Buck Leonard

⭐ Hall of Fame 1972

Born: 9/8/1907 in Rocky Mount, NC, USA

Died: 11/27/1997 in Rocky Mount, NC, USA

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Walter Fenner Leonard

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Biography

Buck Leonard, born in 1907, was a prominent figure in the history of baseball, primarily known for his exceptional career in the Negro Leagues. Playing from 1948 until September 29, 1948, Leonard's contributions to the game extended beyond his on-field performances, as he became a symbol of excellence and perseverance during a time when African American players faced significant barriers to participation in Major League Baseball. Despite his official career statistics showing no recorded games, hits, home runs, RBIs, or stolen bases, Leonard's impact was felt through his leadership and skill, which earned him a revered place in baseball history. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972, Leonard's legacy was cemented as one of the top first basemen of the Negro Leagues, where he played the majority of his career for the Homestead Grays alongside other legends like Josh Gibson. His remarkable ability to hit for power and average, coupled with his defensive prowess, made him a cornerstone of the Grays' success during the 1930s and 1940s. Leonard's career coincided with a critical period in American sports history, as the Negro Leagues provided a platform for African American athletes to showcase their talents before the eventual integration of Major League Baseball. His story continues to inspire future generations, reminding us of the rich history and contributions of African American players in the sport.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2866.0	2370.0	636.0	892.0	152.0	58.0	156.0	481.0	455.0	28.0	37.0	0.376	0.478	0.687	1.165

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1934	3.0	2.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.0	0	0	.000	0.333	.000	0.333
1935	3.0	3.0	0	0	0	0	0	1.0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
1936	201.0	168.0	49.0	60.0	3.0	6.0	12.0	31.0	30.0	0	3.0	0.357	0.457	0.661	1.118
1937	218.0	182.0	56.0	78.0	18.0	3.0	17.0	39.0	33.0	1.0	3.0	0.429	0.521	0.841	1.362
1938	217.0	179.0	49.0	75.0	9.0	3.0	15.0	31.0	35.0	0	1.0	0.419	0.514	0.754	1.268
1939	170.0	140.0	39.0	59.0	12.0	1.0	16.0	45.0	27.0	1.0	2.0	0.421	0.515	0.864	1.379
1940	230.0	188.0	53.0	75.0	14.0	4.0	11.0	34.0	39.0	2.0	4.0	0.399	0.502	0.691	1.193
1941	256.0	206.0	68.0	79.0	15.0	7.0	20.0	46.0	48.0	4.0	6.0	0.383	0.502	0.816	1.318
1942	163.0	139.0	23.0	32.0	7.0	0	1.0	21.0	21.0	1.0	1.0	0.230	0.329	0.302	0.631
1943	386.0	316.0	90.0	112.0	23.0	11.0	10.0	61.0	59.0	6.0	4.0	0.354	0.458	0.592	1.050
1944	265.0	215.0	70.0	94.0	21.0	12.0	13.0	50.0	47.0	7.0	5.0	0.437	0.540	0.828	1.368
1945	206.0	179.0	41.0	72.0	8.0	4.0	11.0	35.0	25.0	5.0	0	0.402	0.481	0.676	1.157
1946	219.0	178.0	42.0	65.0	8.0	5.0	9.0	34.0	39.0	0	3.0	0.365	0.479	0.618	1.097
1947	139.0	119.0	23.0	39.0	4.0	1.0	8.0	25.0	19.0	0	4.0	0.328	0.424	0.580	1.004
1948	190.0	156.0	33.0	52.0	10.0	1.0	13.0	28.0	32.0	1.0	1.0	0.333	0.447	0.660	1.107

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
641	2300	567	790	153	52	100	578	32	419	14	0.343	0.449	0.586	1.034	19101.4

Career AVG .343 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — +28.5% above league average.

Career OBP .449 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — +33.6% above league average.

Career SLG .586 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — +55.1% above league average.

Career OPS 1.034 vs. league average 0.713 across their career seasons — +45.0% 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
1934	HG	IND	20	78	12	26	3	0	3	17	0	6	0	0.333	.278 (+20%)	.340 (+12%)	.392 (+24%)	.733 (+18%)	240.5
1935	HG	NN2	40	157	30	61	18	3	4	36	5	17	3	0.389	.279 (+39%)	.342 (+32%)	.399 (+55%)	.742 (+44%)	1209.8
1936	HG	NN2	35	124	35	43	3	4	6	34	2	29	0	0.347	.283 (+22%)	.349 (+35%)	.404 (+44%)	.753 (+39%)	972.3
1937	HG	NN2	42	170	54	64	15	3	13	55	2	25	1	0.376	.276 (+36%)	.342 (+35%)	.398 (+83%)	.740 (+61%)	1837.6
1938	HG	NN2	43	153	42	64	12	5	9	53	1	25	0	0.418	.272 (+53%)	.341 (+46%)	.392 (+88%)	.734 (+69%)	1872.1
1939	HG	NN2	32	118	35	44	11	1	11	48	2	19	1	0.373	.274 (+36%)	.342 (+33%)	.393 (+94%)	.735 (+66%)	1329.2
1940	HG	NN2	54	185	49	70	14	5	8	42	1	39	3	0.378	.267 (+42%)	.335 (+46%)	.387 (+65%)	.722 (+56%)	1991.8
1941	HG	NN2	57	196	60	68	12	7	13	50	5	40	2	0.347	.262 (+32%)	.332 (+39%)	.373 (+82%)	.705 (+62%)	2183.6
1942	HG	NN2	38	125	19	27	6	1	0	21	3	24	0	0.216	.253 (-15%)	.323 (+6%)	.349 (-20%)	.672 (-8%)	-76.3
1943	HG	NN2	68	255	71	84	18	8	4	61	2	49	1	0.329	.255 (+29%)	.324 (+36%)	.346 (+47%)	.671 (+42%)	1976.8
1944	HG	NN2	50	184	49	63	16	7	7	40	1	31	0	0.342	.261 (+31%)	.325 (+37%)	.357 (+73%)	.683 (+56%)	1779.7
1945	HG	NN2	40	155	31	53	6	3	5	34	0	22	3	0.342	.260 (+31%)	.328 (+31%)	.354 (+45%)	.683 (+38%)	1030.5
1946	HG	NN2	50	169	37	56	6	4	7	45	3	39	0	0.331	.256 (+29%)	.328 (+40%)	.358 (+50%)	.687 (+45%)	1447.4
1947	HG	NN2	35	109	20	33	5	1	6	24	4	28	0	0.303	.262 (+15%)	.336 (+33%)	.376 (+41%)	.712 (+38%)	812.3
1948	HG	NN2	37	122	23	34	8	0	4	18	1	26	0	0.279	.263 (+6%)	.340 (+22%)	.379 (+17%)	.719 (+19%)	494.1

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
34	119	22	39	6	1	3	16	25	2	0.328

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1948	NLC	HG	4	14	0	5	1	0	0	3	3	0	0.357
1948	NWS	HG	2	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.000
1945	NWS	HG	4	15	1	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.200
1944	NWS	HG	5	16	5	8	1	0	1	2	5	1	0.500
1943	NWS	HG	7	27	7	8	3	1	0	4	6	0	0.296
1942	NWS	HG	4	16	3	4	0	0	0	1	1	1	0.250
1941	NLC	HG	1	4	3	2	0	0	1	3	2	0	0.500
1939	NLC	HG	5	13	1	6	0	0	0	2	5	0	0.462
1939	NLP2	HG	2	7	2	3	1	0	1	1	1	0	0.429

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	639	637	6361	285	81	354

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1934	HG	1B	20	20	188	7	6	8
1935	HG	1B	40	40	379	15	6	28
1936	HG	1B	35	35	347	18	4	26
1937	HG	1B	42	42	444	27	6	21
1938	HG	1B	43	43	451	13	4	22
1939	HG	1B	32	32	324	12	2	19
1940	HG	1B	54	54	568	21	5	31
1941	HG	1B	57	57	590	28	6	32
1942	HG	1B	38	38	330	17	4	12
1943	HG	1B	68	68	645	32	12	43
1944	HG	1B	50	50	542	30	3	31
1945	HG	1B	40	40	422	17	4	24
1946	HG	1B	50	50	487	20	8	30
1947	HG	1B	33	33	295	12	2	9
1948	HG	1B	37	35	349	16	9	18