Jay Clarke

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1905-1920)

Jay Clarke was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1920 for 5 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 16 seasons. In 506 career games, he hit .254 with 390 hits, 6 home runs, and 127 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,045.

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

AVG .254
HR 6
RBI 127
H 390
OPS .652
PIV 1,045
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 165 lb
Born
12/15/1882 in Amherstburg, ON, CAN
Died
6/15/1949 in River Rouge, MI, USA
MLB Debut
1905-04-26
Last Game
1920-04-24

Full name: Jay Justin Clarke

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Career Batting Statistics

Jay Clarke — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
506 1,536 157 390 64 20 6 127 16 138 186 .254 .318 .333 .652 1,045

Career AVG .254 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .318 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .333 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .652 vs. league average .645 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jay Clarke Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1905 CLE AL 5 9 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 .111 — — — — 0.0
1905 DET AL 3 7 1 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 .429 — — — — 0.0
1905 CLE AL 37 114 9 23 5 1 0 8 0 10 23 .202 .248 (-19%) .307 (-13%) .322 (-18%) .629 (-16%) 0.0
1906 CLE AL 57 179 22 64 12 4 1 21 3 13 18 .358 .247 (+44%) .307 (+31%) .315 (+54%) .622 (+43%) 1156.2
1907 CLE AL 120 390 44 105 19 6 3 33 3 35 49 .269 .245 (+10%) .304 (+9%) .308 (+20%) .613 (+15%) 968.3
1908 CLE AL 97 290 34 70 8 6 1 27 6 30 38 .241 .240 (avg) .298 (+5%) .306 (+5%) .605 (+5%) 267.7
1909 CLE AL 55 164 15 45 4 2 0 14 1 9 13 .274 .244 (+12%) .306 (+3%) .312 (+3%) .618 (+3%) 65.7
1910 CLE AL 21 58 4 9 2 0 0 2 0 8 6 .155 .249 (-38%) .317 (-19%) .326 (-42%) .644 (-31%) -241.9
1911 SLA AL 82 256 22 55 10 1 0 18 2 26 28 .215 .266 (-19%) .336 (-15%) .356 (-27%) .693 (-21%) -806.2
1919 PHI NL 26 62 4 15 3 0 0 2 1 4 5 .242 .262 (-8%) .322 (-8%) .347 (-17%) .670 (-12%) -107.4
1920 PIT NL 3 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 11 seasons 506 1,536 157 390 64 20 6 127 16 138 186 .254 — — — — 1,302

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 (508 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Jay Clarke — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home25877078209448.271
Away25076678180240.235

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jay Clarke — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1920-04-24 PITSTLL 100000001
1920-04-15 PITSTLL 300000002
1920-04-14 PITSTLW 300000021
1919-09-26 PHIBROL 401000000
1919-09-25 PHIBROW 000000000
1919-09-24 PHIBROL 100000000
1919-09-16 PHICHCL 412000000
1919-09-13 PHIPITL 300000000
1919-09-12 PHIPITW 200000100
1919-09-04 PHIBSNL 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jay Clarke — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 4 0 37 1 3 2
C 462 346 1786 568 99 40

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jay Clarke — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1905 CLE C 5 0 7 2 0 0
1905 DET C 2 2 12 2 0 0
1905 CLE C 37 37 159 37 8 3
1906 CLE C 54 50 211 58 5 4
1907 CLE C 115 112 470 119 24 9
1908 CLE C 90 85 327 108 14 6
1909 CLE C 44 43 192 65 13 2
1910 CLE C 17 17 82 32 3 0
1911 SLA 1B 4 0 37 1 3 2
1911 SLA C 73 0 251 111 29 15
1919 PHI C 22 0 63 30 3 1
1920 PIT C 3 0 12 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jay Clarke Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 459
First Base 4

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Jay Clarke (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Lew McCarty
    .266 avg, 5 HR
  2. 96
    Clyde Sukeforth
    .264 avg, 2 HR
  3. 95
    Ray Lamanno
    .252 avg, 18 HR
  4. 90
    Buck Crouse
    .262 avg, 8 HR
  5. 88
    Joe Astroth
    .254 avg, 13 HR
  6. 86
    Fred Hofmann
    .247 avg, 7 HR

Jay Clarke: the record in brief

April 26, 1905 and April 24, 1920 bracket Jay Clarke's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Clarke played for the Cleveland Naps (1905 to 1910), the Detroit Tigers (1905), the St. Louis Browns (1911), the Philadelphia Phillies (1919), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1920). Clarke, a catcher by primary position, threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The recorded size is 5 feet, 8 inches and 165 pounds. Clarke was born on December 15, 1882, in Amherstburg, ON, CAN. Clarke died on June 15, 1949, in River Rouge, MI, USA. Jay Clarke was the playing name; the full given name is Jay Justin.

Across 506 games at the plate, Clarke's career line reads 390 hits in 1,536 at bats for a .254 average; the totals also include 6 homers and 127 runs batted in. Clarke's career OPS of .652 combines a .318 on-base mark with .333 slugging. Against a .253 league average for those years, Clarke's .254 average was near the norm. The highest hit total in a season was 105, in 1907.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jay Clarke

What years did Jay Clarke play?
Jay Clarke played in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1920.
Was Jay Clarke a pitcher?
No. Jay Clarke was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Jay Clarke hit?
Jay Clarke hit 6 career home runs with 390 hits.
What teams did Jay Clarke play for?
Jay Clarke played for 5 teams: the Cleveland Naps (1905–1910), the Detroit Tigers (1905), the St. Louis Browns (1911), the Philadelphia Phillies (1919), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1920).
What were Jay Clarke's career stats?
In 506 games, Jay Clarke had 390 hits, 6 home runs, 127 RBI, 157 runs, and 16 stolen bases, with a .254 batting average.
What position did Jay Clarke play?
Jay Clarke played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jay Clarke and how much did he weigh?
Jay Clarke was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 165 pounds.
How many home runs did Jay Clarke hit each season?
Jay Clarke's home runs by season: 1 in 1905, 1 in 1906, 3 in 1907, 1 in 1908, 0 in 1909, 0 in 1910, 0 in 1911, 0 in 1919, and 0 in 1920. His most in one season was 3, in 1907.
What was Jay Clarke's career batting average?
Jay Clarke batted .254 over his career, with 390 hits in 1,536 at bats.
How many RBI did Jay Clarke have?
Jay Clarke drove in 127 runs in his career.
Is Jay Clarke in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jay Clarke has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.