Turkey Stearnes
The man they called Turkey could flat-out rake. Stearnes posted a .347 career average across 18 seasons in the Negro Leagues, a remarkable consistency that places him among the elite hitters of any era. His 195 home runs came during the dead-ball transition, when power numbers like that carried extra weight.
What made Stearnes special wasn't just the average — it was the complete offensive package. He drove in over 1,000 runs while maintaining that lofty batting mark, showing he could hit for both power and contact. His five All-Star selections reflect the respect he commanded among his peers in an era loaded with talent.
The Veterans Committee finally recognized his excellence in 2000, nearly two decades after his death. Modern fans should know Stearnes as one of the Negro Leagues' most dangerous center fielders, a player whose numbers would have turned heads in any league during baseball's golden age.
Career · Batting
18 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | DS | 69 | 279 | 17 | 85 | .362 | — | — |
| 1924 | DS | 62 | 251 | 9 | 46 | .347 | — | — |
| 1925 | DS | 93 | 362 | 19 | 126 | .370 | — | — |
| 1926 | DS | 93 | 342 | 21 | 103 | .383 | — | — |
| 1927 | DS | 91 | 343 | 20 | 104 | .347 | — | — |
| 1928 | DS | 81 | 317 | 24 | 78 | .322 | — | — |
| 1929 | DS | 69 | 261 | 17 | 88 | .391 | — | — |
| 1930 | DS | 54 | 202 | 8 | 70 | .361 | — | — |
| 1931 | DS | 54 | 190 | 8 | 40 | .300 | — | — |
| 1932 | CAG | 44 | 168 | 4 | 25 | .292 | — | — |
| 1933 | CAG | 41 | 175 | 7 | 30 | .354 | — | — |
| 1934 | CAG | 39 | 154 | 6 | 28 | .344 | — | — |
| 1935 | CAG | 47 | 171 | 6 | 52 | .386 | — | — |
| 1936 | PS | 52 | 210 | 10 | 43 | .352 | — | — |
| 1937 | DTS | 22 | 79 | 5 | 20 | .367 | — | — |
| 1938 | CAG | 34 | 129 | 2 | 27 | .264 | — | — |
| 1939 | KCM | 51 | 193 | 7 | 39 | .326 | .900 | 123 |
| 1940 | KCM | 38 | 133 | 5 | 34 | .271 | — | — |
| Career | 1034 | 3959 | 195 | 1038 | .347 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.