Jesse Williams
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Jesse Williams was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs and the New York Black Yankees. In 288 career games, he hit .267 with 270 hits, 5 home runs, and 101 RBI. Jesse Williams was a 3-time 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 282.
- 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
- 5'11" / 160 lb
- Died
- 2/27/1990 in Kansas City, MO, USA
- Awards
- 3× All-Star
Full name: Jesse Horace Williams
Negro Leagues Career Statistics
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.
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
| Season | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 21.0 | 20.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | .400 | .429 | .650 | 1.079 |
| 1947 | 38.0 | 34.0 | 3.0 | 10.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 0 | 1.0 | .294 | .368 | .441 | .809 |
| 1948 | 26.0 | 24.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 1.0 | .208 | .240 | .333 | .573 |
| 1949 | 144.0 | 128.0 | 22.0 | 32.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 13.0 | 15.0 | 1.0 | 8.0 | .250 | .329 | .320 | .649 |
| Listed seasons · 4 | 229 | 206 | 32 | 55 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 21 | 1 | 10 | .267 | — | — | — |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 288 | 1,012 | 169 | 270 | 40 | 18 | 5 | 101 | 32 | 100 | 2 | .267 | .339 | .357 | .696 | 282 |
Career AVG .267 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .339 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .357 vs. league average .366 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .696 vs. league average .696 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | KCM | NAL | 26 | 70 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | .214 | .274 (-22%) | .342 (-26%) | .393 (-35%) | .735 (-31%) | -361.2 |
| 1940 | KCM | NAL | 40 | 136 | 24 | 50 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 5 | 11 | 1 | .368 | .267 (+38%) | .335 (+26%) | .387 (+23%) | .722 (+25%) | 592.7 |
| 1941 | KCM | NAL | 40 | 134 | 21 | 35 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 4 | 13 | 0 | .261 | .262 (avg) | .332 (+2%) | .373 (-10%) | .705 (-4%) | -69.4 |
| 1941 | NBY | NN2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | -69.4 |
| 1942 | KCM | NAL | 46 | 159 | 21 | 37 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 19 | 0 | .233 | .253 (-8%) | .323 (-3%) | .349 (+4%) | .672 (+1%) | 5.0 |
| 1943 | KCM | NAL | 42 | 156 | 24 | 39 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 17 | 0 | .250 | .255 (-2%) | .324 (+2%) | .346 (-13%) | .671 (-6%) | -101.1 |
| 1944 | KCM | NAL | 43 | 157 | 21 | 36 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 0 | .229 | .261 (-12%) | .325 (-8%) | .357 (-11%) | .683 (-9%) | -236.1 |
| 1945 | KCM | NAL | 50 | 196 | 50 | 58 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 11 | 22 | 0 | .296 | .260 (+13%) | .328 (+13%) | .354 (+12%) | .683 (+13%) | 451.8 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 288 | 1,012 | 169 | 270 | 40 | 18 | 5 | 101 | 32 | 100 | 2 | .267 | — | — | — | — | 212 | ||
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
View full game log (234 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 137 | 445 | 76 | 124 | 1 | 42 | .279 |
| Away | 97 | 333 | 49 | 96 | 2 | 14 | .288 |
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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-09 | IN9 | BLG | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-08-08 | IN9 | NY6 | L | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | IN9 | NY6 | L | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | IN9 | NY6 | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-06 | IN9 | PH5 | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-06-20 | IN9 | BIR | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1949-06-19 | IN9 | BIR | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-06-19 | IN9 | BIR | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-06-18 | IN9 | BIR | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2B | 33 | 33 | 83 | 96 | 10 | 17 |
| 3B | 21 | 17 | 15 | 28 | 6 | 2 |
| OF | 8 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 227 | 222 | 402 | 671 | 70 | 80 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | KCM | 3B | 14 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 2 | 1 |
| 1939 | KCM | OF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | KCM | SS | 7 | 7 | 10 | 18 | 3 | 2 |
| 1940 | KCM | 3B | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 1940 | KCM | SS | 38 | 37 | 59 | 98 | 12 | 17 |
| 1941 | KCM | 3B | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1941 | KCM | SS | 37 | 35 | 67 | 107 | 10 | 10 |
| 1941 | NBY | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942 | KCM | SS | 46 | 46 | 84 | 152 | 14 | 15 |
| 1943 | KCM | SS | 42 | 42 | 85 | 118 | 7 | 16 |
| 1944 | KCM | 1B | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1944 | KCM | OF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944 | KCM | SS | 40 | 40 | 70 | 125 | 19 | 14 |
| 1945 | KCM | 2B | 33 | 33 | 83 | 96 | 10 | 17 |
| 1945 | KCM | 3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945 | KCM | OF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945 | KCM | SS | 17 | 15 | 27 | 53 | 5 | 6 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 2 |
| Second Base | 33 |
| Third Base | 21 |
| Shortstop | 227 |
| Left Field | 5 |
| Center Field | 2 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jesse Williams
- Was Jesse Williams a pitcher?
- No. Jesse Williams was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Jesse Williams hit?
- Jesse Williams hit 5 career home runs with 270 hits.
- What was Jesse Williams's career batting average?
- Jesse Williams batted .267 over his career, with 270 hits in 1,012 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jesse Williams have?
- Jesse Williams drove in 101 runs in his career.
- Is Jesse Williams in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jesse Williams has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- What teams did Jesse Williams play for?
- Jesse Williams played for the Kansas City Monarchs and the New York Black Yankees.