Sam Jethroe, baseball player, 1950-1954

Sam Jethroe

Born: 1/23/1917 in Lowndes County, MS, USA

Died: 6/16/2001 in Erie, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1950-04-18 | Final Game: 1954-04-15

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 178 lbs

Full name: Samuel Jethroe

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Biography

Sam Jethroe, born in 1917, was a notable position player in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1950 to 1954. He made a significant impact during his time with the Boston Braves, showcasing his speed and power on the field. Jethroe played in 442 games, where he accumulated 460 hits and belted 49 home runs, while driving in 181 runs. His batting average of .261 reflected his ability to contribute offensively, and his impressive tally of 98 stolen bases underscored his reputation as a dynamic base runner. Jethroe's career was particularly significant as he was one of the first African American players to compete in the National League, breaking into the league during a time when integration was still a recent development. He was honored with the Rookie of the Year award, a testament to his immediate impact in the league. Jethroe's playing style combined agility and power, making him a dual threat on the diamond and a pivotal figure in the evolution of the game during the early 1950s. His contributions to baseball and the broader narrative of integration remain an important part of the sport's history.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
948.0 871.0 216.0 373.0 70.0 35.0 34.0 129.0 68.0 10.0 59.0 0.428 0.475 0.706 1.181

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1938 3.0 3.0 0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333 0.333 0.667 1.000
1942 145.0 140.0 30.0 58.0 16.0 3.0 5.0 21.0 2.0 1.0 8.0 0.414 0.431 0.679 1.110
1943 155.0 149.0 32.0 65.0 16.0 8.0 2.0 18.0 5.0 1.0 4.0 0.436 0.458 0.691 1.149
1944 153.0 141.0 27.0 57.0 3.0 4.0 4.0 11.0 11.0 2.0 7.0 0.404 0.447 0.567 1.014
1945 135.0 123.0 28.0 59.0 8.0 9.0 5.0 28.0 12.0 1.0 7.0 0.480 0.526 0.813 1.339
1946 174.0 156.0 32.0 50.0 10.0 4.0 3.0 19.0 15.0 4.0 9.0 0.321 0.384 0.494 0.878
1947 141.0 125.0 46.0 63.0 13.0 5.0 9.0 20.0 18.0 1.0 17.0 0.504 0.569 0.904 1.473
1948 42.0 34.0 21.0 20.0 3.0 2.0 6.0 12.0 5.0 0 7.0 0.588 0.674 1.324 1.998

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
618 2459 428 680 133 45 59 282 135 223 296 0.277 0.345 0.439 0.784 3804.9

Career AVG .277 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +6.1% above league average.

Career OBP .345 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .439 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — +18.4% above league average.

Career OPS 0.784 vs. league average 0.704 across their career seasons — +11.5% 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
1938 AB3 NAL 1 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1942 CCB NAL 42 164 28 55 14 4 2 27 6 5 2 0.335 .253 (+32%) .323 (+12%) .349 (+45%) .672 (+29%) 664.6
1943 CBE NAL 38 152 29 46 13 5 1 14 5 5 0 0.303 .255 (+18%) .324 (avg) .346 (+37%) .671 (+19%) 339.1
1944 CBE NAL 24 95 19 31 3 0 2 13 2 8 0 0.326 .261 (+25%) .325 (+18%) .357 (+18%) .683 (+18%) 288.4
1945 CBE NAL 21 81 14 27 5 5 1 20 5 8 1 0.333 .260 (+28%) .328 (+24%) .354 (+57%) .683 (+41%) 494.2
1946 CBE NAL 19 78 20 21 4 1 1 12 4 6 0 0.269 .256 (+5%) .328 (avg) .358 (+7%) .687 (+4%) 36.7
1947 CBE NAL 21 84 26 28 9 3 2 7 10 10 0 0.333 .262 (+27%) .336 (+20%) .376 (+55%) .712 (+39%) 497.3
1948 CBE NAL 10 39 12 11 4 2 1 8 5 4 0 0.282 — — — — 0.0
1950 BSN NL 141 582 100 159 28 8 18 58 35 52 93 0.273 .265 (+3%) .346 (-2%) .401 (+10%) .747 (+4%) 369.5
1951 BSN NL 148 572 101 160 29 10 18 65 35 57 88 0.280 .260 (+7%) .336 (+6%) .385 (+19%) .721 (+13%) 1458.1
1952 BSN NL 151 608 79 141 23 7 13 58 28 68 112 0.232 .252 (-8%) .326 (-3%) .369 (-3%) .696 (-3%) -342.9
1954 PIT NL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
9 34 5 10 2 1 0 3 6 0 0.294

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1947 NWS CBE 5 19 4 6 2 0 0 1 4 0 0.316
1945 NWS CBE 4 15 1 4 0 1 0 2 2 0 0.267

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 1 11 0 1 0
2B 16 15 31 48 8 7
3B 21 20 23 25 3 1
C 10 6 30 11 5 0
OF 566 132 1409 63 51 16
SS 1 1 2 3 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1938 AB3 C 1 1 6 1 1 0
1942 CCB 2B 2 2 4 8 1 1
1942 CCB 3B 1 1 3 0 0 0
1942 CCB OF 39 39 73 7 5 2
1943 CBE 2B 7 6 12 17 2 1
1943 CBE 3B 15 15 17 18 3 1
1943 CBE OF 16 16 38 2 1 0
1943 CBE SS 1 1 2 3 0 0
1944 CBE 2B 2 2 4 8 0 2
1944 CBE 3B 3 2 0 5 0 0
1944 CBE C 4 2 14 6 1 0
1944 CBE OF 18 18 44 4 3 1
1945 CBE 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1945 CBE 3B 2 2 3 2 0 0
1945 CBE C 5 3 10 4 3 0
1945 CBE OF 16 15 33 1 0 0
1946 CBE 1B 1 1 9 0 1 0
1946 CBE 2B 5 5 11 15 5 3
1946 CBE OF 13 13 26 1 1 0
1947 CBE OF 21 21 47 3 5 0
1948 CBE OF 10 10 23 0 1 0
1950 BSN OF 141 0 355 17 12 6
1951 BSN OF 140 0 356 18 10 4
1952 BSN OF 151 0 413 10 13 3
1954 PIT OF 1 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 10
First Base 2
Second Base 16
Third Base 21
Shortstop 1
Left Field 26
Center Field 535
Right Field 6

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1950 Rookie of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1950 Most Valuable Player NL 27th 6.0 336 0
1950 Rookie of the Year NL 1st 11.0 24 11