Vern Stephens, baseball player, 247 home runs, 1941-1955

Vern Stephens

Born: 10/23/1920 in McAlister, NM, USA

Died: 11/4/1968 in Long Beach, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1941-09-13 | Final Game: 1955-06-30

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

Full name: Vernon Decatur Stephens

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Vern Stephens was a prominent American professional baseball player, born in 1920, who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1955. Primarily a shortstop, Stephens was known for his powerful bat and reliable fielding, which contributed to his selection as an All-Star on eight occasions throughout his career. He played a total of 1,720 games, accumulating 1,859 hits, 247 home runs, and 1,174 RBIs, with a commendable batting average of .286. His ability to drive in runs and deliver in clutch situations established him as a key player during his time. Playing in an era that saw the transition from the deadball era to a more offense-driven game, Stephens was instrumental in the offensive output of his teams. He showcased a balanced skill set, with 25 stolen bases highlighting his speed on the basepaths. His career spanned a transformative period in baseball, and he is remembered not only for his individual achievements but also for his contributions to the success of the teams he played for, including the St. Louis Browns and the Boston Red Sox. Vern Stephens left a lasting legacy as one of the standout shortstops of his generation.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
9.0 9.0 2.0 3.0 1.0 0 2.0 1.0 0 1.0 0 0.333 0.333 1.111 1.444

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1943 5.0 5.0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0.200 0.200 0.200 0.400
1945 4.0 4.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 0 2.0 1.0 0 0 0 0.500 0.500 2.250 2.750

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1720 6497 1001 1859 307 42 247 1174 25 692 685 0.286 0.355 0.460 0.815 19270.5

Career AVG .286 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +10.0% above league average.

Career OBP .355 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +6.7% above league average.

Career SLG .460 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — +23.3% above league average.

Career OPS 0.815 vs. league average 0.706 across their career seasons — +15.5% 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
1941 SLA AL 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1942 SLA AL 145 575 84 169 26 6 14 92 1 41 53 0.294 .253 (+16%) .323 (+5%) .349 (+24%) .672 (+15%) 1471.0
1943 SLA AL 137 512 75 148 27 3 22 91 3 54 73 0.289 .255 (+13%) .324 (+10%) .346 (+39%) .671 (+25%) 2318.4
1944 SLA AL 145 559 91 164 32 1 20 109 2 62 54 0.293 .261 (+12%) .325 (+12%) .357 (+29%) .683 (+21%) 2288.6
1945 SLA AL 149 571 90 165 27 3 24 89 2 55 70 0.289 .260 (+11%) .328 (+7%) .354 (+33%) .683 (+21%) 2199.4
1946 SLA AL 115 450 67 138 19 4 14 64 0 35 49 0.307 .256 (+19%) .328 (+8%) .358 (+28%) .687 (+19%) 1460.8
1947 SLA AL 150 562 74 157 18 4 15 83 8 70 61 0.279 .262 (+6%) .336 (+7%) .376 (+8%) .712 (+7%) 917.9
1948 BOS AL 155 635 114 171 25 8 29 137 1 77 56 0.269 .263 (+2%) .340 (+3%) .379 (+24%) .719 (+14%) 1750.8
1949 BOS AL 155 610 113 177 31 2 39 159 2 101 73 0.290 .262 (+10%) .343 (+14%) .384 (+40%) .727 (+28%) 3611.4
1950 BOS AL 149 628 125 185 34 6 30 144 1 65 43 0.295 .265 (+11%) .346 (+4%) .401 (+27%) .747 (+17%) 2028.3
1951 BOS AL 109 377 62 113 21 2 17 78 1 38 33 0.300 .260 (+15%) .336 (+8%) .385 (+30%) .721 (+20%) 1365.9
1952 BOS AL 92 295 35 75 13 2 7 44 2 39 31 0.254 .252 (+1%) .326 (+5%) .369 (+4%) .696 (+4%) 275.6
1953 CHW AL 44 129 14 24 6 0 1 14 2 13 18 0.186 .264 (-30%) .335 (-22%) .397 (-36%) .733 (-30%) -672.4
1953 SLA AL 46 165 16 53 8 0 4 17 0 18 24 0.321 .264 (+22%) .335 (+16%) .397 (+11%) .733 (+13%) -672.4
1954 BAL AL 101 365 31 104 17 1 8 46 0 17 36 0.285 .261 (+9%) .333 (-7%) .390 (+3%) .723 (-1%) -236.7
1955 BAL AL 3 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1955 CHW AL 22 56 10 14 3 0 3 7 0 7 11 0.250 .258 (-3%) .332 (-1%) .393 (+18%) .726 (+9%) 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 22 2 5 1 0 0 0 3 3 0.227

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1944 WS SLA 6 22 2 5 1 0 0 0 3 3 0.227

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 322 111 327 674 32 68
OF 11 0 20 3 0 0
SS 1330 0 2385 4150 269 853

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1941 SLA SS 1 0 0 1 1 0
1942 SLA SS 144 0 290 415 42 82
1943 SLA OF 11 0 20 3 0 0
1943 SLA SS 123 0 220 339 34 51
1944 SLA SS 143 0 239 480 35 71
1945 SLA 3B 4 0 2 11 2 2
1945 SLA SS 144 0 256 439 28 69
1946 SLA SS 112 0 224 343 30 71
1947 SLA SS 149 0 283 494 24 113
1948 BOS SS 155 0 269 540 24 113
1949 BOS SS 155 0 257 508 27 128
1950 BOS SS 146 0 258 431 13 115
1951 BOS 3B 89 0 105 207 7 19
1951 BOS SS 2 0 0 2 0 0
1952 BOS 3B 29 0 21 73 5 8
1952 BOS SS 53 0 89 154 11 40
1953 CHA 3B 38 0 30 67 1 7
1953 CHA SS 3 0 0 4 0 0
1953 SLA 3B 46 0 54 91 7 9
1954 BAL 3B 96 95 102 186 10 19
1955 BAL 3B 2 2 0 2 0 0
1955 CHA 3B 18 14 13 37 0 4

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Third Base 322
Shortstop 1329
Left Field 9
Right Field 3

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1949 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1949 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1945 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1945 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1944 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1942 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1942 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Long Beach City College Long Beach CA 1938

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1950 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 6.0 336 0
1949 Most Valuable Player AL 7th 100.0 336 1
1948 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 121.0 336 0
1947 Most Valuable Player AL 31th 1.0 336 0
1946 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 6.0 336 0
1945 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 94.0 336 0
1944 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 193.0 336 4
1943 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 49.0 336 0
1942 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 140.0 336 1