Leon Ruffin
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Leon Ruffin was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball for 4 teams, including the Brooklyn Eagles. In 231 career games, he hit .211 with 147 hits, 2 home runs, and 87 RBI. Leon Ruffin 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 169 lb
- Died
- 8/14/1970 in Portsmouth, VA, USA
- Awards
- 2Γ All-Star
Full name: Charles Leon Ruffin
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 231 | 698 | 79 | 147 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 87 | 7 | 53 | 3 | .211 | .273 | .251 | .524 | -1,799 |
Career AVG .211 vs. league average .268 across their career seasons β 21.5% below league average.
Career OBP .273 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons β 18.6% below league average.
Career SLG .251 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons β 33.8% below league average.
Career OPS .524 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons β 26.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | BE | NN2 | 14 | 38 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .237 | β | β | β | β | 0.0 |
| 1936 | NE | NN2 | 18 | 56 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | .107 | .283 (-62%) | .349 (-45%) | .404 (-73%) | .753 (-60%) | -555.1 |
| 1937 | PC | NN2 | 22 | 65 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .246 | .276 (-11%) | .342 (-25%) | .398 (-23%) | .740 (-24%) | -264.9 |
| 1938 | PC | NN2 | 22 | 72 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | .181 | .272 (-34%) | .341 (-26%) | .392 (-50%) | .734 (-39%) | -445.4 |
| 1939 | NE | NN2 | 10 | 29 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .172 | β | β | β | β | 0.0 |
| 1939 | PS | NN2 | 13 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .111 | β | β | β | β | 0.0 |
| 1940 | PS | NN2 | 16 | 36 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .139 | β | β | β | β | 0.0 |
| 1942 | NE | NN2 | 37 | 109 | 16 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 0 | .239 | .253 (-6%) | .323 (-5%) | .349 (-24%) | .672 (-15%) | -213.2 |
| 1943 | NE | NN2 | 31 | 108 | 16 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 4 | 8 | 0 | .213 | .255 (-17%) | .324 (-14%) | .346 (-14%) | .671 (-14%) | -242.3 |
| 1944 | NE | NN2 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .154 | β | β | β | β | 0.0 |
| 1946 | NE | NN2 | 45 | 136 | 23 | 38 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 9 | 0 | .279 | .256 (+9%) | .328 (avg) | .358 (-8%) | .687 (-4%) | -78.3 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 231 | 698 | 79 | 147 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 87 | 7 | 53 | 3 | .211 | — | — | — | — | -1,799 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (301 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 148 | 329 | 41 | 82 | 2 | 27 | .249 |
| Away | 153 | 414 | 49 | 80 | 0 | 23 | .193 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-08-28 | HOE | MEM | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-21 | HOE | NY6 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-21 | HOE | NY6 | W | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-16 | HOE | BLG | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-15 | HOE | BLG | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-10 | HOE | KCM | W | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-09 | HOE | KCM | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | HOE | KCM | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | HOE | KCM | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-24 | HOE | LCB | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 6 | 5 | 43 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| C | 211 | 193 | 1070 | 155 | 23 | 12 |
| OF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | BE | C | 14 | 12 | 51 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 1936 | NE | C | 18 | 17 | 80 | 18 | 1 | 3 |
| 1937 | PC | 1B | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937 | PC | C | 20 | 17 | 73 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 1938 | PC | C | 21 | 21 | 115 | 14 | 7 | 2 |
| 1939 | NE | C | 10 | 9 | 35 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1939 | PS | C | 11 | 11 | 64 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| 1940 | PS | C | 16 | 13 | 64 | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| 1942 | NE | 1B | 3 | 3 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942 | NE | 2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942 | NE | 3B | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 1942 | NE | C | 28 | 26 | 161 | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| 1943 | NE | C | 28 | 26 | 161 | 25 | 3 | 1 |
| 1943 | NE | OF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944 | NE | C | 3 | 3 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946 | NE | 1B | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | NE | C | 42 | 38 | 250 | 25 | 3 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 211 |
| First Base | 6 |
| Second Base | 1 |
| Third Base | 4 |
| Right Field | 2 |
Frequently Asked Questions about Leon Ruffin
- Was Leon Ruffin a pitcher?
- No. Leon Ruffin was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Leon Ruffin hit?
- Leon Ruffin hit 2 career home runs with 147 hits.
- What was Leon Ruffin's career batting average?
- Leon Ruffin batted .211 over his career, with 147 hits in 698 at bats.
- How many RBI did Leon Ruffin have?
- Leon Ruffin drove in 87 runs in his career.
- Is Leon Ruffin in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Leon Ruffin has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- What teams did Leon Ruffin play for?
- Leon Ruffin played for the Brooklyn Eagles, the Newark Eagles, the Pittsburgh Crawfords, and the Philadelphia Stars.