Johnny Ray
Center Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Johnny Ray was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball for 6 teams, including the Birmingham Black Barons. In 175 career games, he hit .219 with 134 hits and 40 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
- Center Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 160 lb
- Died
- 6/28/1957 in Nashville, TN, USA
Full name: John Ray
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 175 | 611 | 102 | 134 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 40 | 9 | 80 | 6 | .219 | .322 | .247 | .569 | -842 |
Career AVG .219 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 16.9% below league average.
Career OBP .322 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .247 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — 33.2% below league average.
Career OPS .569 vs. league average .702 across their career seasons — 18.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | BBB | NAL | 16 | 60 | 14 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .450 | .276 (+63%) | .342 (+54%) | .398 (+30%) | .740 (+41%) | 480.1 |
| 1939 | CBR | NAL | 25 | 95 | 21 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 4 | .189 | .274 (-31%) | .342 (-14%) | .393 (-38%) | .735 (-27%) | -397.2 |
| 1940 | CBR | NAL | 24 | 84 | 18 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 0 | .238 | .267 (-11%) | .335 (+20%) | .387 (-39%) | .722 (-11%) | -25.1 |
| 1941 | JRC | NAL | 10 | 35 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1942 | JRC | NAL | 9 | 32 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .156 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1943 | CC | NAL | 36 | 117 | 16 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 0 | .171 | .255 (-33%) | .324 (-18%) | .346 (-41%) | .671 (-30%) | -501.4 |
| 1944 | CIC | NAL | 29 | 111 | 16 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 | .198 | .261 (-24%) | .325 (-11%) | .357 (-40%) | .683 (-26%) | -398.2 |
| 1945 | CIC | NAL | 5 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1945 | KCM | NAL | 11 | 31 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .290 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1945 | BBB | NAL | 10 | 37 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .135 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 175 | 611 | 102 | 134 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 40 | 9 | 80 | 6 | .219 | — | — | — | — | -842 | ||
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 (159 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 72 | 228 | 45 | 63 | 0 | 13 | .276 |
| Away | 87 | 265 | 47 | 70 | 2 | 14 | .264 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945-09-01 | BIR | CIA | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-08-30 | BIR | CIA | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-08-19 | BIR | CVB | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945-08-11 | BIR | KCM | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1945-07-24 | KCM | CVB | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-07-23 | KCM | MEM | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945-07-22 | KCM | MEM | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-07-22 | KCM | MEM | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945-07-08 | KCM | BIR | W | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945-07-07 | KCM | BIR | W | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 3 | 3 | 29 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2B | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 3B | 13 | 13 | 20 | 21 | 5 | 1 |
| OF | 152 | 146 | 282 | 13 | 14 | 1 |
| SS | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | BBB | OF | 17 | 16 | 35 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1939 | CBR | OF | 25 | 24 | 56 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1940 | CBR | 1B | 2 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1940 | CBR | OF | 22 | 22 | 43 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1941 | JRC | 1B | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1941 | JRC | 3B | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 1941 | JRC | OF | 4 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941 | JRC | SS | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942 | JRC | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942 | JRC | 3B | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1942 | JRC | OF | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943 | CC | OF | 35 | 34 | 67 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1943 | CC | SS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944 | CIC | 3B | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 1944 | CIC | OF | 26 | 26 | 35 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1945 | CIC | 2B | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 1945 | KCM | 3B | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945 | KCM | OF | 8 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945 | BBB | OF | 10 | 9 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 3 |
| Second Base | 3 |
| Third Base | 13 |
| Shortstop | 2 |
| Left Field | 7 |
| Center Field | 114 |
| Right Field | 31 |
Johnny Ray: the record in brief
Johnny Ray's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1937 to 1945. The team column moves through the Birmingham Black Barons (1937 through 1945), the Cleveland Bears (1939 through 1940), the Jacksonville Red Caps (1941 through 1942), the Cincinnati Clowns (1943), the Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns (1944 to 1945), and the Kansas City Monarchs (1945). Ray, born on September 8, 1911, in Williamson County, TN, USA, is listed as a center fielder and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Ray's listed size is 5'8" and 160 pounds. Ray died on June 28, 1957, in Nashville, TN, USA. Johnny Ray was the playing name; the full given name is John.
In 175 games and 611 at bats, Ray batted .219 with 134 hits, plus 40 RBI. Ray got on base at a .322 rate and slugged .247 (.569 OPS). The league as a whole hit .264 across Ray's seasons, which puts the .219 career mark 16.9% below average. In OPS terms, Ray's .569 stands 18.9% below the league's .702. 1937 produced Ray's most hits, 27 of them for the Birmingham Black Barons. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .238 in 1940, did not top the league's .267.
Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Ray
- Was Johnny Ray a pitcher?
- No. Johnny Ray was a position player (Center Fielder).
- How many home runs did Johnny Ray hit?
- Johnny Ray hit 0 career home runs with 134 hits.
- What was Johnny Ray's career batting average?
- Johnny Ray batted .219 over his career, with 134 hits in 611 at bats.
- How many RBI did Johnny Ray have?
- Johnny Ray drove in 40 runs in his career.
- Is Johnny Ray in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Johnny Ray has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- What teams did Johnny Ray play for?
- Johnny Ray played for the Birmingham Black Barons, the Cleveland Bears, the Jacksonville Red Caps, the Cincinnati Clowns, the Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns, and the Kansas City Monarchs.