John Stephenson

Born: 4/13/1941 in South Portsmouth, KY, USA

MLB Debut: 1964-04-14 | Final Game: 1973-09-29

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: John Herman Stephenson

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Biography

John Stephenson, born in 1941, was a professional baseball player who enjoyed a career spanning from 1964 to 1973. A versatile position player, Stephenson appeared in 451 games throughout his tenure in Major League Baseball. He played primarily for teams during an era characterized by a transition in the game, as the late 1960s marked the dawn of more offensive-minded strategies following the pitcher-dominated deadball era. Over his career, Stephenson recorded 214 hits, including 12 home runs, while driving in 93 runs. His batting average stood at .216, reflecting the challenges he faced at the plate during his time in the league. Despite a low stolen base count of 0, Stephenson contributed to his teams with his defensive abilities and versatility on the field. After retiring on September 29, 1973, he left behind a legacy that highlights the grit and determination of players who navigated the complexities of professional baseball during a transformative period in the sport's history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
451	989	83	214	37	3	12	93	0	63	118	0.216	0.271	0.296	0.567	-2165.9

Career AVG .216 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — 12.7% below league average.

Career OBP .271 vs. league average .314 across their career seasons — 13.9% below league average.

Career SLG .296 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 19.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.567 vs. league average 0.682 across their career seasons — 16.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1964	NYN	NL	37	57	2	9	0	0	1	2	4	18	0.158	.250 (-37%)	.312 (-28%)	.377 (-44%)	.690 (-37%)	-331.5
1965	NYN	NL	62	121	9	26	5	0	4	15	8	19	0.215	.245 (-13%)	.310 (-15%)	.371 (-4%)	.682 (-9%)	-209.5
1966	NYN	NL	63	143	17	28	1	1	1	11	8	28	0.196	.248 (-21%)	.309 (-20%)	.376 (-37%)	.685 (-29%)	-683.1
1967	CHC	NL	18	49	3	11	3	1	0	5	1	6	0.224	—	—	—	—	-108.1
1968	CHC	NL	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1969	SFG	NL	22	27	2	6	2	0	0	3	0	4	0.222	—	—	—	—	0.0
1970	SFG	NL	23	43	3	3	1	0	0	6	2	7	0.070	—	—	—	—	0.0
1971	LAA	AL	98	279	24	61	17	0	3	25	22	21	0.219	.249 (-12%)	.316 (-11%)	.365 (-15%)	.682 (-13%)	-675.3
1972	LAA	AL	66	146	14	40	3	1	2	17	11	8	0.274	.243 (+12%)	.310 (+10%)	.353 (-1%)	.664 (+4%)	139.4
1973	LAA	AL	60	122	9	30	5	0	1	9	7	7	0.246	.256 (-4%)	.325 (-10%)	.378 (-18%)	.703 (-14%)	-297.8

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
3B	15	6	6	18	8	1
C	330	217	1406	116	21	14
OF	12	4	5	0	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1964	NYN	3B	14	6	6	18	6	1
1964	NYN	OF	8	2	4	0	0	0
1965	NYN	C	47	23	146	13	3	1
1965	NYN	OF	2	1	1	0	0	0
1966	NYN	C	52	31	187	30	6	4
1966	NYN	OF	1	1	0	0	0	0
1967	CHN	C	13	12	67	8	0	2
1969	SFN	3B	1	0	0	0	2	0
1969	SFN	C	9	1	15	1	1	0
1970	SFN	C	9	7	52	8	0	1
1970	SFN	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1971	CAL	C	88	74	434	33	4	3
1972	CAL	C	56	37	273	12	2	2
1973	CAL	C	56	32	232	11	5	1