Goose Tatum
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Goose Tatum was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for 4 teams, including the Birmingham Black Barons. In 114 career games, he hit .273 with 111 hits, 3 home runs, and 62 RBI. Goose Tatum 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 195 lb
- Died
- 1/18/1967 in El Paso, TX, USA
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Reece Tatum
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 114 | 406 | 54 | 111 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 62 | 6 | 30 | 1 | .273 | .325 | .372 | .697 | -88 |
Career AVG .273 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +5.4% above league average.
Career OBP .325 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .372 vs. league average .362 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .697 vs. league average .693 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | BBB | NAL | 6 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .417 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1942 | BBB | NAL | 7 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .158 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1943 | CC | NAL | 30 | 115 | 15 | 31 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .270 | .255 (+5%) | .324 (-6%) | .346 (+21%) | .671 (+8%) | 80.3 |
| 1945 | CIC | NAL | 5 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .350 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | CIC | NAL | 17 | 59 | 11 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 1 | .271 | .256 (+6%) | .328 (+3%) | .358 (+18%) | .687 (+11%) | 87.5 |
| 1947 | CIC | NAL | 29 | 113 | 14 | 32 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .283 | .262 (+8%) | .336 (-9%) | .376 (-1%) | .712 (-5%) | -124.7 |
| 1948 | IC | NAL | 20 | 68 | 6 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 0 | .250 | .263 (-5%) | .340 (-1%) | .379 (-26%) | .719 (-14%) | -131.4 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 114 | 406 | 54 | 111 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 62 | 6 | 30 | 1 | .273 | — | — | — | — | -88 | ||
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 (159 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 47 | 95 | 16 | 47 | 7 | 33 | .495 |
| Away | 112 | 276 | 39 | 90 | 7 | 49 | .326 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-08-11 | IN9 | NY6 | W | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-08 | IN9 | NY6 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | IN9 | NY6 | L | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | IN9 | NY6 | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-06 | IN9 | PH5 | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-01 | IN9 | LCB | W | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-31 | IN9 | LCB | W | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-25 | IN9 | PH5 | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-24 | IN9 | BLG | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-07-24 | IN9 | BLG | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 87 | 87 | 785 | 34 | 19 | 33 |
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 22 | 21 | 33 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | BBB | OF | 4 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942 | BBB | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942 | BBB | OF | 4 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943 | CC | 1B | 16 | 16 | 146 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| 1943 | CC | OF | 14 | 13 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1945 | CIC | 1B | 5 | 5 | 63 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1946 | CIC | 1B | 17 | 17 | 133 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 1947 | CIC | 1B | 29 | 29 | 265 | 17 | 6 | 10 |
| 1948 | IC | 1B | 20 | 20 | 178 | 9 | 5 | 7 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 87 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 8 |
| Center Field | 3 |
| Right Field | 11 |
Goose Tatum: the record in brief
Goose Tatum's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1941 to 1948. The season rows list, in order, the Birmingham Black Barons (1941 to 1942), the Cincinnati Clowns (1943), the Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns (1945 through 1947), and the Indianapolis Clowns (1948). Tatum is listed as a first baseman at 6 feet, 3 inches and 195 pounds. Tatum switch-hit and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is May 3, 1918, in Jersey, AR, USA. The bio records the death on January 18, 1967, in El Paso, TX, USA. The given name on file is Reece Tatum.
The batting record for Tatum: 114 games, 111 hits in 406 at bats, and a .273 average; the totals also include 3 home runs and 62 RBI. Tatum's career OPS of .697 combines a .325 on-base mark with .372 slugging. Set against a .259 league average for the same years, Tatum's .273 average sits 5.4% above it. 1947 produced Tatum's most hits, 32 of them for the Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns.
Frequently Asked Questions about Goose Tatum
- Was Goose Tatum a pitcher?
- No. Goose Tatum was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Goose Tatum hit?
- Goose Tatum hit 3 career home runs with 111 hits.
- What teams did Goose Tatum play for?
- Goose Tatum played for 2 teams: the Birmingham Black Barons (1941–1942) and the Indianapolis Clowns (1943, 1945–1948).
- Did Goose Tatum win an MVP award?
- No. Goose Tatum did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Goose Tatum win?
- Goose Tatum was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Goose Tatum's career stats?
- In 114 games, Goose Tatum had 111 hits, 3 home runs, 62 RBI, 54 runs, and 6 stolen bases, with a .273 batting average.
- What position did Goose Tatum play?
- Goose Tatum played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Goose Tatum and how much did he weigh?
- Goose Tatum was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 195 pounds.
- How many home runs did Goose Tatum hit each season?
- Goose Tatum's home runs by season: 0 in 1941, 0 in 1942, 2 in 1943, 0 in 1945, 1 in 1946, 0 in 1947, and 0 in 1948. His most in one season was 2, in 1943.
- What was Goose Tatum's career batting average?
- Goose Tatum batted .273 over his career, with 111 hits in 406 at bats.
- How many RBI did Goose Tatum have?
- Goose Tatum drove in 62 runs in his career.
- Is Goose Tatum in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Goose Tatum has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Goose Tatum make?
- Goose Tatum was selected to 1 All-Star Game.