Ben Littles
Right Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Ben Littles was a right fielder who played in Major League Baseball for the New York Black Yankees. In 17 career games, he hit .222 with 12 hits and 3 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
- Right Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 177 lb
- Died
- 3/2/1952 in Nowata County, OK, USA
Full name: Ben Henry Littles
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
| Season | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 138.0 | 126.0 | 18.0 | 30.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 14.0 | 11.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | .238 | .304 | .278 | .582 |
| 1950 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .667 | .667 | 1.333 | 2.000 |
| 1951 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 3.000 | 4.000 |
| Listed seasons · 3 | 142 | 130 | 18 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 3 | .254 | — | — | — |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 54 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .222 | .236 | .259 | .496 | -277 |
Career AVG .222 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 15.7% below league average.
Career OBP .236 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 30.5% below league average.
Career SLG .259 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 31.6% below league average.
Career OPS .496 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — 31.1% 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 | 17 | 54 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .222 | .263 (-16%) | .340 (-30%) | .379 (-32%) | .719 (-31%) | -277.2 |
| Career · 1 season | 17 | 54 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .222 | — | — | — | — | -277 | ||
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 (56 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 26 | 87 | 13 | 16 | 2 | 7 | .184 |
| Away | 30 | 97 | 12 | 30 | 2 | 11 | .309 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-09-05 | PH5 | BLG | L | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-02 | PH5 | BLG | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-26 | PH5 | BLG | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-24 | PH5 | BLG | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-08-06 | PH5 | IN9 | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-01 | PH5 | CAG | W | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-07-26 | PH5 | IN9 | W | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-25 | PH5 | IN9 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1949-07-25 | PH5 | IN9 | L | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-24 | PH5 | NY6 | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 5 |
| Right Field | 11 |
Ben Littles: the record in brief
The season rows for Ben Littles begin in 1948. Littles's only club in the season tables is the New York Black Yankees. Littles played primarily as a right fielder and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on July 8, 1920, in Vian, OK, USA and a listed size of 5'8" and 177 pounds. Littles died on March 2, 1952, in Nowata County, OK, USA. Littles's full given name, per the bio, is Ben Henry Littles.
In 17 games and 54 at bats, Littles batted .222 with 12 hits; the totals also include 3 RBI. Reaching base at a .236 clip and slugging .259, Littles finished with a .496 OPS. The league as a whole hit .264 across Littles's seasons, which puts the .222 career mark 15.7% below average. The season table holds a single row: 1948 with the New York Black Yankees, 17 games, 54 at bats and 12 hits. That year the league hit .263, the figure in the row's Lg AVG column.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Littles
- Was Ben Littles a pitcher?
- No. Ben Littles was a position player (Right Fielder).
- How many home runs did Ben Littles hit?
- Ben Littles hit 0 career home runs with 12 hits.
- What teams did Ben Littles play for?
- Ben Littles played for one team, the New York Black Yankees (1948).
- What were Ben Littles's career stats?
- In 17 games, Ben Littles had 12 hits, 3 RBI, and 4 runs, with a .222 batting average.
- What position did Ben Littles play?
- Ben Littles played primarily as a right fielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ben Littles and how much did he weigh?
- Ben Littles was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 177 pounds.
- What was Ben Littles's career batting average?
- Ben Littles batted .222 over his career, with 12 hits in 54 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ben Littles have?
- Ben Littles drove in 3 runs in his career.
- Is Ben Littles in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ben Littles has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.