James Bray
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records
James Bray was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago American Giants and the Chicago Columbia Giants. In 71 career games, he hit .311 with 56 hits, 2 home runs, and 27 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 598.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 184 lb
Full name: James Howard Bray
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | 180 | 21 | 56 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 27 | 3 | 25 | 0 | .311 | .401 | .433 | .834 | 598 |
Career AVG .311 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — +9.4% above league average.
Career OBP .401 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — +15.9% above league average.
Career SLG .433 vs. league average .403 across their career seasons — +7.6% above league average.
Career OPS .834 vs. league average .749 across their career seasons — +11.4% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | CAG | NNL | 6 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .133 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1927 | CAG | NNL | 55 | 131 | 18 | 43 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 27 | 2 | 20 | 0 | .328 | .282 (+16%) | .344 (+23%) | .392 (+23%) | .736 (+23%) | 598.2 |
| 1928 | CAG | NNL | 2 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1930 | CAG | NNL | 5 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .357 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1931 | CC2 | NNL | 3 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .273 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 71 | 180 | 21 | 56 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 27 | 3 | 25 | 0 | .311 | — | — | — | — | 598 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Away | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .500 |
Last 2 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927-08-14 | CAG | MEM | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-07-30 | CAG | SSN | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 46 |
| Left Field | 1 |
James Bray: the record in brief
James Bray's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1925 to 1931. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago American Giants (1925 to 1930) and the Chicago Columbia Giants (1931). Bray, born on December 12, 1898, in Troy, AL, USA, is listed as a catcher. The bio gives 5-foot-9 and 184 pounds. The given name on file is James Howard Bray.
Bray's career batting table shows 71 games, 180 at bats and 56 hits, a .311 average; the totals also include 2 homers and 27 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .401 clip and slugging .433, Bray finished with a .834 OPS. Over the seasons Bray played, league hitters batted .284; the .311 career figure is 9.4% above that. By OPS the gap is 11.4% above league average (.834 against .749). The hits column peaks at 43, in 1927. In 1927, a season of regular play, Bray hit .328 while the league hit .282.
Frequently Asked Questions about James Bray
- Was James Bray a pitcher?
- No. James Bray was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did James Bray hit?
- James Bray hit 2 career home runs with 56 hits.
- What teams did James Bray play for?
- James Bray played for one team, the Chicago Columbia Giants (1925, 1927–1928, 1930–1931).
- What were James Bray's career stats?
- In 71 games, James Bray had 56 hits, 2 home runs, 27 RBI, 21 runs, and 3 stolen bases, with a .311 batting average.
- What position did James Bray play?
- James Bray played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was James Bray and how much did he weigh?
- James Bray was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 184 pounds.
- How many home runs did James Bray hit each season?
- James Bray's home runs by season: 0 in 1925, 2 in 1927, 0 in 1928, 0 in 1930, and 0 in 1931. His most in one season was 2, in 1927.
- What was James Bray's career batting average?
- James Bray batted .311 over his career, with 56 hits in 180 at bats.
- How many RBI did James Bray have?
- James Bray drove in 27 runs in his career.
- Is James Bray in the Hall of Fame?
- No. James Bray has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.