1928 Negro National League Batting Leaders

Other Leagues: Major Leagues, AL, ECL, NL

Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free.

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 National League Batting Leaders

Wins Above Replacement--all
1.	Wells • SLS	6.1
2.	Trent • SLS	5.9
3.	Foster • CAG	5.6
4.	Paige • BBB	5.1
5.	Glass • MRS	5.0
6.	Powell • CAG	4.8
7.	Suttles • SLS	4.6
8.	Rogan • KCM	4.4
9.	Stearnes • DS	4.3
10.	Bell • KCM	4.1

WAR Position Players
1.	Wells • SLS	6.1
2.	Suttles • SLS	4.6
3.	Stearnes • DS	4.3
4.	Redus • SLS	3.4
5.	Bell • SLS	3.1
6.	Rile • DS	3.0
7.	Russ • CAG	2.7
8.	Russell • SLS	2.3
9.	Johnson • DS	2.3
10.	Allen • KCM	2.1
	Creacy • SLS	2.1
	Melton • CTG	2.1

Offensive WAR
1.	Wells • SLS	5.2
2.	Suttles • SLS	4.1
3.	Redus • SLS	3.9
4.	Stearnes • DS	3.8
5.	Creacy • SLS	3.2
6.	Rile • DS	2.9
7.	Bell • SLS	2.7
8.	Johnson • DS	2.5
9.	Melton • CTG	2.3
10.	Russ • CAG	2.0

Defensive WAR
1.	Russell • SLS	2.1
2.	Allen • KCM	1.3
	Wells • SLS	1.3
4.	Russ • CAG	1.0
5.	Orange • DS	1.0
6.	Jackson • CAG	0.8
7.	Harding • 2TM	0.7
8.	Sheppard • BBB	0.6
	Harris • MRS	0.6
10.	Taylor • KCM	0.6

Batting Average
1.	Suttles • SLS	.359
2.	Wells • SLS	.359
3.	Melton • CTG	.354
4.	Redus • SLS	.349
5.	Rogan • KCM	.348
6.	Johnson • 2TM	.348
7.	Rile • DS	.348
8.	Russ • CAG	.339
9.	Johnson • DS	.333
10.	Bell • SLS	.331

On-Base%
1.	Rile • DS	.425
2.	Johnson • DS	.421
3.	Wells • SLS	.414
4.	Rogan • KCM	.405
5.	Suttles • SLS	.404
6.	Redus • SLS	.399
7.	Ward • MRS	.394
8.	Bell • SLS	.391
9.	Johnson • 2TM	.390
10.	Stearnes • DS	.387

Slugging %
1.	Suttles • SLS	.704
2.	Wells • SLS	.689
3.	Redus • SLS	.663
4.	Stearnes • DS	.644
5.	Melton • CTG	.621
6.	Creacy • SLS	.540
7.	Rogan • KCM	.512
8.	Rile • DS	.508
9.	Parnell • BBB	.497
10.	Bell • SLS	.482

On-Base Plus Slugging
1.	Suttles • SLS	1.109
2.	Wells • SLS	1.103
3.	Redus • SLS	1.062
4.	Stearnes • DS	1.031
5.	Melton • CTG	1.006
6.	Rile • DS	.933
7.	Creacy • SLS	.927
8.	Rogan • KCM	.917
9.	Bell • SLS	.873
10.	Parnell • BBB	.858

Games Played
1.	McAllister • BBB	86
2.	Meredith • BBB	82
3.	Owens • BBB	80
	Rile • DS	80
	Stearnes • DS	80
6.	Parnell • BBB	79
	Perkins • BBB	79
	Bell • SLS	79
	Russell • SLS	79
10.	Creacy • SLS	78
	Redus • SLS	78
	Russell • SLS	78
	Wells • SLS	78

At Bats
1.	Bell • SLS	338
2.	Stearnes • DS	315
	Redus • SLS	315
	Wells • SLS	315
5.	McAllister • BBB	309
6.	Meredith • BBB	308
	Russell • SLS	308
8.	Johnston • DS	305
9.	Suttles • SLS	301
10.	Rile • DS	299

Plate Appearances
1.	Bell • SLS	371
2.	Stearnes • DS	349
3.	Wells • SLS	345
4.	McAllister • BBB	341
	Redus • SLS	341
	Russell • SLS	341
7.	Rile • DS	339
8.	Meredith • BBB	329
	Johnston • DS	329
10.	Creacy • SLS	326

Runs Scored
1.	Wells • SLS	82
2.	Bell • SLS	81
3.	Stearnes • DS	80
4.	Suttles • SLS	73
5.	Redus • SLS	72
6.	Russell • SLS	62
7.	Johnston • DS	60
	Rile • DS	60
9.	Johnson • DS	55
10.	Russ • CAG	54

Hits
1.	Wells • SLS	113
2.	Bell • SLS	112
3.	Redus • SLS	110
4.	Suttles • SLS	108
5.	Rile • DS	104
6.	Stearnes • DS	101
7.	Creacy • SLS	98
8.	Meredith • BBB	94
9.	Parnell • BBB	93
	Russ • CAG	93
	Johnson • DS	93

Total Bases
1.	Wells • SLS	217
2.	Suttles • SLS	212
3.	Redus • SLS	209
4.	Stearnes • DS	203
5.	Bell • SLS	163
6.	Creacy • SLS	161
7.	Rile • DS	152
8.	Parnell • BBB	147
9.	Russell • SLS	139
10.	Johnston • DS	132

Doubles
1.	Wells • SLS	28
2.	Creacy • SLS	23
3.	Rile • DS	22
4.	Bell • SLS	21
	Redus • SLS	21
6.	Parnell • BBB	19
7.	Suttles • SLS	17
8.	Stearnes • DS	16
9.	Duff • CTG	15
10.	Mothell • KCM	14
	Rogan • KCM	14
	Russell • SLS	14
	Johnson • 2TM	14

Triples
1.	Melton • CTG	13
2.	Suttles • SLS	12
	Russell • SLS	12
4.	Giles • KCM	7
	Stearnes • DS	7
	Parnell • BBB	7
	Perkins • BBB	7
8.	McAllister • BBB	6
	Williams • CAG	6
	Bell • SLS	6
	Redus • SLS	6

Home Runs
1.	Stearnes • DS	24
2.	Redus • SLS	22
	Wells • SLS	22
4.	Suttles • SLS	21
5.	Creacy • SLS	10
6.	Johnston • DS	8
	Rile • DS	8
	Radcliffe • DS	8
9.	Palm • SLS	7
	Parnell • BBB	7
	Melton • CTG	7

Runs Batted In
1.	Redus • SLS	82
2.	Wells • SLS	81
3.	Stearnes • DS	78
4.	Suttles • SLS	75
5.	Rile • DS	63
6.	Creacy • SLS	54
7.	Russ • CAG	48
8.	Parnell • BBB	46
	Johnston • DS	46
10.	Johnson • 2TM	45

Bases on Balls
1.	Johnson • DS	40
2.	McNair • DS	34
	Brown • MRS	34
4.	Rile • DS	33
	Ward • MRS	33
6.	Bell • SLS	32
7.	Harding • 2TM	31
8.	McAllister • BBB	30
	Russell • SLS	30
10.	Stearnes • DS	29
	Joseph • KCM	29

Stolen Bases
1.	Dwight • KCM	29
2.	Joseph • KCM	20
3.	Bell • SLS	19
	Gardner • CAG	19
	Allen • KCM	19
6.	Mothell • KCM	15
	Meredith • BBB	15
8.	Wells • SLS	13
	Taylor • KCM	13
10.	Harding • 2TM	11

Singles
1.	Bell • SLS	79
2.	Meredith • BBB	77
	Johnson • DS	77
4.	Russ • CAG	75
5.	Rile • DS	73
	Taylor • KCM	73
7.	McAllister • BBB	68
	Thomas • MRS	68
9.	Thompson • 2TM	67
10.	Johnson • 2TM	66

Adjusted OPS+
1.	Suttles • SLS	197
2.	Wells • SLS	196
3.	Redus • SLS	185
4.	Stearnes • DS	177
5.	Melton • CTG	170
6.	Rile • DS	154
7.	Creacy • SLS	150
8.	Rogan • KCM	149
9.	Bell • SLS	137
10.	Johnson • 2TM	133

Runs Created
1.	Wells • SLS	88
2.	Suttles • SLS	85
3.	Redus • SLS	80
4.	Stearnes • DS	77
5.	Rile • DS	63
	Bell • SLS	63
7.	Creacy • SLS	61
8.	Parnell • BBB	52
9.	Russell • SLS	50
10.	Johnson • DS	48

Adj. Batting Runs
1.	Wells • SLS	41
2.	Suttles • SLS	38
3.	Redus • SLS	35
4.	Stearnes • DS	32
5.	Rile • DS	25
6.	Creacy • SLS	21
7.	Bell • SLS	18
8.	Melton • CTG	17
9.	Johnson • DS	14
10.	Rogan • KCM	14

Adj. Batting Wins
1.	Wells • SLS	4.0
2.	Suttles • SLS	3.6
3.	Redus • SLS	3.4
4.	Stearnes • DS	3.1
5.	Rile • DS	2.4
6.	Creacy • SLS	2.0
7.	Bell • SLS	1.8
8.	Melton • CTG	1.6
9.	Johnson • DS	1.4
10.	Rogan • KCM	1.4

Extra Base Hits
1.	Wells • SLS	55
2.	Suttles • SLS	50
3.	Redus • SLS	49
4.	Stearnes • DS	47
5.	Creacy • SLS	38
6.	Parnell • BBB	33
	Bell • SLS	33
8.	Rile • DS	31
9.	Russell • SLS	29
10.	Melton • CTG	26
	Johnston • DS	26

Times On Base
1.	Bell • SLS	145
2.	Rile • DS	144
3.	Wells • SLS	143
4.	Redus • SLS	136
5.	Johnson • DS	135
	Stearnes • DS	135
7.	Suttles • SLS	131
8.	Creacy • SLS	126
9.	Russell • SLS	125
10.	McAllister • BBB	119

Offensive Win %
1.	Suttles • SLS	.851
2.	Wells • SLS	.849
3.	Redus • SLS	.821
4.	Melton • CTG	.804
5.	Stearnes • DS	.798
6.	Rile • DS	.764
7.	Rogan • KCM	.753
8.	Creacy • SLS	.745
9.	Bell • SLS	.712
10.	Johnson • 2TM	.709

Hit By Pitch
1.	Jiménez • CSW	10
2.	Redus • SLS	9
3.	Mothell • KCM	8
4.	Rile • DS	7
5.	Ward • MRS	6
	Hines • CAG	6
7.	Meredith • BBB	5
	Stearnes • DS	5
	Robinson • MRS	5
	Sheppard • BBB	5
	Dwight • KCM	5
	Wells • SLS	5
	Russ • CAG	5

Power-Speed #
1.	Wells • SLS	16.3
2.	Redus • SLS	9.4
3.	Suttles • SLS	9.3
4.	Bell • SLS	9.1
5.	Rile • DS	8.5
6.	Stearnes • DS	8.3
7.	Parnell • BBB	7.9
8.	Johnston • DS	6.9
9.	Mothell • KCM	6.3
10.	Melton • CTG	5.8

AB per HR
1.	Stearnes • DS	13.1
2.	Wells • SLS	14.3
	Redus • SLS	14.3
4.	Suttles • SLS	14.3
5.	Melton • CTG	28.3
6.	Creacy • SLS	29.8
7.	Radcliffe • DS	31.8
8.	Rile • DS	37.4
9.	Johnston • DS	38.1
10.	Parnell • BBB	42.3

Outs Made
1.	Bell • SLS	226
2.	McAllister • BBB	222
3.	Johnston • DS	220
4.	Russell • SLS	216
5.	Meredith • BBB	214
	Stearnes • DS	214
	Allen • KCM	214
8.	Russell • SLS	212
9.	McHaskell • MRS	207
10.	Joseph • KCM	205
	Redus • SLS	205

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