Tommy Tatum
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1941-1947)
Tommy Tatum was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1947 for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 7 seasons. In 81 career games, he hit .258 with 50 hits, 1 home runs, and 17 RBI.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 185 lb
- Died
- 11/7/1989 in Oklahoma City, OK, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1941-08-01
- Last Game
- 1947-09-24
Full name: V T Tatum
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | 194 | 20 | 50 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 7 | 17 | 20 | .258 | .318 | .325 | .642 | -148 |
Career AVG .258 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .318 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 5.1% below league average.
Career SLG .325 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 13.3% below league average.
Career OPS .642 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — 9.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | BRO | NL | 8 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1947 | BRO | NL | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1947 | CIN | NL | 69 | 176 | 19 | 48 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 7 | 16 | 16 | .273 | .262 (+4%) | .336 (-1%) | .376 (-9%) | .712 (-5%) | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 81 | 194 | 20 | 50 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 7 | 17 | 20 | .258 | — | — | — | — | 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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (82 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 47 | 108 | 14 | 27 | 1 | 14 | .250 |
| Away | 35 | 86 | 6 | 23 | 0 | 2 | .267 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-09-24 | CIN | CHC | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-23 | CIN | CHC | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947-09-21 | CIN | PIT | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-21 | CIN | PIT | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947-09-18 | CIN | PHI | W | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 1947-09-17 | CIN | PHI | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-16 | CIN | BRO | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-14 | CIN | BRO | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-13 | CIN | NY1 | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-10 | CIN | BSN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 12 |
| Center Field | 40 |
| Right Field | 6 |
Tommy Tatum: the record in brief
Between the debut on August 1, 1941 and the final game on September 24, 1947, Tommy Tatum built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the Brooklyn Dodgers (1941 through 1947) and the Cincinnati Reds (1947). Tatum played primarily as an outfielder and batted and threw right-handed. Born on July 16, 1919, in Decatur, TX, USA, Tatum was listed at 6 feet, 0 inches and 185 pounds. The bio records the death on November 7, 1989, in Oklahoma City, OK, USA. On the record, Tommy Tatum was born V T Tatum.
The batting record for Tatum: 81 games, 50 hits in 194 at bats, and a .258 average, adding 1 home run and 17 RBI. The on-base percentage is .318 and the slugging percentage .325, for an OPS of .642. The .258 career average is close to the .262 the league hit across the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 9.4% below league average (.642 against .709). No season topped the 48 hits of 1947. The Lg AVG column puts Tatum's 1947 at .273 against .262, the widest margin among the busiest seasons at 4%.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tommy Tatum
- What years did Tommy Tatum play?
- Tommy Tatum played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1947.
- Was Tommy Tatum a pitcher?
- No. Tommy Tatum was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Tommy Tatum hit?
- Tommy Tatum hit 1 career home run with 50 hits.
- What teams did Tommy Tatum play for?
- Tommy Tatum played for 2 teams: the Brooklyn Dodgers (1941, 1947) and the Cincinnati Reds (1947).
- What were Tommy Tatum's career stats?
- In 81 games, Tommy Tatum had 50 hits, 1 home runs, 17 RBI, 20 runs, and 7 stolen bases, with a .258 batting average.
- What position did Tommy Tatum play?
- Tommy Tatum played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Tommy Tatum and how much did he weigh?
- Tommy Tatum was listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds.
- How many home runs did Tommy Tatum hit each season?
- Tommy Tatum's home runs by season: 0 in 1941 and 1 in 1947. His most in one season was 1, in 1947.
- What was Tommy Tatum's career batting average?
- Tommy Tatum batted .258 over his career, with 50 hits in 194 at bats.
- How many RBI did Tommy Tatum have?
- Tommy Tatum drove in 17 runs in his career.
- Is Tommy Tatum in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Tommy Tatum has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.