Paul Richards
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1932-1946)
Paul Richards was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1946 for 4 teams, including the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 15 seasons. In 523 career games, he hit .227 with 321 hits, 15 home runs, and 155 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 180 lb
- Died
- 5/4/1986 in Waxahachie, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1932-04-17
- Last Game
- 1946-09-22
Full name: Paul Rapier Richards
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 523 | 1,417 | 140 | 321 | 51 | 5 | 15 | 155 | 15 | 157 | 149 | .227 | .305 | .301 | .606 | -2,544 |
Career AVG .227 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — 15.2% below league average.
Career OBP .305 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 8.2% below league average.
Career SLG .301 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 19.1% below league average.
Career OPS .606 vs. league average .704 across their career seasons — 13.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | BRO | NL | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1933 | NY1 | NL | 51 | 87 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 12 | .195 | .270 (-28%) | .329 (-33%) | .377 (-39%) | .707 (-36%) | -495.0 |
| 1934 | NY1 | NL | 42 | 75 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 8 | .160 | .278 (-42%) | .340 (-17%) | .392 (-56%) | .733 (-38%) | -423.4 |
| 1935 | NY1 | NL | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1935 | PHA | AL | 85 | 257 | 31 | 63 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 29 | 0 | 24 | 12 | .245 | .279 (-12%) | .342 (-10%) | .399 (-15%) | .742 (-13%) | 0.0 |
| 1943 | DET | AL | 100 | 313 | 32 | 69 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 33 | 1 | 38 | 35 | .220 | .255 (-14%) | .324 (-6%) | .346 (-14%) | .671 (-10%) | -414.0 |
| 1944 | DET | AL | 95 | 300 | 24 | 71 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 8 | 35 | 30 | .237 | .261 (-9%) | .325 (-2%) | .357 (-13%) | .683 (-8%) | -305.2 |
| 1945 | DET | AL | 83 | 234 | 26 | 60 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 32 | 4 | 19 | 31 | .256 | .260 (-2%) | .328 (-4%) | .354 (avg) | .683 (-2%) | -93.8 |
| 1946 | DET | AL | 57 | 139 | 13 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 23 | 18 | .201 | .256 (-22%) | .328 (-4%) | .358 (-26%) | .687 (-15%) | -289.6 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 523 | 1,417 | 140 | 321 | 51 | 5 | 15 | 155 | 15 | 157 | 149 | .227 | — | — | — | — | -2,021 | ||
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 (523 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 258 | 699 | 66 | 150 | 7 | 63 | .215 |
| Away | 265 | 718 | 74 | 171 | 8 | 92 | .238 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-09-22 | DET | CLE | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1946-09-18 | DET | PHA | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-17 | DET | MIN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-16 | DET | MIN | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1946-09-13 | DET | NYY | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1946-09-12 | DET | NYY | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946-09-08 | DET | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-04 | DET | CLE | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946-09-03 | DET | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-02 | DET | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | BRO | C | 3 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1933 | NY1 | C | 36 | 0 | 74 | 17 | 1 | 2 |
| 1934 | NY1 | C | 37 | 0 | 86 | 15 | 0 | 3 |
| 1935 | NY1 | C | 4 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935 | PHA | C | 79 | 0 | 293 | 40 | 8 | 5 |
| 1943 | DET | C | 100 | 0 | 537 | 86 | 9 | 12 |
| 1944 | DET | C | 90 | 0 | 413 | 60 | 10 | 13 |
| 1945 | DET | C | 83 | 0 | 361 | 44 | 2 | 7 |
| 1946 | DET | C | 54 | 0 | 311 | 35 | 1 | 6 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 488 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C |
| 1945 | TSN All-Star | C |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 10th | 35.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1944 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 17th | 8.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Paul Richards (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Paul Richards: the record in brief
Paul Richards's major league career runs from a debut on April 17, 1932 to a final game on September 22, 1946. The team column moves through the Brooklyn Dodgers (1932), the New York Giants (1933 to 1935), the Philadelphia Athletics (1935), and the Detroit Tigers (1943 through 1946). Listed as a catcher, Richards threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6 feet, 1 inch and 180 pounds. Richards was born on November 21, 1908, in Waxahachie, TX, USA. The bio records the death on May 4, 1986, in Waxahachie, TX, USA. Paul Richards was the playing name; the full given name is Paul Rapier.
In 523 games and 1,417 at bats, Richards batted .227 with 321 hits, adding 15 home runs and 155 RBI. Reaching base at a .305 clip and slugging .301, Richards finished with a .606 OPS. Measured against the leagues Richards played in, the .227 career average compares with a .267 league average over the same seasons, 15.2% below the league. The OPS comparison is .606 to a league .704, 13.9% below average. The highest hit total in a season was 71, in 1944.
Frequently Asked Questions about Paul Richards
- What years did Paul Richards play?
- Paul Richards played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1946.
- Was Paul Richards a pitcher?
- No. Paul Richards was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Paul Richards hit?
- Paul Richards hit 15 career home runs with 321 hits.
- What was Paul Richards's career batting average?
- Paul Richards batted .227 over his career, with 321 hits in 1,417 at bats.
- How many RBI did Paul Richards have?
- Paul Richards drove in 155 runs in his career.
- Is Paul Richards in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Paul Richards has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.