Was Buck O'Neil a pitcher?

No. Buck O'Neil was a position player (First Baseman), though he did pitch in 1 career game.

How many home runs did Buck O'Neil hit?

Buck O'Neil hit 12 career home runs with 368 hits.

What teams did Buck O'Neil play for?

Buck O'Neil played for 2 teams: the Memphis Red Sox (1937) and the Kansas City Monarchs (1938–1943, 1946–1948).

Did Buck O'Neil win an MVP award?

No. Buck O'Neil did not win the MVP award.

What awards did Buck O'Neil win?

Buck O'Neil was selected to 2 All-Star Games.

What were Buck O'Neil's career stats?

In 396 games, Buck O'Neil had 368 hits, 12 home runs, 184 RBI, 227 runs, and 57 stolen bases, with a .257 batting average.

What position did Buck O'Neil play?

Buck O'Neil played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Buck O'Neil and how much did he weigh?

Buck O'Neil was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 190 pounds.

How many home runs did Buck O'Neil hit each season?

Buck O'Neil's home runs by season: 0 in 1937, 3 in 1938, 1 in 1939, 1 in 1940, 0 in 1941, 1 in 1942, 1 in 1943, 0 in 1946, 5 in 1947, and 0 in 1948. His most in one season was 5, in 1947.

What was Buck O'Neil's career batting average?

Buck O'Neil batted .257 over his career, with 368 hits in 1,434 at bats.

How many RBI did Buck O'Neil have?

Buck O'Neil drove in 184 runs in his career.

What was Buck O'Neil's career ERA?

Buck O'Neil finished with a 4.91 career ERA, going 0-0 with 2 strikeouts.

How many All-Star Games did Buck O'Neil make?

Buck O'Neil was selected to 2 All-Star Games.

Buck O'Neil

First Baseman · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (Final season: 1949)

Buck O'Neil was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the Memphis Red Sox and the Kansas City Monarchs. In 396 career games, he hit .257 with 368 hits, 12 home runs, and 184 RBI. Buck O'Neil was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022 and 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 October 23, 2026

⭐ Hall of Fame 2022

AVG .257

HR 12

RBI 184

H 368

OPS .672

PIV -1,204

Position: First Baseman
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 5'10" / 190 lb
Born: 11/13/1911 in Carrabelle, FL, USA
Died: 10/6/2006 in Kansas City, MO, USA
Last Game: 1949-09-18
Hall of Fame: Inducted 2022 (Negro League)
Awards: 2× All-Star

Full name: John Jordan O'Neil

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Buck O'Neil — Batting
PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1875.0	1708.0	277.0	504.0	78.0	36.0	24.0	193.0	139.0	19.0	69.0	.295	.348	.425	.773

Pitching

Buck O'Neil — Pitching
W	L	GS	CG	GF	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
0	0	0	0	1	0	3.2	8	5	0	0	0	2	0.00	2.18

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

Buck O'Neil — Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
Season	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1949	81.0	74.0	11.0	30.0	3.0	0	0	13.0	6.0	2.0	4.0	.405	.450	.446	.896
Listed seasons · 1	81	74	11	30	3	0	0	13	6	2	4	.405	—	—	—

Career Batting Statistics

Buck O'Neil — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
396	1,434	227	368	55	24	12	184	57	127	0	.257	.319	.354	.672	-1,204

Career AVG .257 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .319 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .354 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 5.8% below league average.

Career OPS .672 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — 5.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Buck O'Neil Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1937	MRS	NAL	9	34	5	10	1	4	0	4	0	0	.294	—	—	—	—	0.0
1938	KCM	NAL	45	152	29	38	9	3	3	23	11	17	.250	.272 (-8%)	.341 (-5%)	.392 (+4%)	.734 (avg)	-29.1
1939	KCM	NAL	48	162	19	30	5	4	1	24	3	16	.185	.274 (-32%)	.342 (-23%)	.393 (-28%)	.735 (-26%)	-714.1
1940	KCM	NAL	40	145	24	40	6	3	1	26	8	8	.276	.267 (+3%)	.335 (-6%)	.387 (-2%)	.722 (-4%)	-129.3
1941	KCM	NAL	40	161	21	37	4	3	0	12	6	8	.230	.262 (-12%)	.332 (-20%)	.373 (-22%)	.705 (-21%)	-558.3
1942	KCM	NAL	48	188	28	51	7	1	1	21	7	12	.271	.253 (+7%)	.323 (-3%)	.349 (-4%)	.672 (-3%)	-114.0
1943	KCM	NAL	42	155	21	44	4	0	1	16	4	10	.284	.255 (+11%)	.324 (+2%)	.346 (-5%)	.671 (-2%)	-30.1
1946	KCM	NAL	39	130	18	37	3	3	0	11	1	25	.285	.256 (+11%)	.328 (+22%)	.358 (-1%)	.687 (+10%)	301.6
1947	KCM	NAL	60	218	54	62	15	3	5	36	15	24	.284	.262 (+8%)	.336 (+7%)	.376 (+20%)	.712 (+14%)	502.4
1948	KCM	NAL	25	89	8	19	1	0	0	11	2	7	.213	.263 (-19%)	.340 (-20%)	.379 (-41%)	.719 (-31%)	-432.9
Career · 10 seasons			396	1,434	227	368	55	24	12	184	57	127	.257	—	—	—	—	-1,204

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

Buck O'Neil — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
0	0	1	0	0	0	0	3.2	6	2	0	0	2	4.91	0.0

Career ERA 4.91 vs. league average 4.34 across their career seasons — 13.2% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Buck O'Neil — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1937	MRS	NAL	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	3.2	6	2	0	2	4.91	—	0.0
Career · 1 season			0	0	1	0	0	0	0	3.2	6	2	0	2	4.91	—	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

Buck O'Neil — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
22	79	11	27	2	3	2	9	3	4	.342

Playoff Batting by Year

Buck O'Neil — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1948	ALC	KCM	6	20	0	4	1	0	0	1	0	0	.200
1946	NWS	KCM	7	27	4	9	0	1	2	5	2	4	.333
1942	NWS	KCM	4	16	3	6	0	1	0	2	0	0	.375
1939	ALC	KCM	5	16	4	8	1	1	0	1	1	0	.500

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (357 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Buck O'Neil — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	240	781	133	220	7	84	.282
Away	116	386	57	114	10	39	.295

Pitching — Home / Away

Buck O'Neil — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Away	1	3.2	8	0	0	2	0.00

Last 10 Games — Batting

Buck O'Neil — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	RBI	SO
1949-09-05	KCM	NY6	L	3	0	0	0	0
1949-09-04	KCM	NY6	L	1	0	0	0	0
1949-09-04	KCM	NY6	W	0	0	0	0	0
1949-08-30	KCM	BLG	L	1	0	1	0	0
1949-08-28	KCM	BLG	L	1	0	1	0	0
1949-08-07	KCM	HOE	L	1	0	0	0	1
1949-08-07	KCM	HOE	L	0	0	0	0	0
1949-08-05	KCM	MEM	W	2	0	1	3	0
1949-08-04	KCM	MEM	L	1	0	1	1	0
1949-07-31	KCM	MEM	W	4	1	2	0	0

Last 1 Games — Pitching

Buck O'Neil — Last 1 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1937-07-19	MEM	CI1	—	3.2	8	5	0	0	2	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Buck O'Neil — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	378	372	3542	161	50	212
3B	3	3	2	3	0	0
OF	7	5	0	1	0	0
P	1	0	0	1	0	0
SS	2	1	4	3	2	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Buck O'Neil — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1937	MRS	1B	1	0	7	0	1	0
1937	MRS	3B	3	3	2	3	0	0
1937	MRS	OF	5	3	0	1	0	0
1937	MRS	P	1	0	0	1	0	0
1937	MRS	SS	2	1	4	3	2	0
1938	KCM	1B	43	43	400	15	7	15
1938	KCM	OF	1	1	0	0	0	0
1939	KCM	1B	46	45	426	22	5	33
1940	KCM	1B	40	40	372	11	5	24
1941	KCM	1B	40	40	390	16	4	20
1942	KCM	1B	48	48	458	18	9	20
1943	KCM	1B	41	41	387	21	5	25
1943	KCM	OF	1	1	0	0	0	0
1946	KCM	1B	39	39	390	22	4	26
1947	KCM	1B	57	55	507	24	9	38
1948	KCM	1B	23	21	205	12	1	11

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Buck O'Neil Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	1
First Base	378
Third Base	3
Shortstop	2
Left Field	5
Right Field	2

Most Similar Players

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

Buck O'Neil: the record in brief

The season rows for Buck O'Neil begin in 1937. By club, O'Neil's seasons break down as the Memphis Red Sox (1937) and the Kansas City Monarchs (1938 through 1948). O'Neil is listed as a first baseman at 5 feet, 10 inches and 190 pounds. O'Neil threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. O'Neil was born on November 13, 1911, in Carrabelle, FL, USA. O'Neil's death is recorded on October 6, 2006, in Kansas City, MO, USA. The given name on file is John Jordan O'Neil.

Across 396 games at the plate, O'Neil's career line reads 368 hits in 1,434 at bats for a .257 average, adding 12 home runs, 184 RBI, and 57 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .319 and .354 give O'Neil a career OPS of .672. O'Neil hit .257 while the league hit .265 over the same span, a figure close to average. O'Neil collected a career-high 62 hits in 1947.

Frequently Asked Questions about Buck O'Neil

Was Buck O'Neil a pitcher?: No. Buck O'Neil was a position player (First Baseman), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
How many home runs did Buck O'Neil hit?: Buck O'Neil hit 12 career home runs with 368 hits.
Is Buck O'Neil in the Hall of Fame?: Yes. Buck O'Neil was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.
What teams did Buck O'Neil play for?: Buck O'Neil played for 2 teams: the Memphis Red Sox (1937) and the Kansas City Monarchs (1938–1943, 1946–1948).
Did Buck O'Neil win an MVP award?: No. Buck O'Neil did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Buck O'Neil win?: Buck O'Neil was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
What were Buck O'Neil's career stats?: In 396 games, Buck O'Neil had 368 hits, 12 home runs, 184 RBI, 227 runs, and 57 stolen bases, with a .257 batting average.
What position did Buck O'Neil play?: Buck O'Neil played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Buck O'Neil and how much did he weigh?: Buck O'Neil was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did Buck O'Neil hit each season?: Buck O'Neil's home runs by season: 0 in 1937, 3 in 1938, 1 in 1939, 1 in 1940, 0 in 1941, 1 in 1942, 1 in 1943, 0 in 1946, 5 in 1947, and 0 in 1948. His most in one season was 5, in 1947.
What was Buck O'Neil's career batting average?: Buck O'Neil batted .257 over his career, with 368 hits in 1,434 at bats.
How many RBI did Buck O'Neil have?: Buck O'Neil drove in 184 runs in his career.
What was Buck O'Neil's career ERA?: Buck O'Neil finished with a 4.91 career ERA, going 0-0 with 2 strikeouts.
How many All-Star Games did Buck O'Neil make?: Buck O'Neil was selected to 2 All-Star Games.