 (-4%) .404 (+1%) .753 (-1%) -165.8
1937 NY1 NL 72 191 25 59 7 2 3 30 1 20 12 .309 .276 (+12%) .342 (+11%) .398 (+4%) .740 (+7%) 305.5
1938 NY1 NL 76 154 12 39 7 1 1 16 0 11 6 .253 .272 (-7%) .341 (-10%) .392 (-16%) .734 (-13%) -331.6
Career · 11 seasons 822 2,460 311 749 123 28 36 389 14 216 118 .304 — — — — 4,335

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 Leslie — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .500

Playoff Batting by Year

Sam Leslie — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1937 WS NY1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
1936 WS NY1 3 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .667

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (823 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Sam Leslie — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home397114014434119171.299
Away426132116840817221.309

Last 10 Games — Batting

Sam Leslie — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1938-09-27 NY1BROL 101000000
1938-09-25 NY1BSNL 100000000
1938-09-17 NY1CHCL 100000000
1938-09-17 NY1CHCL 100000000
1938-09-15 NY1PITL 100000000
1938-09-11 NY1BROL 100000000
1938-09-09 NY1BROL 101000000
1938-09-06 NY1BSNW 100000000
1938-09-04 NY1BROL 100000000
1938-09-03 NY1BROL 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Sam Leslie — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 589 0 5522 366 63 429
OF 1 0 1 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Sam Leslie — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1929 NY1 OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1931 NY1 1B 6 0 16 1 0 0
1932 NY1 1B 2 0 7 0 0 0
1933 NY1 1B 35 0 371 21 4 28
1933 BRO 1B 95 0 855 49 17 44
1934 BRO 1B 138 0 1262 93 9 104
1935 BRO 1B 138 0 1233 81 14 106
1936 NY1 1B 99 0 1030 68 10 81
1937 NY1 1B 44 0 444 38 5 45
1938 NY1 1B 32 0 304 15 4 21

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Sam Leslie Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 589
Left Field 1

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Johnny Hodapp
    .311 avg, 28 HR
  2. 94
    Bill Riggins
    .296 avg, 45 HR
  3. 94
    Russ Wrightstone
    .297 avg, 60 HR
  4. 93
    Harvey Hendrick
    .308 avg, 48 HR
  5. 93
    Luis Arraez
    .316 avg, 42 HR
  6. 91
    Newt Joseph
    .291 avg, 31 HR

Sam Leslie: the record in brief

The profile opens with Sam Leslie's first major league game on October 6, 1929; the last one listed came on September 27, 1938. Leslie played for the New York Giants (1929 to 1938) and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1933 to 1935). Leslie, a first baseman by primary position, both batted and threw left-handed. Leslie is listed at 6 feet, 0 inches and 192 pounds. Leslie was born on July 26, 1905, in Moss Point, MS, USA. The bio records the death on January 21, 1979, in Pascagoula, MS, USA. The bio lists the given name Samuel Andrew.

Leslie finished with 749 hits from 2,460 at bats in 822 games, which works out to .304, plus 36 home runs and 389 RBI. The on-base percentage is .366 and the slugging percentage .421, for an OPS of .787. Set against a .280 league average for the same years, Leslie's .304 average sits 8.8% above it. The OPS comparison is .787 to a league .743, 6.0% above average. The hits column peaks at 181, in 1934.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Leslie

What years did Sam Leslie play?
Sam Leslie played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1938.
Was Sam Leslie a pitcher?
No. Sam Leslie was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Sam Leslie hit?
Sam Leslie hit 36 career home runs with 749 hits.
What teams did Sam Leslie play for?
Sam Leslie played for 2 teams: the New York Giants (1929–1933, 1936–1938) and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1933–1935).
What were Sam Leslie's career stats?
In 822 games, Sam Leslie had 749 hits, 36 home runs, 389 RBI, 311 runs, and 14 stolen bases, with a .304 batting average.
What position did Sam Leslie play?
Sam Leslie played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Sam Leslie and how much did he weigh?
Sam Leslie was listed at 6 feet and 192 pounds.
How many home runs did Sam Leslie hit each season?
Sam Leslie's home runs by season: 0 in 1929, 0 in 1930, 3 in 1931, 1 in 1932, 8 in 1933, 9 in 1934, 5 in 1935, 6 in 1936, 3 in 1937, and 1 in 1938. His most in one season was 9, in 1934.
What was Sam Leslie's career batting average?
Sam Leslie batted .304 over his career, with 749 hits in 2,460 at bats.
How many RBI did Sam Leslie have?
Sam Leslie drove in 389 runs in his career.
Is Sam Leslie in the Hall of Fame?
No. Sam Leslie has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.