John Lyles
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records
John Lyles was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for 9 teams, including the Indianapolis ABCs. In 141 career games, he hit .252 with 123 hits, 1 home runs, and 48 RBI. John Lyles was a 2-time All-Star. 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 194 lb
- Died
- 2/5/1954 in St. Louis, MO, USA
- Awards
- 2× All-Star
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.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 141 | 488 | 81 | 123 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 48 | 21 | 42 | 4 | .252 | .323 | .305 | .628 | -488 |
Career AVG .252 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — 5.7% below league average.
Career OBP .323 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .305 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — 19.3% below league average.
Career OPS .628 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 11.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | AB2 | NSL | 7 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1934 | HG | IND | 12 | 43 | 9 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .326 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1938 | CAG | NAL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1938 | AB3 | NAL | 19 | 62 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 2 | .258 | .272 (-5%) | .341 (-2%) | .392 (-14%) | .734 (-8%) | 0.0 |
| 1939 | SL3 | NAL | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | CBR | NAL | 23 | 95 | 13 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 2 | .295 | .274 (+7%) | .342 (-4%) | .393 (-9%) | .735 (-6%) | 0.0 |
| 1940 | SNS | NAL | 28 | 102 | 21 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .275 | .267 (+3%) | .335 (+3%) | .387 (-17%) | .722 (-8%) | -97.7 |
| 1941 | CAG | NAL | 5 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1941 | SNS | NAL | 11 | 42 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .262 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1942 | CCB | NAL | 30 | 90 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 0 | .189 | .253 (-25%) | .323 (-2%) | .349 (-36%) | .672 (-20%) | -206.7 |
| 1943 | CBE | NAL | 4 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .091 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 141 | 488 | 81 | 123 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 48 | 21 | 42 | 4 | .252 | — | — | — | — | -304 | ||
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 (108 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 46 | 140 | 36 | 46 | 4 | 12 | .329 |
| Away | 62 | 176 | 22 | 47 | 2 | 14 | .267 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943-06-13 | CVB | CAG | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-06-06 | CVB | KCM | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-05-30 | CVB | CI2 | W | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-05-23 | CVB | KCM | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-05-21 | CVB | MEM | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-05-20 | CVB | MEM | W | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-08-30 | CCB | JAX | W | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1942-08-30 | CCB | JAX | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1942-08-20 | CCB | CAG | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942-07-10 | CCB | CAG | L | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 9 | 8 | 11 | 24 | 3 | 1 |
| 3B | 21 | 21 | 23 | 20 | 2 | 0 |
| C | 2 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 43 | 38 | 52 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 64 | 62 | 104 | 163 | 35 | 27 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | AB2 | C | 2 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1932 | AB2 | SS | 5 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| 1934 | HG | 2B | 7 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 2 | 1 |
| 1934 | HG | SS | 6 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 5 |
| 1938 | CAG | PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938 | AB3 | 2B | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938 | AB3 | 3B | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938 | AB3 | OF | 16 | 14 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1939 | SL3 | 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | CBR | OF | 7 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | CBR | SS | 16 | 16 | 34 | 41 | 4 | 7 |
| 1940 | SNS | 3B | 3 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | SNS | OF | 9 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1940 | SNS | SS | 16 | 16 | 19 | 39 | 7 | 8 |
| 1941 | CAG | SS | 5 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 10 | 4 |
| 1941 | SNS | 3B | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1941 | SNS | SS | 6 | 6 | 13 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942 | CCB | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942 | CCB | 3B | 10 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942 | CCB | OF | 11 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1942 | CCB | SS | 7 | 7 | 11 | 23 | 5 | 1 |
| 1943 | CBE | 3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943 | CBE | SS | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 2 |
| Second Base | 9 |
| Third Base | 21 |
| Shortstop | 64 |
| Left Field | 8 |
| Center Field | 21 |
| Right Field | 14 |
John Lyles: the record in brief
John Lyles's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1932 to 1943. Lyles played for the Indianapolis ABCs (1932 to 1938), the Homestead Grays (1934), the Chicago American Giants (1938 to 1941), the St. Louis Stars (1939), the Cleveland Bears (1939), the St. Louis-New Orleans Stars (1940 through 1941), the Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes (1942), and the Cleveland Buckeyes (1943). Lyles played primarily as a shortstop and switch-hit and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on September 16, 1911, in Charleston, MO, USA and a listed size of 194 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. Lyles died on February 5, 1954, in St. Louis, MO, USA.
The batting record for Lyles: 141 games, 123 hits in 488 at bats, and a .252 average, plus 1 home run, 48 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. Lyles got on base at a .323 rate and slugged .305 (.628 OPS). The league as a whole hit .267 across Lyles's seasons, which puts the .252 career mark 5.7% below average. No season topped the 28 hits of 1939.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Lyles
- Was John Lyles a pitcher?
- No. John Lyles was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did John Lyles hit?
- John Lyles hit 1 career home runs with 123 hits.
- What was John Lyles's career batting average?
- John Lyles batted .252 over his career, with 123 hits in 488 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Lyles have?
- John Lyles drove in 48 runs in his career.
- Is John Lyles in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Lyles has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- What teams did John Lyles play for?
- John Lyles played for the Indianapolis ABCs, the Homestead Grays, the Chicago American Giants, the Indianapolis ABCs, the St. Louis Stars, and the Cleveland Bears, among 9 clubs in all.