Editing Vern Stephens (section)

{{short description|American baseball player (1920–1968)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Vern Stephens
|image=Vern Stephens.jpg
|position=[[Shortstop]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{birth date|1920|10|23}}
|birth_place=[[McAlister, New Mexico]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1968|11|4|1920|10|23}}
|death_place=[[Long Beach, California]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=September 13
|debutyear=1941
|debutteam=St. Louis Browns
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=June 30
|finalyear=1955
|finalteam=Chicago White Sox
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.286
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=247
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=1,174
|teams=
* [[Baltimore Orioles#St. Louis Browns|St. Louis Browns]] ({{mlby|1941}}–{{mlby|1947}})
* [[Boston Red Sox]] ({{mlby|1948}}–{{mlby|1952}})
* [[Chicago White Sox]] ({{mlby|1953}})
* [[Baltimore Orioles#St. Louis Browns|St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles]] ({{mlby|1953}}–{{mlby|1955}})
* [[Chicago White Sox]] ({{mlby|1955}})
|highlights=
* 8× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1943 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1943]]–[[1946 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1946]], [[1948 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1948]]–[[1951 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1951]])
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders|AL home run leader]] (1945)
* 3× [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders|AL RBI leader]] (1944, 1949, 1950)
* [[Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame]]
}}
'''Vernon Decatur Stephens''' (October 23, 1920 – November 4, 1968) was an American professional [[baseball]] player. He played in [[Major League Baseball]] as a [[shortstop]] from {{By|1941}} through {{By|1955}}.<ref name="Vern Stephens statistics">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stephve01.shtml |title=Vern Stephens statistics |publisher=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=November 16, 2019}}</ref> An eight-time [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]], Stephens was notable for being the {{mlby|1945}} American League home run champion and was a three-time American League [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders|RBI champion]].<ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Vern Stephens">{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/3442ca21|title=The Baseball Biography Project: Vern Stephens|last=Armour|first=Mark|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|access-date=November 16, 2019}}</ref> He was the [[cleanup hitter]] for the only [[St. Louis Browns]] team to win an [[List of American League pennant winners|American League pennant]] in {{By|1944}}, and was a top [[power hitter]] for the [[Boston Red Sox]]. Nicknamed "Little Slug", "Junior", and "Buster", Stephens batted and threw right-handed. He was inducted into the [[Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/redsox/history/red-sox-hall-of-fame |title=Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame members |work=mlb.com |access-date=November 17, 2019}}</ref>