John Reese
Right Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
John Reese was a right fielder who played in Major League Baseball for 6 teams, including the Hilldale Club. In 317 career games, he hit .229 with 189 hits, 4 home runs, and 72 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- 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
- Right Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Died
- 10/5/1966 in Washington, DC, USA
Full name: John Edward Reese
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 317 | 825 | 138 | 189 | 30 | 11 | 4 | 72 | 38 | 81 | 3 | .229 | .299 | .307 | .605 | -1,560 |
Career AVG .229 vs. league average .280 across their career seasons — 18.2% below league average.
Career OBP .299 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 12.5% below league average.
Career SLG .307 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 20.9% below league average.
Career OPS .605 vs. league average .730 across their career seasons — 17.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | HIL | EAS | 9 | 27 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1918 | AC | EAS | 8 | 32 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .094 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1919 | HIL | EAS | 17 | 63 | 8 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .286 | .262 (+9%) | .322 (-1%) | .347 (+32%) | .670 (+16%) | 110.9 |
| 1920 | CAG | NNL | 36 | 119 | 12 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 17 | 0 | .176 | .271 (-35%) | .331 (-16%) | .363 (-44%) | .694 (-31%) | -522.5 |
| 1921 | DS | NNL | 8 | 31 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .226 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1921 | CAG | NNL | 22 | 55 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 2 | .164 | .286 (-43%) | .344 (-29%) | .395 (-40%) | .739 (-35%) | 0.0 |
| 1922 | CAG | NNL | 37 | 91 | 19 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 1 | .198 | .285 (-31%) | .345 (-22%) | .397 (-45%) | .743 (-34%) | -492.6 |
| 1923 | TT | NNL | 18 | 67 | 22 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 0 | .269 | .282 (-5%) | .344 (+15%) | .390 (-16%) | .734 (-2%) | 47.4 |
| 1923 | SLS | NNL | 29 | 95 | 15 | 30 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .316 | .282 (+12%) | .344 (-2%) | .390 (+21%) | .734 (+10%) | 47.4 |
| 1924 | SLS | NNL | 51 | 158 | 17 | 35 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 0 | .222 | .283 (-22%) | .345 (-24%) | .389 (-29%) | .734 (-26%) | -684.5 |
| 1925 | SLS | NNL | 42 | 47 | 14 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 0 | .319 | — | — | — | — | 179.6 |
| 1926 | SLS | NNL | 24 | 29 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | .241 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | SLS | NNL | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1930 | SLS | NNL | 13 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1931 | SLS | NNL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 317 | 825 | 138 | 189 | 30 | 11 | 4 | 72 | 38 | 81 | 3 | .229 | — | — | — | — | -1,314 | ||
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.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
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 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
| Away | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .500 |
Last 5 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925-08-11 | SSN | KCM | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-04-27 | SSN | KCM | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1921-07-10 | CAG | SLG | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1921-06-06 | DT1 | CNN | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920-08-01 | CAG | KCM | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 257 | 183 | 303 | 22 | 16 | 3 |
| PR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | HIL | OF | 9 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1918 | AC | OF | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1919 | HIL | OF | 17 | 17 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1920 | CAG | OF | 35 | 31 | 36 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921 | DS | OF | 8 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921 | CAG | OF | 19 | 14 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1922 | CAG | OF | 31 | 27 | 49 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1923 | TT | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923 | TT | OF | 18 | 18 | 30 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 1923 | SLS | OF | 29 | 25 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 1924 | SLS | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924 | SLS | OF | 46 | 37 | 58 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 1925 | SLS | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | SLS | OF | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1926 | SLS | OF | 9 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928 | SLS | 3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930 | SLS | OF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931 | SLS | PR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 2 |
| Third Base | 2 |
| Left Field | 109 |
| Center Field | 33 |
| Right Field | 115 |
John Reese: the record in brief
John Reese's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1918 to 1931. The season rows list, in order, the Hilldale Club (1918 to 1919), the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1918), the Chicago American Giants (1920 through 1922), the Detroit Stars (1921), the Toledo Tigers (1923), and the St. Louis Stars (1923 through 1931). Reese is listed as a right fielder. Reese threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. Reese was born on April 19, 1895, in Pensacola, FL, USA. Reese died on October 5, 1966, in Washington, DC, USA. John Reese was the playing name; the full given name is John Edward.
Across 317 games at the plate, Reese's career line reads 189 hits in 825 at bats for a .229 average; the totals also include 4 home runs, 72 runs batted in, and 38 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .299 and .307 give Reese a career OPS of .605. Measured against the leagues Reese played in, the .229 career average compares with a .280 league average over the same seasons, 18.2% below the league.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Reese
- Was John Reese a pitcher?
- No. John Reese was a position player (Right Fielder).
- How many home runs did John Reese hit?
- John Reese hit 4 career home runs with 189 hits.
- What teams did John Reese play for?
- John Reese played for 6 teams: the Hilldale Club (1918–1919), the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1918), the Chicago American Giants (1920–1922), the Detroit Stars (1921), the Toledo Tigers (1923), and the St. Louis Stars (1923–1926, 1928, 1930–1931).
- What were John Reese's career stats?
- In 317 games, John Reese had 189 hits, 4 home runs, 72 RBI, 138 runs, and 38 stolen bases, with a .229 batting average.
- What position did John Reese play?
- John Reese played primarily as a right fielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How many home runs did John Reese hit each season?
- John Reese's home runs by season: 1 in 1918, 0 in 1919, 0 in 1920, 0 in 1921, 0 in 1922, 2 in 1923, 1 in 1924, 0 in 1925, 0 in 1926, 0 in 1928, and 0 in 1930. His most in one season was 2, in 1923.
- What was John Reese's career batting average?
- John Reese batted .229 over his career, with 189 hits in 825 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Reese have?
- John Reese drove in 72 runs in his career.
- Is John Reese in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Reese has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.