1939 Negro American League Batting Leaders

Other Leagues: Major Leagues, AL, NL, NN2

Pennant Winner: Kansas City Monarchs

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Rankings of Negro League players should consider that Negro League data is not complete. Research is still ongoing and we’ll continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. More about data coverage

Negro American League Batting Leaders

Wins Above Replacement--all
1.	Walker • KCM	2.8
2.	Owens • CBR	2.6
3.	Smith • KCM	2.5
4.	Bradley • KCM	2.2
5.	Brown • KCM	2.1
6.	Stearnes • KCM	2.0
7.	Henry • CBR	1.9
8.	Strong • KCM	1.9
9.	Radcliffe • MRS	1.5
10.	Turner • CBR	1.2

WAR Position Players
1.	Brown • KCM	2.1
2.	Stearnes • KCM	2.0
3.	Strong • KCM	1.9
4.	Turner • CBR	1.2
5.	Wilson • SL3	1.0
6.	Moore • IAB	1.0
7.	Simms • CAG	1.0
8.	Green • SL3	0.7
9.	Young • CAG	0.7
10.	Armour • SL3	0.7

Offensive WAR
1.	Brown • KCM	2.0
2.	Stearnes • KCM	1.9
3.	Strong • KCM	1.8
4.	Turner • CBR	1.2
5.	Wilson • SL3	1.0
6.	Moore • IAB	1.0
7.	Simms • CAG	0.9
8.	Green • SL3	0.7
9.	Young • CAG	0.7
10.	Armour • SL3	0.6

Defensive WAR
1.	Strong • KCM	0.2
2.	Allen • KCM	0.2
3.	Sparks • CAG	0.2
4.	Butts • IAB	0.1
5.	Horne • CAG	0.1
6.	Armour • SL3	0.1
	Brown • MRS	0.1
8.	Bassett • CAG	0.1
	Greene • KCM	0.1
10.	Riddle • SL3	0.1
	Frazier • CBR	0.1

Batting Average
1.	Turner • CBR	.393
2.	Brown • KCM	.368
3.	Wilson • SL3	.349
4.	Stearnes • KCM	.330
5.	Strong • KCM	.314
6.	Reeves • 2TM	.305
7.	Lyles • CBR	.304
8.	Frazier • CBR	.297
9.	Simms • CAG	.296
10.	Riddle • SL3	.294

On-Base%
1.	Turner • CBR	.440
2.	Wilson • SL3	.434
3.	Riddle • SL3	.400
4.	Brown • KCM	.399
5.	Strong • KCM	.398
6.	Stearnes • KCM	.386
7.	Simms • CAG	.382
8.	Young • CAG	.377
9.	Green • SL3	.376
10.	Byas • CAG	.368

Slugging %
1.	Brown • KCM	.586
2.	Turner • CBR	.583
3.	Stearnes • KCM	.503
4.	Reeves • 2TM	.488
5.	Green • SL3	.467
6.	Wilson • SL3	.453
7.	Strong • KCM	.447
8.	Simms • CAG	.443
9.	Woods • CBR	.412
10.	Carter • MRS	.408

On-Base Plus Slugging
1.	Turner • CBR	1.023
2.	Brown • KCM	.985
3.	Stearnes • KCM	.889
4.	Wilson • SL3	.888
5.	Strong • KCM	.844
6.	Green • SL3	.843
7.	Simms • CAG	.825
8.	Reeves • 2TM	.817
9.	Riddle • SL3	.782
10.	Young • CAG	.769

Games Played
1.	Stearnes • KCM	49
2.	Allen • KCM	47
	Milton • KCM	47
4.	O'Neil • KCM	46
	Strong • KCM	46
6.	Brown • KCM	44
7.	Bibbs • KCM	43
8.	Smith • CAG	35
9.	Radcliff • CAG	34
10.	Byas • CAG	33

At Bats
1.	Milton • KCM	185
	Stearnes • KCM	185
3.	Brown • KCM	174
4.	Allen • KCM	167
5.	Strong • KCM	159
6.	Bibbs • KCM	158
7.	O'Neil • KCM	155
8.	Radcliff • CAG	135
9.	Smith • CAG	120
10.	Simms • CAG	115

Plate Appearances
1.	Milton • KCM	204
2.	Stearnes • KCM	202
3.	Brown • KCM	183
4.	Strong • KCM	181
5.	Allen • KCM	178
6.	O'Neil • KCM	169
7.	Bibbs • KCM	165
8.	Radcliff • CAG	144
9.	Simms • CAG	131
10.	Smith • CAG	126

Runs Scored
1.	Stearnes • KCM	42
2.	Brown • KCM	37
3.	Bibbs • KCM	33
	Strong • KCM	33
5.	Milton • KCM	29
6.	Wilson • SL3	25
7.	Radcliff • CAG	21
8.	Allen • KCM	19
	O'Neil • KCM	19
	Green • SL3	19

Hits
1.	Brown • KCM	64
2.	Stearnes • KCM	61
3.	Strong • KCM	50
4.	Bibbs • KCM	46
	Milton • KCM	46
6.	Allen • KCM	37
7.	Radcliff • CAG	35
8.	Simms • CAG	34
	Smith • CAG	34
10.	Turner • CBR	33

Total Bases
1.	Brown • KCM	102
2.	Stearnes • KCM	93
3.	Strong • KCM	71
4.	Bibbs • KCM	61
5.	Milton • KCM	59
6.	Simms • CAG	51
7.	Radcliff • CAG	50
8.	Turner • CBR	49
9.	O'Neil • KCM	44
10.	Allen • KCM	42

Doubles
1.	Brown • KCM	15
2.	Stearnes • KCM	9
3.	Strong • KCM	8
	Bibbs • KCM	8
5.	Young • CAG	7
6.	Reeves • 2TM	6
	Milton • KCM	6
	Radcliff • CAG	6
9.	Moore • IAB	5
	Allen • KCM	5
	O'Neil • KCM	5
	Wilson • SL3	5
	Carter • MRS	5
	Green • SL3	5
	Lyles • CBR	5
	Robinson • MRS	5

Triples
1.	Brown • KCM	7
2.	Turner • CBR	5
3.	O'Neil • KCM	4
	Woods • CBR	4
5.	Reeves • 2TM	3
	Carter • MRS	3
	Andrews • IAB	3
	Sparks • CAG	3
	Radcliff • CAG	3
10.	Wilson • SL3	2
	Strong • KCM	2
	Smith • KCM	2
	Milton • KCM	2
	Greene • KCM	2
	Bibbs • KCM	2
	Moore • IAB	2
	Butts • IAB	2
	Simms • CAG	2

Home Runs
1.	Stearnes • KCM	7
2.	Strong • KCM	3
	Simms • CAG	3
	Brown • KCM	3
5.	Green • SL3	2
	Andrews • IAB	2
	Davis • IAB	2
	Evans • IAB	2
	McAllister • SL3	2
	Mayweather • SL3	2
	Greene • KCM	2

Runs Batted In
1.	Brown • KCM	42
2.	Stearnes • KCM	39
3.	Strong • KCM	29
4.	O'Neil • KCM	22
5.	Turner • CBR	21
6.	Allen • KCM	19
	Bibbs • KCM	19
8.	Young • CAG	17
9.	Radcliff • CAG	15
	Mayweather • SL3	15
	Riddle • SL3	15

Bases on Balls
1.	Strong • KCM	22
2.	Milton • KCM	19
3.	Byas • CAG	17
	Young • CAG	17
	Stearnes • KCM	17
6.	Simms • CAG	16
7.	O'Neil • KCM	14
8.	Robinson • SL3	13
	Wilson • SL3	13
10.	Bradford • SL3	12
	Riddle • SL3	12

Stolen Bases
1.	Strong • KCM	14
2.	Stearnes • KCM	12
3.	Milton • KCM	10
	Wilson • SL3	10
5.	Brown • KCM	8
	Young • CAG	8
7.	Smith • CAG	7
	Woods • CBR	7
9.	Green • SL3	6
10.	Davenport • MRS	5

Singles
1.	Stearnes • KCM	44
2.	Brown • KCM	39
3.	Milton • KCM	37
	Strong • KCM	37
5.	Bibbs • KCM	35
6.	Allen • KCM	32
7.	Smith • CAG	31
8.	Radcliff • CAG	25
	Simms • CAG	25
10.	Turner • CBR	24

Adjusted OPS+
1.	Turner • CBR	196
2.	Brown • KCM	185
3.	Wilson • SL3	158
4.	Stearnes • KCM	157
5.	Strong • KCM	145
6.	Green • SL3	144
7.	Simms • CAG	140
8.	Reeves • 2TM	136
9.	Riddle • SL3	128
10.	Young • CAG	124

Runs Created
1.	Brown • KCM	41
2.	Stearnes • KCM	36
3.	Strong • KCM	28
4.	Turner • CBR	22
5.	Bibbs • KCM	20
6.	Simms • CAG	19
	Milton • KCM	19
8.	Moore • IAB	17
	Wilson • SL3	17
10.	Radcliff • CAG	15

Adj. Batting Runs
1.	Brown • KCM	17
2.	Stearnes • KCM	13
3.	Strong • KCM	10
4.	Turner • CBR	10
5.	Moore • IAB	9
6.	Wilson • SL3	7
7.	Simms • CAG	6
8.	Green • SL3	4
9.	Boone • IAB	4
10.	Young • CAG	4

Adj. Batting Wins
1.	Brown • KCM	1.8
2.	Stearnes • KCM	1.4
3.	Strong • KCM	1.0
4.	Turner • CBR	1.0
5.	Moore • IAB	1.0
6.	Wilson • SL3	0.7
7.	Simms • CAG	0.6
8.	Green • SL3	0.5
9.	Boone • IAB	0.4
	Young • CAG	0.4

Extra Base Hits
1.	Brown • KCM	25
2.	Stearnes • KCM	17
3.	Strong • KCM	13
4.	Bibbs • KCM	11
5.	Reeves • 2TM	10
	O'Neil • KCM	10
	Radcliff • CAG	10
8.	Turner • CBR	9
	Young • CAG	9
	Simms • CAG	9
	Milton • KCM	9

Times On Base
1.	Stearnes • KCM	78
2.	Brown • KCM	73
3.	Strong • KCM	72
4.	Milton • KCM	65
5.	Bibbs • KCM	53
6.	Simms • CAG	50
7.	Allen • KCM	48
8.	Radcliff • CAG	44
9.	Byas • CAG	43
	Young • CAG	43
	Wilson • SL3	43

Offensive Win %
1.	Turner • CBR	.875
2.	Brown • KCM	.843
3.	Wilson • SL3	.786
4.	Stearnes • KCM	.773
5.	Strong • KCM	.730
6.	Green • SL3	.714
7.	Simms • CAG	.697
8.	Reeves • 2TM	.685
9.	Riddle • SL3	.649
10.	Young • CAG	.626

Power-Speed #
1.	Stearnes • KCM	8.8
2.	Strong • KCM	4.9
3.	Brown • KCM	4.4
4.	Simms • CAG	3.4
5.	Green • SL3	3.0
6.	Davis • IAB	2.0
7.	Milton • KCM	1.8
8.	Young • CAG	1.8
9.	Kemp • IAB	1.6
10.	Bibbs • KCM	1.5
	O'Neil • KCM	1.5
	Byas • CAG	1.5
	Armour • SL3	1.5
	Bradford • SL3	1.5

AB per HR
1.	Stearnes • KCM	26.4
2.	Mayweather • SL3	37.0
3.	Green • SL3	37.5
4.	Simms • CAG	38.3
5.	Strong • KCM	53.0
	Greene • KCM	53.0
7.	Brown • KCM	58.0
8.	Reeves • 2TM	82.0
9.	Turner • CBR	84.0
	Bradford • SL3	84.0

Outs Made
1.	Milton • KCM	139
2.	Allen • KCM	130
3.	O'Neil • KCM	127
4.	Stearnes • KCM	124
5.	Bibbs • KCM	112
6.	Brown • KCM	110
7.	Strong • KCM	109
8.	Radcliff • CAG	100
9.	Smith • CAG	86
10.	Bassett • CAG	83

A ** by the stat's value indicates the player had fewer than the required number of at bats or plate appearances for the BA, OBP, SLG or OPS title that year. In order to rank the player, the necessary number of hitless at bats were added to the player's season total. The value printed here is their actual value and not the value used to rank them, therefore some numbers may appear out of order.

For batting rate stats, generally a minimum of 3.1 Plate Appearances/G, 1.0 IP/G, 0.67 Gm and Chances/Team Game (fielding), 0.2 SB att/Team Game (catchers), and 0.1 SB att/Team Game (baserunners only since 1951), and 0.1 decision/G for single-season leaderboards generally needed for rate statistics. For pitcher fielding the minimums are reduced by a third. For LF, CF, RF fielding stats, we only have reliable data since 1901, so all leaders are since 1901. Explanation of min. requirements