Red Downs
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1907-1912)
Red Downs was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1912 for the Detroit Tigers, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Chicago Cubs, a span of 6 seasons. In 241 career games, he hit .227 with 179 hits, 3 home runs, and 94 RBI.
- 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 155 lb
- Died
- 10/19/1939 in Council Bluffs, IA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1907-05-02
- Last Game
- 1912-09-30
Full name: Jerome Willis Downs
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 241 | 790 | 67 | 179 | 30 | 11 | 3 | 94 | 13 | 28 | 131 | .227 | .256 | .304 | .560 | -1,313 |
Career AVG .227 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 10.0% below league average.
Career OBP .256 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — 18.4% below league average.
Career SLG .304 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 6.6% below league average.
Career OPS .560 vs. league average .639 across their career seasons — 12.4% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | DET | AL | 105 | 374 | 28 | 82 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 42 | 3 | 13 | 66 | .219 | .245 (-11%) | .304 (-18%) | .308 (-7%) | .613 (-12%) | -741.7 |
| 1908 | DET | AL | 84 | 289 | 28 | 64 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 2 | 5 | 43 | .221 | .240 (-8%) | .298 (-20%) | .306 (-6%) | .605 (-13%) | -619.6 |
| 1912 | BRO | NL | 9 | 32 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1912 | CHN | NL | 43 | 95 | 9 | 25 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 17 | .263 | .268 (-2%) | .335 (-3%) | .358 (+12%) | .694 (+5%) | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 241 | 790 | 67 | 179 | 30 | 11 | 3 | 94 | 13 | 28 | 131 | .227 | — | — | — | — | -1,361 | ||
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 (242 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 129 | 412 | 30 | 101 | 1 | 44 | .245 |
| Away | 113 | 377 | 36 | 80 | 2 | 49 | .212 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912-09-30 | CHC | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1912-09-27 | CHC | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1912-09-26 | CHC | CIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1912-09-21 | CHC | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1912-09-20 | CHC | BRO | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1912-09-17 | CHC | NY1 | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1912-09-14 | CHC | NY1 | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1912-09-13 | CHC | BSN | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1912-09-12 | CHC | BSN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1912-09-12 | CHC | BSN | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 187 | 157 | 362 | 525 | 73 | 42 |
| 3B | 7 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 2 |
| OF | 20 | 15 | 39 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| SS | 10 | 0 | 12 | 26 | 3 | 3 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | DET | 2B | 80 | 77 | 149 | 207 | 27 | 10 |
| 1907 | DET | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907 | DET | OF | 20 | 15 | 39 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 1907 | DET | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1908 | DET | 2B | 82 | 80 | 180 | 265 | 36 | 24 |
| 1908 | DET | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1912 | BRO | 2B | 9 | 0 | 14 | 23 | 5 | 2 |
| 1912 | CHN | 2B | 16 | 0 | 19 | 30 | 5 | 6 |
| 1912 | CHN | 3B | 5 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 2 | 1 |
| 1912 | CHN | SS | 9 | 0 | 12 | 26 | 3 | 3 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 188 |
| Third Base | 8 |
| Shortstop | 10 |
| Left Field | 12 |
| Center Field | 8 |
Red Downs: the record in brief
May 2, 1907 and September 30, 1912 bracket Red Downs's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Detroit Tigers (1907 to 1908), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1912), and the Chicago Cubs (1912). At 5 feet, 11 inches and 155 pounds, Downs is listed as a second baseman. The bio says Downs threw and hit right-handed. The recorded birth is August 23, 1883, in Neola, IA, USA. Downs's death is recorded on October 19, 1939, in Council Bluffs, IA, USA. Red Downs was the playing name; the full given name is Jerome Willis.
In 241 games and 790 at bats, Downs batted .227 with 179 hits, plus 3 homers and 94 runs batted in. Downs's career OPS of .560 combines a .256 on-base mark with .304 slugging. Set against a .252 league average for the same years, Downs's .227 average sits 10.0% below it. The hits column peaks at 82, in 1907. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .221 in 1908, did not top the league's .240.
Frequently Asked Questions about Red Downs
- What years did Red Downs play?
- Red Downs played in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1912.
- Was Red Downs a pitcher?
- No. Red Downs was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Red Downs hit?
- Red Downs hit 3 career home runs with 179 hits.
- What was Red Downs's career batting average?
- Red Downs batted .227 over his career, with 179 hits in 790 at bats.
- How many RBI did Red Downs have?
- Red Downs drove in 94 runs in his career.
- Is Red Downs in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Red Downs has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.