John Henry Russell
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records
John Henry Russell was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball for 8 teams, including the Memphis Red Sox. In 773 career games, he hit .280 with 794 hits, 30 home runs, and 382 RBI. John Henry Russell was an 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 148 lb
- Died
- 12/4/1972 in Cleveland, OH, USA
- Awards
- All-Star
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 773 | 2,832 | 434 | 794 | 102 | 50 | 30 | 382 | 65 | 208 | 2 | .280 | .332 | .383 | .716 | -1,589 |
Career AVG .280 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .332 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .383 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .716 vs. league average .741 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | MRS | IND | 22 | 82 | 8 | 26 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 0 | .317 | .282 (+12%) | .344 (+6%) | .390 (+13%) | .734 (+9%) | 105.5 |
| 1924 | MRS | NNL | 60 | 226 | 20 | 53 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 8 | 19 | 0 | .235 | .283 (-17%) | .345 (-14%) | .389 (-18%) | .734 (-16%) | -620.3 |
| 1925 | MRS | NNL | 75 | 289 | 37 | 81 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 2 | 17 | 0 | .280 | .288 (-3%) | .349 (-8%) | .407 (-16%) | .756 (-12%) | -606.6 |
| 1926 | SLS | NNL | 87 | 338 | 76 | 104 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 52 | 25 | 34 | 2 | .308 | .279 (+10%) | .345 (+9%) | .390 (+13%) | .735 (+11%) | 734.8 |
| 1927 | SLS | NNL | 86 | 289 | 48 | 87 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 47 | 7 | 15 | 0 | .301 | .282 (+7%) | .344 (-1%) | .392 (+23%) | .736 (+12%) | 551.1 |
| 1928 | SLS | NNL | 79 | 292 | 38 | 80 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 36 | 1 | 12 | 0 | .274 | .280 (-2%) | .342 (-11%) | .395 (-8%) | .737 (-9%) | -499.3 |
| 1929 | SLS | NNL | 84 | 289 | 45 | 81 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 2 | 15 | 0 | .280 | .289 (-3%) | .353 (-11%) | .415 (-22%) | .769 (-17%) | -799.6 |
| 1930 | SLS | NNL | 89 | 332 | 57 | 93 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 48 | 11 | 27 | 0 | .280 | .293 (-5%) | .354 (-5%) | .429 (+4%) | .784 (avg) | -36.3 |
| 1931 | AB2 | NNL | 39 | 144 | 26 | 42 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 4 | 16 | 0 | .292 | .276 (+6%) | .338 (+7%) | .388 (-2%) | .726 (+2%) | 90.4 |
| 1931 | CCU | NNL | 3 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .300 | — | — | — | — | 90.4 |
| 1932 | DW | EWL | 20 | 69 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | .217 | .275 (-21%) | .335 (-14%) | .391 (-37%) | .726 (-26%) | -274.3 |
| 1932 | PC | IND | 58 | 210 | 30 | 59 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 16 | 0 | .281 | .275 (+2%) | .335 (+1%) | .391 (-11%) | .726 (-6%) | -274.3 |
| 1933 | PC | NN2 | 68 | 252 | 41 | 69 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 21 | 0 | .274 | .270 (+1%) | .329 (+1%) | .377 (-4%) | .707 (-2%) | -60.7 |
| 1934 | CRS | NN2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1934 | HG | IND | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 773 | 2,832 | 434 | 794 | 102 | 50 | 30 | 382 | 65 | 208 | 2 | .280 | — | — | — | — | -1,599 | ||
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
Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 4 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .273 |
| Away | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .200 |
Last 7 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933-07-23 | PTC | CAG | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-07-23 | PTC | CAG | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1932-07-25 | PTC | WSW | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1929-06-09 | SSN | CAG | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-07-29 | SSN | DT1 | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1927-07-30 | SSN | CAG | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-08-29 | MEM | BIR | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 3 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2B | 614 | 608 | 1364 | 2033 | 163 | 297 |
| 3B | 137 | 67 | 102 | 132 | 22 | 8 |
| OF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 19 | 12 | 40 | 50 | 11 | 4 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | MRS | 2B | 21 | 21 | 46 | 57 | 8 | 2 |
| 1923 | MRS | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924 | MRS | 2B | 3 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 1924 | MRS | 3B | 47 | 47 | 84 | 88 | 16 | 6 |
| 1924 | MRS | SS | 12 | 9 | 34 | 39 | 6 | 3 |
| 1925 | MRS | 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | MRS | 3B | 71 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | MRS | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1926 | SLS | 2B | 84 | 84 | 193 | 274 | 21 | 64 |
| 1926 | SLS | SS | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 1927 | SLS | 2B | 84 | 83 | 204 | 290 | 18 | 40 |
| 1927 | SLS | 3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1928 | SLS | 2B | 61 | 61 | 132 | 240 | 18 | 31 |
| 1928 | SLS | 3B | 18 | 18 | 18 | 41 | 4 | 1 |
| 1929 | SLS | 2B | 82 | 81 | 205 | 297 | 23 | 45 |
| 1929 | SLS | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930 | SLS | 1B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930 | SLS | 2B | 89 | 89 | 172 | 273 | 26 | 36 |
| 1930 | SLS | SS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1931 | AB2 | 2B | 39 | 37 | 85 | 114 | 10 | 15 |
| 1931 | AB2 | SS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1931 | CCU | 2B | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1932 | DW | 2B | 20 | 20 | 39 | 61 | 9 | 10 |
| 1932 | DW | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1932 | PC | 2B | 58 | 58 | 135 | 196 | 11 | 28 |
| 1933 | PC | 1B | 1 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1933 | PC | 2B | 65 | 65 | 133 | 204 | 15 | 24 |
| 1933 | PC | OF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934 | CRS | 2B | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 1934 | HG | 2B | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 3 |
| Second Base | 614 |
| Third Base | 137 |
| Shortstop | 19 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 2 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Henry Russell: the record in brief
John Henry Russell's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1923 to 1934. The season rows list, in order, the Memphis Red Sox (1923 to 1925), the St. Louis Stars (1926 through 1930), the Indianapolis ABCs (1931), the Cleveland Cubs (1931), the Detroit Wolves (1932), the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932 through 1933), the Cleveland Red Sox (1934), and the Homestead Grays (1934). Listed as a second baseman, Russell batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 148 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. Russell was born on February 24, 1898, in Dolcito, AL, USA. Russell's death is recorded on December 4, 1972, in Cleveland, OH, USA.
Across 773 games at the plate, Russell's career line reads 794 hits in 2,832 at bats for a .280 average, plus 30 homers, 382 RBI, and 65 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .332 and .383 give Russell a career OPS of .716. Against a .282 league average for those years, Russell's .280 average was near the norm. 1927 was Russell's biggest home run year, with 11.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Henry Russell
- Was John Henry Russell a pitcher?
- No. John Henry Russell was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did John Henry Russell hit?
- John Henry Russell hit 30 career home runs with 794 hits.
- What teams did John Henry Russell play for?
- John Henry Russell played for 8 teams: the Memphis Red Sox (1923–1925), the St. Louis Stars (1926–1930), the Indianapolis ABCs (1931), the Cleveland Cubs (1931), the Detroit Wolves (1932), the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932–1933), the Cleveland Red Sox (1934), and the Homestead Grays (1934).
- Did John Henry Russell win an MVP award?
- No. John Henry Russell did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did John Henry Russell win?
- John Henry Russell was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were John Henry Russell's career stats?
- In 773 games, John Henry Russell had 794 hits, 30 home runs, 382 RBI, 434 runs, and 65 stolen bases, with a .280 batting average.
- What position did John Henry Russell play?
- John Henry Russell played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was John Henry Russell and how much did he weigh?
- John Henry Russell was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 148 pounds.
- How many home runs did John Henry Russell hit each season?
- John Henry Russell's home runs by season: 0 in 1923, 0 in 1924, 0 in 1925, 5 in 1926, 11 in 1927, 2 in 1928, 1 in 1929, 10 in 1930, 1 in 1931, 0 in 1932, 0 in 1933, and 0 in 1934. His most in one season was 11, in 1927.
- What was John Henry Russell's career batting average?
- John Henry Russell batted .280 over his career, with 794 hits in 2,832 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Henry Russell have?
- John Henry Russell drove in 382 runs in his career.
- Is John Henry Russell in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Henry Russell has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did John Henry Russell make?
- John Henry Russell was selected to 1 All-Star Game.