Cool Turner
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Cool Turner was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for 9 teams, including the New York Lincoln Giants. In 304 career games, he hit .254 with 267 hits, 4 home runs, and 99 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 198 lb
- Died
- 2/3/1970 in Durham, NC, USA
Full name: Elbert Carter Turner
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 304 | 1,053 | 126 | 267 | 35 | 14 | 4 | 99 | 15 | 79 | 6 | .254 | .306 | .325 | .630 | -2,200 |
Career AVG .254 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — 10.7% below league average.
Career OBP .306 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — 11.6% below league average.
Career SLG .325 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — 18.6% below league average.
Career OPS .630 vs. league average .745 across their career seasons — 15.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | NLG | EAS | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1921 | BRG | EAS | 5 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .105 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1922 | BRG | IND | 7 | 27 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1923 | BRG | ECL | 33 | 127 | 20 | 45 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 3 | 4 | 0 | .354 | .282 (+25%) | .344 (+9%) | .390 (+9%) | .734 (+9%) | 169.7 |
| 1924 | BRG | ECL | 38 | 124 | 9 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 4 | .161 | .283 (-43%) | .345 (-42%) | .389 (-44%) | .734 (-43%) | -890.0 |
| 1925 | BRG | ECL | 21 | 74 | 15 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .257 | .288 (-11%) | .349 (-6%) | .407 (-14%) | .756 (-10%) | -109.5 |
| 1926 | BRG | ECL | 26 | 100 | 8 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 1 | .190 | .279 (-32%) | .345 (-28%) | .390 (-26%) | .735 (-27%) | -454.9 |
| 1927 | BRG | ECL | 2 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1927 | HIL | ECL | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1927 | ACB | ECL | 11 | 33 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .273 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1929 | HG | ANL | 47 | 155 | 20 | 42 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 19 | 0 | .271 | .289 (-6%) | .353 (-1%) | .415 (-10%) | .769 (-6%) | -139.4 |
| 1930 | BBB | NNL | 37 | 118 | 10 | 29 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | .246 | .293 (-16%) | .354 (-19%) | .429 (-27%) | .784 (-23%) | -476.6 |
| 1930 | CAG | NNL | 4 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .357 | — | — | — | — | -476.6 |
| 1931 | CCU | NNL | 11 | 42 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .310 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1931 | HAR | IND | 14 | 48 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .229 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1932 | CAG | NSL | 43 | 152 | 19 | 44 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 11 | 0 | .289 | .275 (+5%) | .335 (+1%) | .391 (-11%) | .726 (-6%) | -125.5 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 304 | 1,053 | 126 | 267 | 35 | 14 | 4 | 99 | 15 | 79 | 6 | .254 | — | — | — | — | -2,503 | ||
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
Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away | 2 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | .571 |
Last 2 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924-08-03 | BRG | BLS | L | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-08-03 | BRG | BLS | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2B | 14 | 13 | 35 | 31 | 3 | 4 |
| 3B | 99 | 95 | 107 | 163 | 16 | 11 |
| SS | 190 | 171 | 391 | 519 | 59 | 59 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | NLG | SS | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 2 |
| 1921 | BRG | SS | 5 | 5 | 19 | 12 | 0 | 6 |
| 1922 | BRG | SS | 7 | 7 | 16 | 28 | 3 | 2 |
| 1923 | BRG | SS | 33 | 33 | 78 | 93 | 10 | 9 |
| 1924 | BRG | SS | 38 | 38 | 81 | 109 | 13 | 6 |
| 1925 | BRG | 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | BRG | SS | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1926 | BRG | SS | 26 | 26 | 72 | 72 | 10 | 18 |
| 1927 | BRG | 2B | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1927 | BRG | SS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927 | HIL | 1B | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927 | HIL | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927 | ACB | 2B | 9 | 9 | 19 | 22 | 2 | 2 |
| 1927 | ACB | SS | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1929 | HG | 2B | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 1929 | HG | 3B | 41 | 41 | 46 | 71 | 10 | 6 |
| 1929 | HG | SS | 4 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 5 | 0 |
| 1930 | BBB | 3B | 37 | 37 | 35 | 62 | 3 | 3 |
| 1930 | CAG | 2B | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930 | CAG | 3B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930 | CAG | SS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931 | CCU | 3B | 11 | 10 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 1 |
| 1931 | HAR | 3B | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1931 | HAR | SS | 9 | 9 | 22 | 32 | 3 | 4 |
| 1932 | CAG | SS | 43 | 43 | 85 | 142 | 14 | 11 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 14 |
| Third Base | 99 |
| Shortstop | 190 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Cool Turner: the record in brief
Cool Turner's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1921 to 1932. By club, Turner's seasons break down as the New York Lincoln Giants (1921), the Brooklyn Royal Giants (1921 through 1927), the Hilldale Club (1927), the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1927), the Homestead Grays (1929), the Birmingham Black Barons (1930), the Chicago American Giants (1930 through 1932), and the Cleveland Cubs (1931), with further stops in the season rows. Turner, born on September 11, 1901, in Brooklyn, NY, USA, is listed as a shortstop and threw and hit right-handed. The bio gives 5-foot-10 and 198 pounds. The bio records the death on February 3, 1970, in Durham, NC, USA. On the record, Cool Turner was born Elbert Carter Turner.
Turner's career batting table shows 304 games, 1,053 at bats and 267 hits, a .254 average, plus 4 homers and 99 RBI. The on-base percentage is .306 and the slugging percentage .325, for an OPS of .630. Turner's .254 average ran 10.7% below the .284 that the league posted over the same seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cool Turner
- Was Cool Turner a pitcher?
- No. Cool Turner was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Cool Turner hit?
- Cool Turner hit 4 career home runs with 267 hits.
- What teams did Cool Turner play for?
- Cool Turner played for 9 teams: the New York Lincoln Giants (1921), the Brooklyn Royal Giants (1921–1927), the Hilldale Club (1927), the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1927), the Homestead Grays (1929), the Birmingham Black Barons (1930), the Chicago American Giants (1930, 1932), the Cleveland Cubs (1931), and the Harlem Stars (1931).
- What were Cool Turner's career stats?
- In 304 games, Cool Turner had 267 hits, 4 home runs, 99 RBI, 126 runs, and 15 stolen bases, with a .254 batting average.
- What position did Cool Turner play?
- Cool Turner played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Cool Turner and how much did he weigh?
- Cool Turner was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 198 pounds.
- How many home runs did Cool Turner hit each season?
- Cool Turner's home runs by season: 0 in 1921, 0 in 1922, 0 in 1923, 0 in 1924, 2 in 1925, 1 in 1926, 0 in 1927, 1 in 1929, 0 in 1930, 0 in 1931, and 0 in 1932. His most in one season was 2, in 1925.
- What was Cool Turner's career batting average?
- Cool Turner batted .254 over his career, with 267 hits in 1,053 at bats.
- How many RBI did Cool Turner have?
- Cool Turner drove in 99 runs in his career.
- Is Cool Turner in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Cool Turner has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.