Pepper Martin

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1928-1944)

Pepper Martin was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1928 to 1944 for the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 17 seasons. In 1,189 career games, he hit .298 with 1,227 hits, 59 home runs, and 501 RBI. Pepper Martin was a 4-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 7,308.

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 .298
HR 59
RBI 501
H 1,227
OPS .801
PIV 7,308
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 170 lb
Born
2/29/1904 in Temple, OK, USA
Died
3/5/1965 in McAlester, OK, USA
MLB Debut
1928-04-16
Last Game
1944-10-01
Awards
4× All-Star

Full name: Johnny Leonard Roosevelt Martin

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Career Batting Statistics

Pepper Martin — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,189 4,117 754 1,227 270 75 59 501 146 369 438 .298 .358 .443 .801 7,308

Career AVG .298 vs. league average .276 across their career seasons — +7.8% above league average.

Career OBP .358 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — +5.1% above league average.

Career SLG .443 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — +12.7% above league average.

Career OPS .801 vs. league average .733 across their career seasons — +9.2% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Pepper Martin 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
1928 SLN NL 39 13 11 4 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 .308 — — — — 0.0
1930 SLN NL 6 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1931 SLN NL 123 413 68 124 32 8 7 75 16 30 40 .300 .276 (+9%) .338 (+4%) .388 (+20%) .726 (+13%) 902.1
1932 SLN NL 85 323 47 77 19 6 4 34 9 30 31 .238 .275 (-13%) .335 (-9%) .391 (-5%) .726 (-7%) -399.4
1933 SLN NL 145 599 122 189 36 12 8 57 26 67 46 .316 .270 (+17%) .329 (+17%) .377 (+21%) .707 (+19%) 2387.0
1934 SLN NL 110 454 74 131 25 11 5 49 23 32 41 .289 .278 (+4%) .340 (-1%) .392 (+8%) .733 (+4%) 219.8
1935 SLN NL 135 539 121 161 41 6 9 54 20 33 58 .299 .279 (+7%) .342 (avg) .399 (+12%) .742 (+6%) 540.5
1936 SLN NL 143 572 121 177 36 11 11 76 23 58 66 .309 .283 (+9%) .349 (+7%) .404 (+16%) .753 (+12%) 1335.1
1937 SLN NL 98 339 60 103 27 8 5 38 9 33 50 .304 .276 (+10%) .342 (+7%) .398 (+19%) .740 (+13%) 808.1
1938 SLN NL 91 269 34 79 18 2 2 38 4 18 34 .294 .272 (+8%) .341 (avg) .392 (+1%) .734 (+1%) -10.1
1939 SLN NL 88 281 48 86 17 7 3 37 6 30 35 .306 .274 (+12%) .342 (+10%) .393 (+14%) .735 (+12%) 623.2
1940 SLN NL 86 228 28 72 15 4 3 39 6 22 24 .316 .267 (+18%) .335 (+13%) .387 (+18%) .722 (+15%) 646.5
1944 SLN NL 40 86 15 24 4 0 2 4 2 15 11 .279 .261 (+7%) .325 (+18%) .357 (+11%) .683 (+14%) 254.9
Career · 13 seasons 1,189 4,117 754 1,227 270 75 59 501 146 369 438 .298 — — — — 7,308

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 Pitching Statistics

Pepper Martin — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4.0 2 1 0 2 0 2.25 0.0

Career ERA 2.25 vs. league average 4.44 across their career seasons — 49.3% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Pepper Martin — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1934 SLN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 1 1 0 0 4.50 — 0.0
1936 SLN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 1 0 2 0 0.00 — 0.0
Career · 2 seasons 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4.0 2 1 2 0 2.25 — 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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Pepper Martin — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
15 55 14 23 7 1 1 9 5 6 .418

Playoff Batting by Year

Pepper Martin — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1934 WS SLN 7 31 8 11 3 1 0 4 3 3 .355
1931 WS SLN 7 24 5 12 4 0 1 5 2 3 .500
1928 WS SLN 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1191 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Pepper Martin — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home584187035257722235.309
Away605224740464937268.289

Pitching — Home / Away

Pepper Martin — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home12.011004.50
Away12.010200.00

Last 10 Games — Batting

Pepper Martin — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1944-10-01 STLNY1L 000000000
1944-09-29 STLNY1L 313101110
1944-09-28 STLNY1W 502100000
1944-09-24 STLPHIW 010000000
1944-09-23 STLPHIW 100000000
1944-09-16 STLCHCL 000000000
1944-09-15 STLCHCL 411000000
1944-09-12 STLPITL 310000022
1944-09-12 STLPITL 411000001
1944-09-10 STLCHCL 000000000

Last 2 Games — Pitching

Pepper Martin — Last 2 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1936-08-07 STLCHC — 2.0100200
1934-08-19 STLBSN — 2.0111000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Pepper Martin — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 429 0 393 715 87 44
OF 613 0 1299 59 37 14
P 2 0 0 1 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Pepper Martin — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1928 SLN OF 4 0 2 0 0 0
1931 SLN OF 110 0 282 10 10 2
1932 SLN 3B 15 0 18 18 1 1
1932 SLN OF 69 0 151 10 4 3
1933 SLN 3B 145 0 139 273 25 14
1934 SLN 3B 107 0 85 195 19 7
1934 SLN P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1935 SLN 3B 114 0 113 171 30 17
1935 SLN OF 16 0 32 0 2 0
1936 SLN 3B 15 0 13 12 7 1
1936 SLN OF 127 0 226 13 6 5
1936 SLN P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1937 SLN 3B 5 0 6 8 1 2
1937 SLN OF 82 0 204 12 6 3
1938 SLN 3B 4 0 1 3 0 0
1938 SLN OF 62 0 138 1 2 1
1939 SLN 3B 22 0 15 30 4 2
1939 SLN OF 51 0 113 4 3 0
1940 SLN 3B 2 0 3 5 0 0
1940 SLN OF 63 0 103 8 3 0
1944 SLN OF 29 0 48 1 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Pepper Martin Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 2
Third Base 427
Left Field 37
Center Field 321
Right Field 265

Awards & Honors

Pepper Martin — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1935 Baseball Magazine All-Star 3B
1935 TSN All-Star 3B

Award Voting History

Pepper Martin — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1940 Most Valuable Player NL 33th 2.0 336 0
1935 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 16.0 80 0
1933 Most Valuable Player NL 5th 31.0 80 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Pepper Martin (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Roy Johnson
    .296 avg, 58 HR
  2. 78
    Johnny Hopp
    .296 avg, 46 HR
  3. 74
    Socks Seybold
    .294 avg, 51 HR
  4. 74
    Frank Catalanotto
    .291 avg, 84 HR
  5. 70
    Harry Rice
    .299 avg, 48 HR
  6. 70
    Carl Reynolds
    .302 avg, 80 HR

Pepper Martin: the record in brief

April 16, 1928 and October 1, 1944 bracket Pepper Martin's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column never changes: it is the St. Louis Cardinals from 1928 to 1944. At 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, Martin is listed as an outfielder. The bio says Martin batted and threw right-handed. Martin was born on February 29, 1904, in Temple, OK, USA. The bio records the death on March 5, 1965, in McAlester, OK, USA. Martin's full given name, per the bio, is Johnny Leonard Roosevelt Martin.

Martin's career batting table shows 1,189 games, 4,117 at bats and 1,227 hits, a .298 average; the totals also include 59 home runs, 501 RBI, and 146 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .358 and the slugging percentage .443, for an OPS of .801. Martin's .298 average ran 7.8% above the .276 that the league posted over the same seasons. In OPS terms, Martin's .801 stands 9.2% above the league's .733.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pepper Martin

What years did Pepper Martin play?
Pepper Martin played in Major League Baseball from 1928 to 1944.
Was Pepper Martin a pitcher?
No. Pepper Martin was a position player (Outfielder), though he did pitch in 2 career games.
How many home runs did Pepper Martin hit?
Pepper Martin hit 59 career home runs with 1,227 hits.
What teams did Pepper Martin play for?
Pepper Martin played for one team, the St. Louis Cardinals (1928, 1930–1940, 1944).
Did Pepper Martin win an MVP award?
No. Pepper Martin did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Pepper Martin win?
Pepper Martin was selected to 4 All-Star Games.
What were Pepper Martin's career stats?
In 1,189 games, Pepper Martin had 1,227 hits, 59 home runs, 501 RBI, 754 runs, and 146 stolen bases, with a .298 batting average.
What position did Pepper Martin play?
Pepper Martin played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Pepper Martin and how much did he weigh?
Pepper Martin was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 170 pounds.
How many home runs did Pepper Martin hit each season?
Pepper Martin's home runs by season: 0 in 1928, 0 in 1930, 7 in 1931, 4 in 1932, 8 in 1933, 5 in 1934, 9 in 1935, 11 in 1936, 5 in 1937, 2 in 1938, 3 in 1939, 3 in 1940, and 2 in 1944. His most in one season was 11, in 1936.
What was Pepper Martin's career batting average?
Pepper Martin batted .298 over his career, with 1,227 hits in 4,117 at bats.
How many RBI did Pepper Martin have?
Pepper Martin drove in 501 runs in his career.
What was Pepper Martin's career ERA?
Pepper Martin finished with a 2.25 career ERA, going 0-0 with 0 strikeouts.
Is Pepper Martin in the Hall of Fame?
No. Pepper Martin has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.