Red Kress

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1927-1946)

Red Kress was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1946 for 5 teams, including the St. Louis Browns, a span of 20 seasons. In 1,391 career games, he hit .286 with 1,454 hits, 89 home runs, and 799 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,769.

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 .286
HR 89
RBI 799
H 1,454
OPS .767
PIV 3,769
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 165 lb
Born
1/2/1905 in Columbia, CA, USA
Died
11/29/1962 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1927-09-24
Last Game
1946-07-17

Full name: Ralph Kress

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Career Batting Statistics

Red Kress — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,391 5,087 691 1,454 298 58 89 799 47 474 453 .286 .347 .420 .767 3,769

Career AVG .286 vs. league average .278 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .347 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .420 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — +6.3% above league average.

Career OPS .767 vs. league average .736 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Red Kress 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
1927 SLA AL 7 23 3 7 2 1 1 3 0 3 3 .304 — — — — 0.0
1928 SLA AL 150 560 78 153 26 10 3 81 5 48 70 .273 .280 (-3%) .342 (-3%) .395 (-6%) .737 (-5%) -450.5
1929 SLA AL 147 557 82 170 38 4 9 107 5 52 54 .305 .289 (+5%) .353 (+3%) .415 (+5%) .769 (+4%) 517.2
1930 SLA AL 154 614 94 192 43 8 16 112 3 50 56 .313 .293 (+6%) .354 (+3%) .429 (+13%) .784 (+9%) 1131.2
1931 SLA AL 150 605 87 188 46 8 16 114 3 46 48 .311 .276 (+12%) .338 (+7%) .388 (+27%) .726 (+17%) 1999.7
1932 SLA AL 14 52 2 9 0 1 2 9 1 4 6 .173 .275 (-37%) .335 (-31%) .391 (-16%) .726 (-23%) -204.9
1932 CHA AL 135 515 83 147 42 4 9 57 6 47 36 .285 .275 (+4%) .335 (+3%) .391 (+11%) .726 (+8%) -204.9
1933 CHA AL 129 467 47 116 20 5 10 78 4 37 40 .248 .270 (-8%) .329 (-8%) .377 (avg) .707 (-4%) -332.2
1934 CHA AL 8 14 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 .286 — — — — 0.0
1934 WS1 AL 56 171 18 39 4 3 4 24 3 17 19 .228 .278 (-18%) .340 (-12%) .392 (-9%) .733 (-11%) 0.0
1935 WS1 AL 84 252 32 75 13 4 2 42 3 25 16 .298 .279 (+6%) .342 (+5%) .399 (+1%) .742 (+3%) 164.2
1936 WS1 AL 109 391 51 111 20 6 8 51 6 39 25 .284 .283 (avg) .349 (avg) .404 (+6%) .753 (+3%) 190.1
1938 SLA AL 150 566 74 171 33 3 7 79 5 69 47 .302 .272 (+11%) .341 (+11%) .392 (+4%) .734 (+7%) 977.9
1939 SLA AL 13 43 5 12 1 0 0 8 1 6 2 .279 — — — — 0.0
1939 DET AL 51 157 19 38 7 0 1 22 2 17 16 .242 .274 (-12%) .342 (-8%) .393 (-22%) .735 (-15%) 0.0
1940 DET AL 33 99 13 22 3 1 1 11 0 10 12 .222 .267 (-17%) .335 (-12%) .387 (-22%) .722 (-17%) -274.0
1946 NY1 NL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 17 seasons 1,391 5,087 691 1,454 298 58 89 799 47 474 453 .286 — — — — 3,514

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.

Career Pitching Statistics

Red Kress — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 4 0 0 0 0 9.1 13 13 1 6 6 12.54 0.0

Career ERA 12.54 vs. league average 3.96 across their career seasons — 216.4% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Red Kress — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1935 WS1 AL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 5.2 8 8 5 5 12.71 — 0.0
1946 NY1 NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3.2 5 5 1 1 12.27 — 0.0
Career · 2 seasons 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 9.1 13 13 6 6 12.54 — 0

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 (1396 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Red Kress — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home681247532369233391.280
Away711261636776656411.293

Pitching — Home / Away

Red Kress — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Away49.113136612.54

Last 10 Games — Batting

Red Kress — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1946-07-17 NY1PITL 100000010
1940-07-29 DETPHAL 301000000
1940-07-28 DETPHAL 401000000
1940-07-27 DETPHAW 310000010
1940-07-27 DETPHAW 421100310
1940-07-26 DETPHAL 301000001
1940-07-25 DETMINW 301000000
1940-07-23 DETMINL 100000000
1940-07-21 DETNYYW 312000010
1940-07-21 DETNYYW 300000001

Last 4 Games — Pitching

Red Kress — Last 4 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1946-07-17 NY1PIT — 3.2555111
1935-07-03 MINBOS — 2.2655200
1935-07-01 MINBOS — 2.0133320
1935-06-27 MINNYY — 1.0100030

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Red Kress — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 162 0 1636 88 36 121
2B 59 0 138 166 7 38
3B 170 0 194 307 43 27
OF 124 0 256 21 14 3
P 4 0 2 6 0 1
SS 835 0 1761 2357 243 558

Season-by-Season Fielding

Red Kress — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1927 SLA SS 7 0 12 25 1 4
1928 SLA SS 150 0 318 400 55 99
1929 SLA SS 146 0 312 441 43 94
1930 SLA 3B 31 0 35 57 10 4
1930 SLA SS 123 0 271 349 41 83
1931 SLA 1B 10 0 94 10 4 8
1931 SLA 3B 84 0 92 141 16 12
1931 SLA OF 40 0 82 8 5 1
1931 SLA SS 38 0 37 47 6 7
1932 SLA 3B 14 0 23 27 5 5
1932 CHA 1B 1 0 10 2 0 4
1932 CHA 3B 19 0 17 34 6 4
1932 CHA OF 64 0 139 12 7 2
1932 CHA SS 53 0 125 155 19 35
1933 CHA 1B 111 0 1169 60 28 83
1933 CHA OF 8 0 16 0 1 0
1934 CHA 2B 3 0 5 2 0 0
1934 WS1 1B 30 0 291 11 2 16
1934 WS1 2B 6 0 18 15 0 4
1934 WS1 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1934 WS1 OF 10 0 15 1 0 0
1934 WS1 SS 1 0 4 5 0 1
1935 WS1 1B 5 0 35 2 1 8
1935 WS1 2B 1 0 0 2 0 0
1935 WS1 OF 2 0 4 0 1 0
1935 WS1 P 3 0 0 3 0 0
1935 WS1 SS 53 0 118 204 12 53
1936 WS1 1B 5 0 37 3 1 2
1936 WS1 2B 33 0 86 100 1 21
1936 WS1 SS 64 0 143 212 28 52
1938 SLA SS 150 0 321 388 26 100
1939 SLA SS 13 0 27 29 4 10
1939 DET 2B 16 0 29 47 6 13
1939 DET 3B 4 0 7 7 1 1
1939 DET SS 25 0 48 69 5 15
1940 DET 3B 17 0 20 41 5 1
1940 DET SS 12 0 25 33 3 5
1946 NY1 P 1 0 2 3 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Red Kress Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 4
First Base 162
Second Base 59
Third Base 174
Shortstop 830
Left Field 22
Right Field 103

Awards & Honors

Red Kress — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1929 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS

Award Voting History

Red Kress — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1931 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 3.0 80 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Red Kress (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Pinky Whitney
    .295 avg, 93 HR
  2. 92
    Joe Randa
    .284 avg, 123 HR
  3. 92
    Fred Luderus
    .277 avg, 84 HR
  4. 84
    Todd Walker
    .289 avg, 107 HR
  5. 83
    Red Rolfe
    .289 avg, 69 HR
  6. 83
    James Loney
    .284 avg, 108 HR

Red Kress: the record in brief

September 24, 1927 and July 17, 1946 bracket Red Kress's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Kress's seasons break down as the St. Louis Browns (1927 to 1939), the Chicago White Sox (1932 to 1934), the Washington Senators (1934 to 1936), the Detroit Tigers (1939 through 1940), and the New York Giants (1946). Kress played primarily as a shortstop and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on January 2, 1905, in Columbia, CA, USA and a listed size of 5 feet, 11 inches and 165 pounds. Kress died on November 29, 1962, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. The given name on file is Ralph Kress.

In 1,391 games and 5,087 at bats, Kress batted .286 with 1,454 hits, adding 89 home runs, 799 RBI, and 47 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .347 and the slugging percentage .420, for an OPS of .767.

Frequently Asked Questions about Red Kress

What years did Red Kress play?
Red Kress played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1946.
Was Red Kress a pitcher?
No. Red Kress was a position player (Shortstop), though he did pitch in 4 career games.
How many home runs did Red Kress hit?
Red Kress hit 89 career home runs with 1,454 hits.
What teams did Red Kress play for?
Red Kress played for 5 teams: the St. Louis Browns (1927–1932, 1938–1939), the Chicago White Sox (1932–1934), the Washington Senators (1934–1936), the Detroit Tigers (1939–1940), and the New York Giants (1946).
What were Red Kress's career stats?
In 1,391 games, Red Kress had 1,454 hits, 89 home runs, 799 RBI, 691 runs, and 47 stolen bases, with a .286 batting average.
What position did Red Kress play?
Red Kress played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Red Kress and how much did he weigh?
Red Kress was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 165 pounds.
How many home runs did Red Kress hit each season?
Red Kress's home runs by season: 1 in 1927, 3 in 1928, 9 in 1929, 16 in 1930, 16 in 1931, 11 in 1932, 10 in 1933, 4 in 1934, 2 in 1935, 8 in 1936, 7 in 1938, 1 in 1939, 1 in 1940, and 0 in 1946. His most in one season was 16, in 1930 and 1931.
What was Red Kress's career batting average?
Red Kress batted .286 over his career, with 1,454 hits in 5,087 at bats.
How many RBI did Red Kress have?
Red Kress drove in 799 runs in his career.
What was Red Kress's career ERA?
Red Kress finished with a 12.54 career ERA, going 0-0 with 6 strikeouts.
Is Red Kress in the Hall of Fame?
No. Red Kress has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.