Sam Hairston

Born: 1/20/1920 in Crawford, MS, USA

Died: 10/31/1997 in Birmingham, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1951-07-21 | Final Game: 1951-08-26

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 187 lbs

Full name: Samuel Harding Hairston

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Biography

Sam Hairston was a professional baseball player born in 1920, whose career in Major League Baseball spanned a brief period from July 21, 1951, to August 26, 1951. As a position player, Hairston made a modest mark in the league, participating in four games during his time in the majors. He recorded two hits, contributing one run batted in (RBI) and finishing with a batting average of .400. While he did not hit any home runs or steal any bases, his performance reflected a glimpse of potential that was not fully realized in his short stint at the highest level of the sport. Hairston's career came during a transformative era in baseball, marked by the gradual integration of African American players into the major leagues. Although his playing time was limited, Hairston's presence in the game contributed to the broader narrative of players breaking barriers and paving the way for future generations. His journey through the major leagues, albeit brief, is a reminder of the many players who aspired to greatness during a time of significant social change in sports.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
664.0	591.0	108.0	210.0	45.0	9.0	11.0	100.0	64.0	4.0	12.0	0.355	0.419	0.518	0.937

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1944	26.0	24.0	3.0	7.0	1.0	0	1.0	6.0	2.0	0	2.0	0.292	0.346	0.458	0.804
1945	67.0	59.0	10.0	16.0	2.0	1.0	0	6.0	7.0	1.0	1.0	0.271	0.348	0.339	0.687
1946	135.0	120.0	19.0	43.0	11.0	3.0	2.0	22.0	12.0	1.0	3.0	0.358	0.421	0.550	0.971
1947	119.0	110.0	19.0	40.0	10.0	2.0	2.0	14.0	7.0	0	1.0	0.364	0.398	0.545	0.943
1948	164.0	142.0	34.0	59.0	8.0	2.0	5.0	30.0	20.0	1.0	4.0	0.415	0.488	0.606	1.094
1949	153.0	136.0	23.0	45.0	13.0	1.0	1.0	22.0	16.0	1.0	1.0	0.331	0.405	0.463	0.868

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
118	418	75	131	24	4	5	63	7	44	1	0.313	0.383	0.426	0.809	1022.1

Career AVG .313 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +20.1% above league average.

Career OBP .383 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +15.0% above league average.

Career SLG .426 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — +15.6% above league average.

Career OPS 0.809 vs. league average 0.701 across their career seasons — +15.4% 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
1944	CIC	NAL	8	22	3	5	0	0	1	5	0	2	0	0.227	—	—	—	—	0.0
1945	CIC	NAL	20	62	10	16	3	1	0	9	1	9	0	0.258	.260 (-1%)	.328 (+7%)	.354 (-5%)	.683 (+1%)	25.8
1946	CIC	NAL	26	102	16	33	7	1	2	16	1	9	1	0.324	.256 (+26%)	.328 (+20%)	.358 (+31%)	.687 (+26%)	430.9
1947	CIC	NAL	29	112	20	34	9	1	1	17	1	8	0	0.304	.262 (+16%)	.336 (+4%)	.376 (+14%)	.712 (+9%)	142.1
1948	IC	NAL	31	115	25	41	4	1	1	15	4	14	0	0.357	.263 (+35%)	.340 (+25%)	.379 (+15%)	.719 (+20%)	423.3
1951	CHW	AL	4	5	1	2	1	0	0	1	0	2	0	0.400	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	9	9	85	4	2	6
3B	63	59	68	110	15	5
C	50	41	211	31	10	3
SS	1	0	2	1	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1944	CIC	C	6	6	21	3	3	0
1945	CIC	3B	11	9	13	19	2	2
1945	CIC	C	9	8	44	11	2	1
1946	CIC	1B	2	2	27	1	1	3
1946	CIC	3B	14	12	12	19	4	0
1946	CIC	C	14	12	81	6	3	1
1947	CIC	3B	21	21	17	43	5	3
1947	CIC	C	11	8	30	3	1	0
1947	CIC	SS	1	0	2	1	0	0
1948	IC	1B	7	7	58	3	1	3
1948	IC	3B	17	17	26	29	4	0
1948	IC	C	8	7	32	8	1	1
1951	CHA	C	2	0	3	0	0	0