[2] One of the strongest-hitting shortstops in major league history, Stephens compiled a .286 batting average with 247 home runs and 1,174 RBI in 1,720 games.

Amid a salary dispute with the Browns, Stephens signed a five-year contract with the Azules de Veracruz of the Mexican League in 1946.

He played in two games for Veracruz, with one single in eight at bats, before deciding to return to the United States; his father, a minor league umpire, and the Browns scout Jack Fournier drove down and brought him across the border.

Stephens' departure infuriated Mexican League president (and Azules owner) Jorge Pasquel, but it saved him from the five-year suspension that Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler levied on the other major leaguers who "jumped" to Mexico.

In August 2008, he was named as one of the ten former players who began their careers before 1943 to be considered by the Veterans Committee for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.