Johnny Bassler

Born: 6/3/1895 in Lancaster, PA, USA

Died: 6/29/1979 in Santa Monica, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1913-07-11 | Final Game: 1927-09-30

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: John Landis Bassler

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Biography

Johnny Bassler, born in 1895, was a notable American professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1913 to 1927. Primarily recognized as a position player, Bassler showcased his talents over 811 games in Major League Baseball. He achieved a remarkable batting average of .304, which reflects his consistent offensive prowess during an era characterized by the transition from the deadball era to the more power-focused styles of play that followed. His offensive contributions included 704 hits, 1 home run, and 318 runs batted in (RBIs), highlighting his ability to drive in runs while maintaining a solid contact rate. In addition to his hitting skills, Bassler demonstrated versatility on the base paths with 13 stolen bases throughout his career. Although not known for power hitting, as evidenced by his single home run, his ability to get on base and produce runs made him a valuable asset to his teams. Bassler's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, and his performance contributed to the evolution of offensive strategies in the game. His legacy endures as a testament to the skilled players of his time who laid the groundwork for the future of baseball.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
30.0	26.0	2.0	6.0	0	0	1.0	2.0	3.0	1.0	0	0.231	0.333	0.346	0.679

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season	PA	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1925	13.0	12.0	1.0	4.0	0	2.0	0	1.0	0.333	0.385	0.333	0.718
1926	4.0	3.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	0	1.0	0	0.333	0.500	1.333	1.833
1930	13.0	11.0	0	1.0	0	0	2.0	0	0.091	0.231	0.091	0.322

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
811	2319	250	704	99	16	1	318	13	437	81	0.304	0.416	0.361	0.777	4889.6

Career AVG .304 vs. league average .278 across their career seasons — +9.1% above league average.

Career OBP .416 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — +22.0% above league average.

Career SLG .361 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — 5.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.777 vs. league average 0.724 across their career seasons — +7.3% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1913	CLE	AL	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1914	CLE	AL	43	77	5	14	1	1	0	6	3	15	8	0.182	.255 (-29%)	.322 (avg)	.339 (-35%)	.661 (-18%)	-160.8
1921	DET	AL	119	388	37	119	18	5	0	56	2	58	16	0.307	.286 (+7%)	.344 (+16%)	.395 (-4%)	.739 (+5%)	683.8
1922	DET	AL	121	372	41	120	14	0	0	41	2	62	12	0.323	.285 (+13%)	.345 (+22%)	.397 (-9%)	.743 (+5%)	780.0
1923	DET	AL	135	383	45	114	12	3	0	49	2	76	13	0.298	.282 (+5%)	.344 (+20%)	.390 (-12%)	.734 (+3%)	682.1
1924	DET	AL	124	379	43	131	20	3	1	68	2	62	11	0.346	.283 (+22%)	.345 (+28%)	.389 (+8%)	.734 (+18%)	1684.9
1925	DET	AL	121	344	40	96	19	3	0	52	1	74	6	0.279	.288 (-3%)	.349 (+17%)	.407 (-14%)	.756 (avg)	383.7
1926	DET	AL	66	174	20	53	8	1	0	22	0	45	6	0.305	.279 (+9%)	.345 (+29%)	.390 (-7%)	.735 (+10%)	582.5
1927	DET	AL	81	200	19	57	7	0	0	24	1	45	9	0.285	.282 (+1%)	.344 (+21%)	.392 (-18%)	.736 (avg)	253.5

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	PO	A	E	DP
3B	1	0	0	0	0
C	756	2607	708	67	69
OF	1	0	0	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1913	CLE	C	1	1	0	1	0
1914	CLE	3B	1	0	0	0	0
1914	CLE	C	25	99	42	8	3
1914	CLE	OF	1	0	0	0	0
1921	DET	C	114	433	113	14	7
1922	DET	C	118	421	113	11	12
1923	DET	C	128	447	133	7	8
1924	DET	C	122	402	103	11	11
1925	DET	C	118	375	87	8	14
1926	DET	C	63	223	61	0	6
1927	DET	C	67	206	56	7	8