Willie Gray
Center Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Willie Gray was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball for 5 teams, including the Dayton Marcos. In 134 career games, he hit .271 with 139 hits, 4 home runs, and 59 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 10.
- 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
- Center Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 180 lb
Full name: William Edward Gray
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.
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
| Season | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | .200 | .200 | .200 | .400 |
| 1926 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | .429 | .429 | .429 | .858 |
| 1927 | 19.0 | 19.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .211 | .211 | .368 | .579 |
| 1936 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .300 | .300 | .500 | .800 |
| 1937 | 14.0 | 12.0 | 0 | 3.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .308 | .417 | .725 |
| Listed seasons · 5 | 56 | 53 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .264 | — | — | — |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 134 | 512 | 109 | 139 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 59 | 23 | 59 | 3 | .271 | .354 | .377 | .731 | 10 |
Career AVG .271 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .354 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .377 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .731 vs. league average .735 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | DM | NNL | 6 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1922 | PK | NNL | 34 | 138 | 28 | 42 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 0 | .304 | .285 (+7%) | .345 (+5%) | .397 (+4%) | .743 (+5%) | 110.9 |
| 1922 | CTS | NNL | 14 | 52 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | .154 | .285 (-46%) | .345 (-38%) | .397 (-42%) | .743 (-40%) | 110.9 |
| 1928 | NLG | ECL | 36 | 143 | 36 | 41 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 4 | 17 | 0 | .287 | .280 (+2%) | .342 (+7%) | .395 (-8%) | .737 (-1%) | 22.7 |
| 1929 | NLG | ANL | 40 | 154 | 35 | 44 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 24 | 1 | .286 | .289 (-1%) | .353 (+10%) | .415 (+3%) | .769 (+6%) | 222.2 |
| 1932 | NWB | EWL | 4 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 134 | 512 | 109 | 139 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 59 | 23 | 59 | 3 | .271 | — | — | — | — | 467 | ||
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.
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | DM | NNL | 0 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33.2 | 46 | 25 | 12 | 10 | 6.68 | 3.45 (-94%) | -76.4 |
| Career · 1 season | 0 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33.2 | 46 | 25 | 12 | 10 | 6.68 | — | -76 | ||
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
Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 2 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .222 |
Last 2 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929-09-01 | NYL | HIL | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-01 | NYL | HIL | W | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 6 |
| First Base | 2 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Center Field | 124 |
Willie Gray: the record in brief
The season rows for Willie Gray begin in 1920. The team column moves through the Dayton Marcos (1920), the Pittsburgh Keystones (1922), the Cleveland Tate Stars (1922), the New York Lincoln Giants (1928 to 1929), and the Newark Browns (1932). Born on May 17, 1896, in Hampton, VA, USA, Gray is listed as a center fielder and both batted and threw left-handed. The bio gives 5 feet, 10 inches and 180 pounds. The given name on file is William Edward Gray.
Gray's career batting table shows 134 games, 512 at bats and 139 hits, a .271 average, plus 4 home runs, 59 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. Gray's career OPS of .731 combines a .354 on-base mark with .377 slugging. The .271 career average is close to the .281 the league hit across the same seasons. The hits column peaks at 44, in 1929. The RBI column peaks at 21 in 1922.
Frequently Asked Questions about Willie Gray
- Was Willie Gray a pitcher?
- No. Willie Gray was a position player (Center Fielder), though he did pitch in 6 career games.
- How many home runs did Willie Gray hit?
- Willie Gray hit 4 career home runs with 139 hits.
- What was Willie Gray's career batting average?
- Willie Gray batted .271 over his career, with 139 hits in 512 at bats.
- How many RBI did Willie Gray have?
- Willie Gray drove in 59 runs in his career.
- What was Willie Gray's career ERA?
- Willie Gray finished with a 6.68 career ERA, going 0-5 with 10 strikeouts.
- Is Willie Gray in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Willie Gray has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.