Sam West

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1927-1942)

Sam West was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1942 for the Washington Senators, the St. Louis Browns, and the Chicago White Sox, a span of 16 seasons. In 1,753 career games, he hit .299 with 1,838 hits, 75 home runs, and 838 RBI. Sam West was a 4-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 10,501.

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

AVG .299
HR 75
RBI 838
H 1,838
OPS .796
PIV 10,501
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
5'11" / 165 lb
Born
10/5/1904 in Longview, TX, USA
Died
11/23/1985 in Lubbock, TX, USA
MLB Debut
1927-04-17
Last Game
1942-09-24
Awards
4× All-Star

Full name: Samuel Filmore West

Career Batting Statistics

Sam West — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,753 6,148 934 1,838 347 101 75 838 53 696 540 .299 .371 .425 .796 10,501

Career AVG .299 vs. league average .276 across their career seasons — +8.2% above league average.

Career OBP .371 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — +8.8% above league average.

Career SLG .425 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — +8.1% above league average.

Career OPS .796 vs. league average .734 across their career seasons — +8.4% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

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.

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Sam West — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home873307750096540434.314
Away880306943487435406.285

Last 10 Games — Batting

Sam West — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1942-09-24 CHWCLEW 100000000
1942-09-24 CHWCLEW 200000000
1942-08-13 CHWSLAL 401000010
1942-08-12 CHWSLAL 311000011
1942-08-09 CHWCLEW 400000000
1942-08-09 CHWCLEW 302000410
1942-08-06 CHWDETW 411000001
1942-08-04 CHWDETW 400000002
1942-07-29 CHWNYYW 602100400
1942-07-26 CHWPHAW 400000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Sam West — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 29 0 228 13 5 22
OF 1573 0 4300 151 76 42

Season-by-Season Fielding

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Sam West Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 29
Left Field 101
Center Field 1446
Right Field 29

Awards & Honors

Sam West — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1934 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1933 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF

Award Voting History

Sam West — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1936 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 2.0 80 0
1934 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 5.0 80 0
1933 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 11.0 80 0
1931 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 16.0 80 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Sam West (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Joe Vosmik
    .307 avg, 65 HR
  2. 93
    Dixie Walker
    .306 avg, 105 HR
  3. 89
    Jack Tobin
    .309 avg, 64 HR
  4. 88
    Dom DiMaggio
    .298 avg, 87 HR
  5. 85
    Wally Moses
    .291 avg, 89 HR
  6. 84
    Baby Doll Jacobson
    .311 avg, 83 HR

Sam West: the record in brief

According to the bio, Sam West debuted on April 17, 1927 and played a final game on September 24, 1942. West played for the Washington Senators (1927 to 1941), the St. Louis Browns (1933 through 1938), and the Chicago White Sox (1942). Born on October 5, 1904, in Longview, TX, USA, West is listed as an outfielder and both batted and threw left-handed. Size on record: 5 feet, 11 inches and 165 pounds. West died on November 23, 1985, in Lubbock, TX, USA. The bio lists the given name Samuel Filmore.

The batting record for West: 1,753 games, 1,838 hits in 6,148 at bats, and a .299 average, along with 75 homers, 838 runs batted in, and 53 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .371 and .425 give West a career OPS of .796. The league as a whole hit .276 across West's seasons, which puts the .299 career mark 8.2% above average. By OPS the gap is 8.4% above league average (.796 against .734).

Frequently Asked Questions about Sam West

What years did Sam West play?
Sam West played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1942.
Was Sam West a pitcher?
No. Sam West was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Sam West hit?
Sam West hit 75 career home runs with 1,838 hits.
What teams did Sam West play for?
Sam West played for 3 teams: the Washington Senators (1927–1932, 1938–1941), the St. Louis Browns (1933–1938), and the Chicago White Sox (1942).
Did Sam West win an MVP award?
No. Sam West did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Sam West win?
Sam West was selected to 4 All-Star Games.
What were Sam West's career stats?
In 1,753 games, Sam West had 1,838 hits, 75 home runs, 838 RBI, 934 runs, and 53 stolen bases, with a .299 batting average.
What position did Sam West play?
Sam West played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Sam West and how much did he weigh?
Sam West was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 165 pounds.
How many home runs did Sam West hit each season?
Sam West's home runs by season: 0 in 1927, 3 in 1928, 3 in 1929, 6 in 1930, 3 in 1931, 6 in 1932, 11 in 1933, 9 in 1934, 10 in 1935, 7 in 1936, 7 in 1937, 6 in 1938, 3 in 1939, 1 in 1940, 0 in 1941, and 0 in 1942. His most in one season was 11, in 1933.
What was Sam West's career batting average?
Sam West batted .299 over his career, with 1,838 hits in 6,148 at bats.
How many RBI did Sam West have?
Sam West drove in 838 runs in his career.
Is Sam West in the Hall of Fame?
No. Sam West has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Sam West make?
Sam West was selected to 4 All-Star Games.