Ray Chapman
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1912-1920)
Ray Chapman was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1920 for the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 9 seasons. In 1,051 career games, he hit .278 with 1,053 hits, 17 home runs, and 364 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 8,762.
- 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 170 lb
- Died
- 8/17/1920 in New York, NY, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1912-08-30
- Last Game
- 1920-08-16
Full name: Raymond Johnson Chapman
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,051 | 3,785 | 671 | 1,053 | 162 | 81 | 17 | 364 | 233 | 452 | 427 | .278 | .358 | .377 | .735 | 8,762 |
Career AVG .278 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — +8.0% above league average.
Career OBP .358 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — +11.1% above league average.
Career SLG .377 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — +10.9% above league average.
Career OPS .735 vs. league average .663 across their career seasons — +11.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | CLE | AL | 31 | 109 | 29 | 34 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 10 | 10 | 13 | .312 | .268 (+16%) | .335 (+12%) | .358 (+18%) | .694 (+15%) | 256.9 |
| 1913 | CLE | AL | 141 | 508 | 78 | 131 | 19 | 7 | 3 | 39 | 29 | 46 | 51 | .258 | .259 (-1%) | .325 (-1%) | .345 (-1%) | .670 (-1%) | -98.6 |
| 1914 | CLE | AL | 106 | 375 | 59 | 103 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 42 | 24 | 48 | 48 | .275 | .255 (+8%) | .322 (+11%) | .339 (+14%) | .661 (+13%) | 897.8 |
| 1915 | CLE | AL | 154 | 570 | 101 | 154 | 14 | 17 | 3 | 67 | 36 | 70 | 82 | .270 | .250 (+8%) | .318 (+11%) | .332 (+11%) | .651 (+11%) | 1272.4 |
| 1916 | CLE | AL | 109 | 346 | 50 | 80 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 27 | 21 | 50 | 46 | .231 | .248 (-7%) | .314 (+5%) | .326 (-11%) | .640 (-3%) | -40.0 |
| 1917 | CLE | AL | 156 | 563 | 98 | 170 | 28 | 13 | 2 | 36 | 52 | 61 | 65 | .302 | .248 (+21%) | .312 (+18%) | .323 (+26%) | .635 (+22%) | 2344.0 |
| 1918 | CLE | AL | 128 | 446 | 84 | 119 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 32 | 30 | 84 | 46 | .267 | .255 (+5%) | .318 (+22%) | .326 (+8%) | .645 (+15%) | 1667.8 |
| 1919 | CLE | AL | 115 | 433 | 75 | 130 | 23 | 10 | 3 | 53 | 18 | 31 | 38 | .300 | .262 (+15%) | .322 (+9%) | .347 (+21%) | .670 (+15%) | 1113.9 |
| 1920 | CLE | AL | 111 | 435 | 97 | 132 | 27 | 8 | 3 | 49 | 13 | 52 | 38 | .303 | .271 (+12%) | .331 (+15%) | .363 (+17%) | .694 (+16%) | 1347.6 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 1,051 | 3,785 | 671 | 1,053 | 162 | 81 | 17 | 364 | 233 | 452 | 427 | .278 | — | — | — | — | 8,762 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1051 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 542 | 1939 | 368 | 564 | 8 | 218 | .291 |
| Away | 509 | 1845 | 304 | 490 | 9 | 148 | .266 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920-08-16 | CLE | NYY | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920-08-15 | CLE | SLA | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1920-08-14 | CLE | SLA | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1920-08-13 | CLE | NYY | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920-08-12 | CLE | NYY | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920-08-11 | CLE | NYY | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920-08-09 | CLE | NYY | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920-08-08 | CLE | PHA | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920-08-07 | CLE | PHA | W | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920-08-06 | CLE | PHA | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 49 | 0 | 99 | 135 | 15 | 4 |
| 3B | 36 | 0 | 53 | 97 | 6 | 13 |
| OF | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| SS | 957 | 0 | 2204 | 2950 | 336 | 350 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | CLE | SS | 31 | 0 | 70 | 72 | 15 | 10 |
| 1913 | CLE | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913 | CLE | SS | 138 | 0 | 299 | 408 | 48 | 59 |
| 1914 | CLE | 2B | 33 | 0 | 62 | 92 | 9 | 1 |
| 1914 | CLE | SS | 72 | 0 | 161 | 187 | 33 | 24 |
| 1915 | CLE | SS | 154 | 0 | 378 | 469 | 50 | 38 |
| 1916 | CLE | 2B | 16 | 0 | 37 | 43 | 6 | 3 |
| 1916 | CLE | 3B | 36 | 0 | 53 | 97 | 6 | 13 |
| 1916 | CLE | SS | 52 | 0 | 117 | 170 | 20 | 19 |
| 1917 | CLE | SS | 156 | 0 | 360 | 528 | 59 | 71 |
| 1918 | CLE | OF | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1918 | CLE | SS | 128 | 0 | 321 | 398 | 49 | 42 |
| 1919 | CLE | SS | 115 | 0 | 255 | 347 | 36 | 44 |
| 1920 | CLE | SS | 111 | 0 | 243 | 371 | 26 | 43 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 49 |
| Third Base | 37 |
| Shortstop | 957 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | SS |
| 1917 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | SS |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ray Chapman (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Ray Chapman: the record in brief
The profile opens with Ray Chapman's first major league game on August 30, 1912; the last one listed came on August 16, 1920. The season rows list, in order, the Cleveland Naps (1912 through 1914) and the Cleveland Indians (1915 to 1920). Chapman played primarily as a shortstop and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on January 15, 1891, in Beaver Dam, KY, USA, Chapman was listed at 5'10" and 170 pounds. Chapman's death is recorded on August 17, 1920, in New York, NY, USA. Ray Chapman was the playing name; the full given name is Raymond Johnson.
The batting record for Chapman: 1,051 games, 1,053 hits in 3,785 at bats, and a .278 average, along with 17 homers, 364 RBI, and 233 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .358 clip and slugging .377, Chapman finished with a .735 OPS. The league as a whole hit .258 across Chapman's seasons, which puts the .278 career mark 8.0% above average. By OPS the gap is 11.0% above league average (.735 against .663). The hits column peaks at 170, in 1917.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ray Chapman
- What years did Ray Chapman play?
- Ray Chapman played in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1920.
- Was Ray Chapman a pitcher?
- No. Ray Chapman was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Ray Chapman hit?
- Ray Chapman hit 17 career home runs with 1053 hits.
- What was Ray Chapman's career batting average?
- Ray Chapman batted .278 over his career, with 1,053 hits in 3,785 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ray Chapman have?
- Ray Chapman drove in 364 runs in his career.
- Is Ray Chapman in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ray Chapman has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.