Lennie Pearson

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Lennie Pearson was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the Newark Eagles, the Homestead Grays, and the Philadelphia Stars. In 492 career games, he hit .293 with 537 hits, 54 home runs, and 351 RBI. Lennie Pearson was a 6-time All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,571.

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 .293
HR 54
RBI 351
H 537
OPS .816
PIV 4,571
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 214 lb
Born
5/23/1918 in La Grange, GA, USA
Died
12/7/1980 in East Orange, NJ, USA
Awards
6× All-Star

Full name: Leonard Curtis Pearson

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Lennie Pearson — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
2527.0 2312.0 452.0 733.0 117.0 31.0 83.0 346.0 194.0 13.0 54.0 .317 .370 .502 .872

Pitching

Lennie Pearson — Pitching
W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
0 1 1 0 0 0 4.1 5 5 0 0 3 0 0.00 1.85

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

Lennie Pearson — Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1949 263.0 232.0 37.0 83.0 16.0 3.0 6.0 45.0 30.0 1.0 3.0 .358 .431 .530 .961
Listed seasons · 1 263 232 37 83 16 3 6 45 30 1 3 .358 — — —

Career Batting Statistics

Lennie Pearson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
492 1,830 347 537 102 24 54 351 45 163 11 .293 .352 .464 .816 4,571

Career AVG .293 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — +11.2% above league average.

Career OBP .352 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — +5.5% above league average.

Career SLG .464 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — +24.6% above league average.

Career OPS .816 vs. league average .706 across their career seasons — +15.6% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lennie Pearson (b. 1918) 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
1937 NE NN2 24 77 15 18 4 1 1 14 0 12 0 .234 .276 (-15%) .342 (-2%) .398 (-12%) .740 (-7%) -75.4
1938 NE NN2 28 95 16 28 5 2 1 17 2 8 1 .295 .272 (+8%) .341 (+2%) .392 (+7%) .734 (+5%) 64.5
1939 NE NN2 41 161 21 37 4 3 5 29 2 4 4 .230 .274 (-16%) .342 (-27%) .393 (-2%) .735 (-14%) -429.1
1940 NE NN2 41 156 46 55 11 2 8 35 3 16 2 .353 .267 (+32%) .335 (+23%) .387 (+55%) .722 (+40%) 1058.5
1941 NE NN2 40 139 16 38 7 1 4 20 5 7 2 .273 .262 (+4%) .332 (-6%) .373 (+14%) .705 (+4%) 60.8
1942 NE NN2 54 201 43 67 19 0 11 56 3 22 1 .333 .253 (+32%) .323 (+23%) .349 (+69%) .672 (+47%) 1517.3
1942 HG NN2 2 8 2 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .375 — — — — 1517.3
1943 NE NN2 33 122 27 34 8 4 4 20 5 19 0 .279 .255 (+9%) .324 (+16%) .346 (+47%) .671 (+32%) 602.1
1943 HG NN2 1 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 — — — — 602.1
1943 PS NN2 3 13 1 2 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 .154 — — — — 602.1
1944 NE NN2 33 127 21 35 9 1 2 21 1 15 0 .276 .261 (+5%) .325 (+8%) .357 (+15%) .683 (+11%) 238.1
1945 NE NN2 20 75 15 23 2 3 2 13 0 5 0 .307 .260 (+18%) .328 (+6%) .354 (+39%) .683 (+23%) 237.1
1946 NE NN2 60 234 53 75 14 2 8 61 18 19 1 .321 .256 (+25%) .328 (+14%) .358 (+39%) .687 (+27%) 1020.8
1947 NE NN2 59 216 37 60 11 2 5 33 5 18 0 .278 .262 (+6%) .336 (-1%) .376 (+11%) .712 (+5%) 150.1
1948 NE NN2 53 202 34 60 6 2 3 29 1 18 0 .297 .263 (+13%) .340 (+4%) .379 (+3%) .719 (+4%) 126.2
Career · 15 seasons 492 1,830 347 537 102 24 54 351 45 163 11 .293 — — — — 7,292

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

Lennie Pearson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 1 1 1 0 0 0 4.1 5 2 0 3 0 4.15 0.0

Career ERA 4.15 vs. league average 3.94 across their career seasons — 5.6% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lennie Pearson — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1941 NE NN2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 4.1 5 2 3 0 4.15 — 0.0
Career · 1 season 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 4.1 5 2 3 0 4.15 — 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

Lennie Pearson — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
9 34 4 11 1 0 1 4 1 1 .324

Playoff Batting by Year

Lennie Pearson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1946 NWS NE 7 28 4 11 1 0 1 4 1 1 .393
1939 NLP1 NE 2 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Lennie Pearson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 294 290 2759 136 52 156
2B 12 8 16 24 2 2
3B 56 53 55 92 10 6
OF 141 123 209 6 13 1
P 1 1 0 4 0 0
SS 5 5 3 12 5 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Lennie Pearson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1937 NE 3B 2 2 2 4 0 0
1937 NE OF 21 21 22 0 0 0
1938 NE 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1938 NE OF 30 27 44 2 2 0
1939 NE 1B 2 2 22 2 0 1
1939 NE 2B 2 2 2 5 0 0
1939 NE 3B 8 8 5 10 1 1
1939 NE OF 33 28 53 2 5 1
1940 NE 3B 17 17 16 29 1 3
1940 NE OF 19 19 34 0 2 0
1940 NE SS 5 5 3 12 5 2
1941 NE 1B 3 3 25 3 0 2
1941 NE 3B 24 23 28 42 7 2
1941 NE OF 12 11 20 2 2 0
1941 NE P 1 1 0 4 0 0
1942 NE 1B 43 41 351 19 5 21
1942 NE 2B 5 4 10 9 1 0
1942 NE 3B 4 3 4 7 1 0
1942 NE OF 6 5 10 0 0 0
1942 HG OF 2 2 3 0 1 0
1943 NE 1B 32 32 318 19 5 24
1943 NE OF 1 1 2 0 0 0
1943 HG 2B 1 0 0 3 0 0
1943 PS OF 3 3 3 0 0 0
1944 NE 1B 30 30 300 19 5 29
1944 NE 2B 3 2 4 6 1 2
1944 NE OF 4 1 4 0 1 0
1945 NE 1B 14 14 136 5 6 5
1945 NE OF 7 4 12 0 0 0
1946 NE 1B 60 59 574 23 16 27
1946 NE OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1947 NE 1B 58 57 525 21 6 28
1947 NE 2B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1947 NE OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1948 NE 1B 52 52 508 25 9 19
1948 NE OF 1 1 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Lennie Pearson (b. 1918) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 1
First Base 294
Second Base 12
Third Base 56
Shortstop 5
Left Field 85
Center Field 50
Right Field 6

Most Similar Players

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

  1. 98
    Henry Spearman
    .303 avg, 27 HR
  2. 86
    Joe Hauser
    .284 avg, 80 HR
  3. 80
    Wander Franco
    .282 avg, 30 HR
  4. 79
    Robert Hudspeth
    .315 avg, 42 HR
  5. 78
    Ed Cartwright
    .295 avg, 24 HR
  6. 78
    George Crowe
    .275 avg, 86 HR

Compare Lennie Pearson

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Pearson's closest peers by position and era.

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Lennie Pearson: the record in brief

The season rows for Lennie Pearson begin in 1937. The team column moves through the Newark Eagles (1937 to 1948), the Homestead Grays (1942 through 1943), and the Philadelphia Stars (1943). Pearson, born on May 23, 1918, in La Grange, GA, USA, is listed as a first baseman and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 6-foot-2 and 214 pounds. Pearson died on December 7, 1980, in East Orange, NJ, USA. Lennie Pearson was the playing name; the full given name is Leonard Curtis.

Across 492 games at the plate, Pearson's career line reads 537 hits in 1,830 at bats for a .293 average, adding 54 home runs, 351 RBI, and 45 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .352 and the slugging percentage .464, for an OPS of .816. Over the seasons Pearson played, league hitters batted .264; the .293 career figure is 11.2% above that. By OPS the gap is 15.6% above league average (.816 against .706). The single-season home run high is 11, set in 1942.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lennie Pearson

Was Lennie Pearson a pitcher?
No. Lennie Pearson was a position player (First Baseman), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
How many home runs did Lennie Pearson hit?
Lennie Pearson hit 54 career home runs with 537 hits.
What teams did Lennie Pearson play for?
Lennie Pearson played for 3 teams: the Newark Eagles (1937–1948), the Homestead Grays (1942–1943), and the Philadelphia Stars (1943).
Did Lennie Pearson win an MVP award?
No. Lennie Pearson did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Lennie Pearson win?
Lennie Pearson was selected to 6 All-Star Games.
What were Lennie Pearson's career stats?
In 492 games, Lennie Pearson had 537 hits, 54 home runs, 351 RBI, 347 runs, and 45 stolen bases, with a .293 batting average.
What position did Lennie Pearson play?
Lennie Pearson played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Lennie Pearson and how much did he weigh?
Lennie Pearson was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 214 pounds.
How many home runs did Lennie Pearson hit each season?
Lennie Pearson's home runs by season: 1 in 1937, 1 in 1938, 5 in 1939, 8 in 1940, 4 in 1941, 11 in 1942, 4 in 1943, 2 in 1944, 2 in 1945, 8 in 1946, 5 in 1947, and 3 in 1948. His most in one season was 11, in 1942.
What was Lennie Pearson's career batting average?
Lennie Pearson batted .293 over his career, with 537 hits in 1,830 at bats.
How many RBI did Lennie Pearson have?
Lennie Pearson drove in 351 runs in his career.
What was Lennie Pearson's career ERA?
Lennie Pearson finished with a 4.15 career ERA, going 0-1 with 0 strikeouts.
Is Lennie Pearson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Lennie Pearson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Lennie Pearson make?
Lennie Pearson was selected to 6 All-Star Games.