Ray Gardner
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1929-1930)
Ray Gardner was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1930 for the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 2 seasons. In 115 career games, he hit .253 with 68 hits, 1 home runs, and 25 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 145 lb
- Died
- 5/3/1968 in Frederick, MD, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1929-04-16
- Last Game
- 1930-09-27
Full name: Raymond Vincent Gardner
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 115 | 269 | 35 | 68 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 10 | 29 | 16 | .253 | .326 | .290 | .615 | -667 |
Career AVG .253 vs. league average .292 across their career seasons — 13.3% below league average.
Career OBP .326 vs. league average .354 across their career seasons — 8.0% below league average.
Career SLG .290 vs. league average .422 across their career seasons — 31.4% below league average.
Career OPS .615 vs. league average .776 across their career seasons — 20.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | CLE | AL | 82 | 256 | 28 | 67 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 10 | 29 | 16 | .262 | .289 (-10%) | .353 (-5%) | .415 (-28%) | .769 (-17%) | -666.8 |
| 1930 | CLE | AL | 33 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .077 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 115 | 269 | 35 | 68 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 10 | 29 | 16 | .253 | — | — | — | — | -667 | ||
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 (115 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 69 | 162 | 22 | 40 | 0 | 13 | .247 |
| Away | 46 | 107 | 13 | 28 | 1 | 9 | .262 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930-09-27 | CLE | SLA | W | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-09-18 | CLE | MIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-09-10 | CLE | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-09-09 | CLE | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-09-07 | CLE | CHW | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-09-06 | CLE | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-09-02 | CLE | SLA | W | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-09-01 | CLE | SLA | W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-08-30 | CLE | CHW | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-08-21 | CLE | NYY | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 5 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Shortstop | 104 |
Ray Gardner: the record in brief
April 16, 1929 and September 27, 1930 bracket Ray Gardner's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Gardner spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Cleveland Indians. Born on October 25, 1901, in Frederick, MD, USA, Gardner is listed as a shortstop and threw and hit right-handed. Gardner's listed size is 145 pounds on a 5-foot-8 frame. The bio records the death on May 3, 1968, in Frederick, MD, USA. Gardner's full given name, per the bio, is Raymond Vincent Gardner.
Across 115 games at the plate, Gardner's career line reads 68 hits in 269 at bats for a .253 average, adding 1 home run and 25 runs batted in. Gardner got on base at a .326 rate and slugged .290 (.615 OPS). Over the seasons Gardner played, league hitters batted .292; the .253 career figure is 13.3% below that. By OPS the gap is 20.7% below league average (.615 against .776). The hits column peaks at 67, in 1929. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .262 in 1929, did not top the league's .289.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ray Gardner
- What years did Ray Gardner play?
- Ray Gardner played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1930.
- Was Ray Gardner a pitcher?
- No. Ray Gardner was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Ray Gardner hit?
- Ray Gardner hit 1 career home run with 68 hits.
- What teams did Ray Gardner play for?
- Ray Gardner played for one team, the Cleveland Indians (1929–1930).
- What were Ray Gardner's career stats?
- In 115 games, Ray Gardner had 68 hits, 1 home runs, 25 RBI, 35 runs, and 10 stolen bases, with a .253 batting average.
- What position did Ray Gardner play?
- Ray Gardner played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ray Gardner and how much did he weigh?
- Ray Gardner was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 145 pounds.
- How many home runs did Ray Gardner hit each season?
- Ray Gardner's home runs by season: 1 in 1929 and 0 in 1930. His most in one season was 1, in 1929.
- What was Ray Gardner's career batting average?
- Ray Gardner batted .253 over his career, with 68 hits in 269 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ray Gardner have?
- Ray Gardner drove in 25 runs in his career.
- Is Ray Gardner in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ray Gardner has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.