Don Pelham
Center Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Don Pelham was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Atlanta Black Crackers. In 42 career games, he hit .241 with 38 hits, 1 home runs, and 25 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
- Center Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 167 lb
- Died
- 3/28/1981 in Lake County, FL, USA
Full name: Wilson Donald Pelham
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 158 | 19 | 38 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 7 | 3 | .241 | .277 | .354 | .632 | -412 |
Career AVG .241 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 11.9% below league average.
Career OBP .277 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 18.9% below league average.
Career SLG .354 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 9.7% below league average.
Career OPS .632 vs. league average .734 across their career seasons — 14.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | BCA | NAL | 42 | 158 | 19 | 38 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 7 | 3 | .241 | .272 (-12%) | .341 (-19%) | .392 (-10%) | .734 (-14%) | -411.6 |
| Career · 1 season | 42 | 158 | 19 | 38 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 7 | 3 | .241 | — | — | — | — | -412 | ||
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 (52 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 32 | 108 | 16 | 30 | 4 | 23 | .278 |
| Away | 20 | 75 | 10 | 21 | 1 | 8 | .280 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938-09-01 | ATN | KCM | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1938-08-31 | ATN | KCM | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-08-29 | ATN | MEM | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-08-28 | ATN | MEM | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-08-28 | ATN | MEM | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-08-26 | ATN | MEM | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938-08-25 | ATN | MEM | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-08-22 | ATN | KCM | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-08-21 | ATN | KCM | W | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1938-08-21 | ATN | KCM | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 5 |
| Third Base | 2 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
| Left Field | 14 |
| Center Field | 23 |
Don Pelham: the record in brief
The season rows for Don Pelham begin in 1938. Every season row on the page belongs to the Atlanta Black Crackers, in 1938. Pelham played primarily as a center fielder and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Born on April 14, 1908, in Hawthorne, FL, USA, Pelham was listed at 167 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. The bio records the death on March 28, 1981, in Lake County, FL, USA. The given name on file is Wilson Donald Pelham.
Pelham's career batting table shows 42 games, 158 at bats and 38 hits, a .241 average, along with 1 home run and 25 runs batted in. Pelham got on base at a .277 rate and slugged .354 (.632 OPS). Set against a .273 league average for the same years, Pelham's .241 average sits 11.9% below it. Only one season appears, 1938 for the Atlanta Black Crackers, when Pelham played 42 games and went 38 for 158. That year the league hit .272, the figure in the row's Lg AVG column.
Frequently Asked Questions about Don Pelham
- Was Don Pelham a pitcher?
- No. Don Pelham was a position player (Center Fielder).
- How many home runs did Don Pelham hit?
- Don Pelham hit 1 career home runs with 38 hits.
- What was Don Pelham's career batting average?
- Don Pelham batted .241 over his career, with 38 hits in 158 at bats.
- How many RBI did Don Pelham have?
- Don Pelham drove in 25 runs in his career.
- Is Don Pelham in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Don Pelham has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- What teams did Don Pelham play for?
- Don Pelham played for the Atlanta Black Crackers.