Bob Thurman, baseball player, 1955-1959

Bob Thurman

Born: 5/14/1917 in Kellyville, OK, USA

Died: 10/31/1998 in Wichita, KS, USA

MLB Debut: 1955-04-14 | Final Game: 1959-04-21

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: Robert Burns Thurman

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Biography

Bob Thurman was a professional baseball player who made his mark in Major League Baseball during the late 1950s. Born in 1917, he played primarily as a position player from 1955 until his retirement in 1959. Over the course of his career, Thurman appeared in 334 games, where he showcased his power-hitting abilities by recording 163 hits, including 35 home runs. He also contributed significantly to his teams with 106 RBIs, finishing his career with a batting average of .246. Notably, he displayed speed on the bases, finishing with 1 stolen base. Thurman's career unfolded during a transformative era in the sport, marked by the breaking of color barriers and the evolution of playing styles. His contributions to the game, while perhaps overshadowed by contemporaries, reflected the competitive spirit and dedication that characterized baseball in the post-war years. As a player who navigated the challenges of the era, Thurman's legacy remains a part of the rich tapestry of baseball history.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
599.0 541.0 106.0 202.0 32.0 12.0 22.0 94.0 50.0 1.0 17.0 0.373 0.429 0.599 1.028

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
57.0 0 0 26.0 15.0 0 0 0.0 195.0 122.0 29.0 6.0 0 0 1.43

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1946 67.0 63.0 6.0 26.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 11.0 4.0 0 0 0.413 0.448 0.619 1.067
1947 175.0 164.0 34.0 60.0 12.0 2.0 8.0 24.0 8.0 0 5.0 0.366 0.402 0.610 1.012
1948 186.0 171.0 34.0 63.0 9.0 3.0 5.0 21.0 12.0 1.0 4.0 0.368 0.410 0.544 0.954
1949 171.0 143.0 32.0 53.0 8.0 5.0 7.0 38.0 26.0 0 8.0 0.371 0.471 0.643 1.114

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1946 16.0 0 0 8.0 2.0 0 0 0.0 55.0 36.0 4.0 2.0 0 0 0.70
1947 5.0 0 0 2.0 0 0 0 0.0 12.0 13.0 0 1.0 0 0 0.00
1948 31.0 0 0 15.0 13.0 0 0 0.0 124.0 68.0 21.0 3.0 0 0 1.63
1949 5.0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.0 4.0 5.0 4.0 0 0 0 9.00

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
5 9 24 15 7 1 0 109.3 115 66 4 53 54 5.43 0

Career ERA 5.43 vs. league average 3.89 across their career seasons — 39.8% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1946 HG NN2 2 3 13 6 1 0 0 48.7 47 29 22 20 5.36 3.59 (-49%) -306.0
1947 HG NN2 0 2 4 2 0 0 0 11.0 11 8 5 3 6.55 3.97 (-65%) -425.2
1948 HG NN2 3 4 7 7 6 1 0 49.7 57 29 26 31 5.26 4.10 (-28%) 860.2

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
448 1025 165 283 37 18 43 169 11 85 112 0.276 0.336 0.473 0.809 2036.7

Career AVG .276 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +6.6% above league average.

Career OBP .336 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .473 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — +23.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.809 vs. league average 0.715 across their career seasons — +13.1% 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
1946 HG NN2 28 61 5 25 3 2 2 15 0 5 0 0.410 .256 (+60%) .328 (+38%) .358 (+74%) .687 (+57%) 534.6
1947 HG NN2 47 162 29 50 8 2 5 28 6 7 0 0.309 .262 (+18%) .336 (+2%) .376 (+26%) .712 (+15%) 357.2
1948 HG NN2 39 139 25 45 8 3 1 20 4 11 0 0.324 .263 (+23%) .340 (+11%) .379 (+18%) .719 (+14%) 320.0
1955 CIN NL 82 152 19 33 2 3 7 22 0 17 26 0.217 .258 (-16%) .332 (-11%) .393 (+4%) .726 (-3%) -115.1
1956 CIN NL 80 139 25 41 5 2 8 22 0 10 14 0.295 .258 (+14%) .331 (+3%) .397 (+34%) .728 (+20%) 448.8
1957 CIN NL 74 190 38 47 4 2 16 40 0 15 33 0.247 .257 (-4%) .323 (-6%) .391 (+39%) .715 (+19%) 561.9
1958 CIN NL 94 178 23 41 7 4 4 20 1 20 38 0.230 .257 (-11%) .324 (-1%) .394 (-3%) .719 (-2%) -70.6
1959 CIN NL 4 4 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0.250 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 20 1 7 0 0 0 2 1 0 0.350

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1948 NLC HG 4 13 0 4 0 0 0 2 1 0 0.308
1948 NWS HG 2 7 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.429

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 0 2 1 0 12.0 10 3 4 9 2.25

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1948 NLC HG 0 0 1 0 0 3.0 3 0 2 2 0.00
1948 NWS HG 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 7 3 2 7 3.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 9 6 44 1 5 2
OF 236 192 367 15 17 4
P 24 15 3 33 2 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1946 HG 1B 6 4 28 0 4 0
1946 HG OF 10 5 12 0 1 0
1946 HG P 13 6 2 15 1 2
1947 HG 1B 2 1 7 1 1 1
1947 HG OF 42 39 68 6 4 0
1947 HG P 4 2 0 2 0 0
1948 HG 1B 1 1 9 0 0 1
1948 HG OF 34 27 39 0 4 1
1948 HG P 7 7 1 16 1 2
1955 CIN OF 36 27 54 2 3 0
1956 CIN OF 29 24 39 2 2 1
1957 CIN OF 44 35 75 3 1 1
1958 CIN OF 41 35 80 2 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 24
First Base 9
Left Field 108
Center Field 8
Right Field 121