Rollie Hemsley, baseball player, 1928-1947

Rollie Hemsley

Born: 6/24/1907 in Syracuse, OH, USA

Died: 7/31/1972 in Washington, DC, USA

MLB Debut: 1928-04-19 | Final Game: 1947-04-17

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Ralston Burdett Hemsley

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Rollie Hemsley was a professional baseball player born in 1907 who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball from 1928 to 1947. Known for his versatility as a position player, Hemsley played in 1,593 games over the course of his career, accumulating 1,321 hits and achieving a batting average of .262. His offensive contributions included 31 home runs and 555 runs batted in (RBIs), showcasing his ability to drive in runs during critical moments. Additionally, he demonstrated speed on the bases with a total of 29 stolen bases, reflecting the aggressive style of play that characterized the era in which he competed. Hemsley was selected as an All-Star five times, a testament to his consistent performance and recognition among peers during a period that included some of baseball's greatest players. His career spanned the late 1920s through the mid-1940s, a time marked by significant changes in the game, including the integration of baseball and the transition from the deadball era to the more offensive-minded approach of the post-war years. Rollie Hemsley remains a notable figure in baseball history, remembered for his contributions both at the plate and in the field.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
37.0 35.0 2.0 11.0 1.0 1.0 0 6.0 1.0 0 1.0 0.314 0.351 0.400 0.751

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1937 17.0 15.0 0 2.0 0 0 0 4.0 1.0 0 1.0 0.133 0.235 0.133 0.368
1946 20.0 20.0 2.0 9.0 1.0 1.0 0 2.0 0 0 0 0.450 0.450 0.600 1.050

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1593 5047 562 1321 257 72 31 555 29 357 395 0.262 0.311 0.360 0.671 -8148.2

Career AVG .262 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .311 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 8.0% below league average.

Career SLG .360 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 6.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.671 vs. league average 0.724 across their career seasons — 7.4% below 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
1928 PIT NL 50 133 14 36 2 3 0 18 1 4 10 0.271 .280 (-4%) .342 (-15%) .395 (-16%) .737 (-16%) -393.6
1929 PIT NL 88 235 31 68 13 7 0 37 1 11 22 0.289 .289 (avg) .353 (-9%) .415 (-3%) .769 (-6%) -348.3
1930 PIT NL 104 324 45 82 19 6 2 45 3 22 21 0.253 .293 (-14%) .354 (-15%) .429 (-15%) .784 (-15%) -1057.8
1931 PIT NL 10 35 3 6 3 0 0 1 0 3 3 0.171 — — — — 0.0
1931 CHC NL 66 204 28 63 17 4 3 31 4 17 30 0.309 .276 (+12%) .338 (+7%) .388 (+22%) .726 (+15%) 0.0
1932 CHC NL 60 151 27 36 10 3 4 20 2 10 16 0.238 .275 (-13%) .335 (-15%) .391 (+8%) .726 (-2%) -129.7
1933 CIN NL 49 116 9 22 8 0 0 7 0 6 8 0.190 .270 (-30%) .329 (-30%) .377 (-31%) .707 (-31%) -634.7
1933 SLA AL 32 95 7 23 2 1 1 15 0 11 12 0.242 .270 (-10%) .329 (-3%) .377 (-16%) .707 (-10%) -634.7
1934 SLA AL 123 431 47 133 31 7 2 52 6 29 37 0.309 .278 (+11%) .340 (+4%) .392 (+9%) .733 (+7%) 491.3
1935 SLA AL 144 504 57 146 32 7 0 48 3 44 41 0.290 .279 (+4%) .342 (+2%) .399 (-5%) .742 (-2%) -166.0
1936 SLA AL 116 377 43 99 24 2 2 39 2 46 30 0.263 .283 (-8%) .349 (-2%) .404 (-13%) .753 (-8%) -536.8
1937 SLA AL 100 334 30 74 12 3 3 28 0 25 29 0.222 .276 (-20%) .342 (-19%) .398 (-24%) .740 (-22%) -1460.0
1938 CLE AL 66 203 27 60 11 3 2 28 1 23 14 0.296 .272 (+8%) .341 (+7%) .392 (+4%) .734 (+6%) 226.4
1939 CLE AL 107 395 58 104 17 4 2 36 2 26 26 0.263 .274 (-4%) .342 (-10%) .393 (-13%) .735 (-12%) -936.8
1940 CLE AL 119 416 46 111 20 5 4 42 1 22 25 0.267 .267 (avg) .335 (-9%) .387 (-5%) .722 (-7%) -688.3
1941 CLE AL 98 288 29 69 10 5 2 24 2 18 19 0.240 .262 (-9%) .332 (-15%) .373 (-12%) .705 (-13%) -769.9
1942 CIN NL 36 115 7 13 1 2 0 7 0 4 11 0.113 .253 (-55%) .323 (-56%) .349 (-55%) .672 (-56%) -1053.3
1942 NYY AL 31 85 12 25 3 1 0 15 1 5 9 0.294 .253 (+16%) .323 (+3%) .349 (+1%) .672 (+2%) -1053.3
1943 NYY AL 62 180 12 43 6 3 2 24 0 13 9 0.239 .255 (-7%) .324 (-11%) .346 (-2%) .671 (-6%) -237.5
1944 NYY AL 81 284 23 76 12 5 2 26 0 9 13 0.268 .261 (+2%) .325 (-11%) .357 (+2%) .683 (-4%) -318.7
1946 PHI NL 49 139 7 31 4 1 0 11 0 9 10 0.223 .256 (-13%) .328 (-18%) .358 (-26%) .687 (-22%) -524.6
1947 PHI NL 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.333 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1932 WS CHN 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 0 6 1 0 0
C 1482 0 5868 897 154 141
OF 7 0 13 1 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1928 PIT C 49 0 127 24 6 4
1929 PIT C 80 0 240 48 14 7
1930 PIT C 98 0 325 50 8 11
1931 PIT C 9 0 35 5 0 0
1931 CHN C 53 0 236 40 7 5
1932 CHN C 47 0 173 17 5 3
1932 CHN OF 1 0 1 1 0 0
1933 CIN C 41 0 109 22 4 1
1933 SLA C 27 0 98 13 4 2
1934 SLA C 114 0 487 92 16 15
1934 SLA OF 6 0 12 0 0 0
1935 SLA C 141 0 510 105 13 10
1936 SLA C 114 0 340 68 13 16
1937 SLA 1B 2 0 6 1 0 0
1937 SLA C 94 0 332 70 13 13
1938 CLE C 58 0 358 38 8 5
1939 CLE C 106 0 499 58 9 7
1940 CLE C 117 0 591 65 4 8
1941 CLE C 96 0 401 42 9 8
1942 CIN C 34 0 199 15 4 3
1942 NYA C 29 0 103 11 1 3
1943 NYA C 52 0 234 31 5 3
1944 NYA C 76 0 298 41 6 7
1946 PHI C 45 0 170 42 5 10
1947 PHI C 2 0 3 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1480
First Base 2
Left Field 7
Center Field 1
Right Field 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1938 Baseball Magazine All-Star C2

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1944 Most Valuable Player AL 26th 4.0 336 0
1940 Most Valuable Player AL 27th 2.0 336 0
1935 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 16.0 80 0