David Whatley

Right Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records

David Whatley was a right fielder who played in Major League Baseball for 5 teams, including the Birmingham Black Barons. In 246 career games, he hit .335 with 318 hits, 13 home runs, and 114 RBI. David Whatley was an All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,390.

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 .335
HR 13
RBI 114
H 318
OPS .866
PIV 3,390
Position
Right Fielder
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 165 lb
Born
11/10/1914 in Griffin, GA, USA
Died
3/13/1961 in Oakland, CA, USA
Awards
All-Star

Full name: David Samuel Whatley

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

David Whatley — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1093.0 1012.0 213.0 358.0 60.0 27.0 15.0 83.0 66.0 18.0 29.0 .354 .396 .511 .907

Career Batting Statistics

David Whatley — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
246 948 193 318 51 22 13 114 28 76 19 .335 .389 .477 .866 3,390

Career AVG .335 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — +25.7% above league average.

Career OBP .389 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +16.2% above league average.

Career SLG .477 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — +25.8% above league average.

Career OPS .866 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — +21.3% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

David Whatley Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1937 BBB NAL 27 112 25 40 7 7 5 31 3 3 2 .357 .276 (+29%) .342 (+12%) .398 (+70%) .740 (+44%) 733.4
1938 BBB NAL 24 94 20 39 6 2 0 9 4 7 7 .415 .272 (+52%) .341 (+35%) .392 (+33%) .734 (+34%) 545.2
1938 MRS NAL 3 12 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 — — — — 545.2
1939 CBR NAL 2 8 1 3 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 .375 — — — — 0.0
1939 HG NN2 28 102 25 45 6 4 1 17 2 5 4 .441 .274 (+61%) .342 (+37%) .393 (+55%) .735 (+46%) 0.0
1940 HG NN2 53 217 42 64 7 4 2 21 9 22 3 .295 .267 (+10%) .335 (+7%) .387 (+1%) .722 (+4%) 168.6
1941 HG NN2 47 185 37 58 14 3 4 16 5 16 3 .314 .262 (+20%) .332 (+12%) .373 (+30%) .705 (+22%) 636.3
1942 HG NN2 51 189 39 59 9 2 1 14 3 19 0 .312 .253 (+23%) .323 (+19%) .349 (+13%) .672 (+16%) 541.9
1944 HG NN2 8 24 3 6 1 0 0 4 1 3 0 .250 — — — — 0.0
1944 NBY NN2 3 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .200 — — — — 0.0
Career · 10 seasons 246 948 193 318 51 22 13 114 28 76 19 .335 — — — — 3,170

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

David Whatley — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
9 35 4 10 1 1 0 4 1 0 .286

Playoff Batting by Year

David Whatley — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1942 NWS HG 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1941 NLC HG 1 7 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 .143
1939 NLC HG 5 20 3 6 1 0 0 1 1 0 .300
1939 NLP2 HG 2 7 1 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 .429

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (186 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

David Whatley — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home9736669127735.347
Away8829565108432.366

Pitching — Home / Away

David Whatley — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home10.00000—

Last 10 Games — Batting

David Whatley — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1944-08-17 NY5PH5L 100000000
1944-07-23 NY5BLGL 100000000
1944-07-21 NY5BLGL 301000010
1944-07-16 NY5NW2L 000000000
1944-07-04 NY5PH5L 011000000
1944-07-02 NY5BLGL 000000000
1944-06-19 HOMNW2L 401100000
1944-05-14 HOMBLGL 101000200
1944-05-13 HOMBLGW 411000210
1944-05-07 HOMNY5W 400000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

David Whatley — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1 1 2 4 1 0
OF 242 232 314 17 23 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

David Whatley — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1937 BBB OF 27 27 38 4 4 0
1938 BBB OF 25 24 38 1 3 0
1938 MRS OF 3 3 7 1 2 1
1939 CBR OF 2 2 2 1 1 0
1939 HG OF 28 23 35 0 1 0
1940 HG OF 53 53 75 2 6 0
1941 HG OF 47 46 51 2 6 1
1942 HG 2B 1 1 2 4 1 0
1942 HG OF 49 46 58 6 0 1
1944 HG OF 6 6 8 0 0 0
1944 NBY OF 2 2 2 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

David Whatley Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 1
Left Field 4
Center Field 3
Right Field 235

David Whatley: the record in brief

The season rows for David Whatley begin in 1937. By club, Whatley's seasons break down as the Birmingham Black Barons (1937 through 1938), the Memphis Red Sox (1938), the Cleveland Bears (1939), the Homestead Grays (1939 through 1944), and the New York Black Yankees (1944). Whatley, born on November 10, 1914, in Griffin, GA, USA, is listed as a right fielder and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Whatley's listed size is 5'10" and 165 pounds. Whatley died on March 13, 1961, in Oakland, CA, USA. Whatley's full given name, per the bio, is David Samuel Whatley.

Whatley collected 318 hits in 948 at bats across 246 games, good for a .335 batting average, along with 13 home runs, 114 runs batted in, and 28 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .389 clip and slugging .477, Whatley finished with a .866 OPS. The league as a whole hit .267 across Whatley's seasons, which puts the .335 career mark 25.7% above average.

Frequently Asked Questions about David Whatley

Was David Whatley a pitcher?
No. David Whatley was a position player (Right Fielder).
How many home runs did David Whatley hit?
David Whatley hit 13 career home runs with 318 hits.
What teams did David Whatley play for?
David Whatley played for 5 teams: the Birmingham Black Barons (1937–1938), the Memphis Red Sox (1938), the Cleveland Bears (1939), the Homestead Grays (1939–1942, 1944), and the New York Black Yankees (1944).
Did David Whatley win an MVP award?
No. David Whatley did not win the MVP award.
What awards did David Whatley win?
David Whatley was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were David Whatley's career stats?
In 246 games, David Whatley had 318 hits, 13 home runs, 114 RBI, 193 runs, and 28 stolen bases, with a .335 batting average.
What position did David Whatley play?
David Whatley played primarily as a right fielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was David Whatley and how much did he weigh?
David Whatley was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 165 pounds.
How many home runs did David Whatley hit each season?
David Whatley's home runs by season: 5 in 1937, 0 in 1938, 1 in 1939, 2 in 1940, 4 in 1941, 1 in 1942, and 0 in 1944. His most in one season was 5, in 1937.
What was David Whatley's career batting average?
David Whatley batted .335 over his career, with 318 hits in 948 at bats.
How many RBI did David Whatley have?
David Whatley drove in 114 runs in his career.
Is David Whatley in the Hall of Fame?
No. David Whatley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did David Whatley make?
David Whatley was selected to 1 All-Star Game.