Claude Ritchey

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1897-1909)

Claude Ritchey was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1909 for 4 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,672 career games, he hit .273 with 1,619 hits, 18 home runs, and 675 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 7,225.

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 .273
HR 18
RBI 675
H 1,619
OPS .690
PIV 7,225
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
5'6" / 167 lb
Born
10/5/1873 in Emlenton, PA, USA
Died
11/8/1951 in Emlenton, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1897-04-22
Last Game
1909-06-24

Full name: Claude Cassius Ritchey

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Career Batting Statistics

Claude Ritchey — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,672 5,923 709 1,619 216 68 18 675 155 607 290 .273 .348 .342 .690 7,225

Career AVG .273 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +5.6% above league average.

Career OBP .348 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — +9.7% above league average.

Career SLG .342 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .690 vs. league average .653 across their career seasons — +5.7% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Claude Ritchey 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
1897 CIN NL 101 337 58 95 12 4 0 41 11 42 16 .282 .291 (-3%) .354 (+4%) .387 (-12%) .741 (-4%) -112.0
1898 LS3 NL 151 551 65 140 10 4 5 51 19 46 29 .254 .270 (-6%) .333 (-4%) .347 (-10%) .680 (-7%) -487.5
1899 LS3 NL 148 540 66 162 16 7 4 73 21 49 19 .300 .282 (+6%) .343 (+7%) .366 (+3%) .710 (+5%) 691.2
1900 PIT NL 123 476 62 139 17 8 1 67 18 29 8 .292 .279 (+5%) .338 (avg) .366 (avg) .705 (avg) -13.6
1901 PIT NL 140 540 66 160 20 4 1 74 15 47 29 .296 .271 (+9%) .326 (+10%) .359 (-2%) .686 (+4%) 564.4
1902 PIT NL 115 405 54 112 13 1 2 55 10 53 15 .277 .266 (+4%) .321 (+15%) .343 (-4%) .665 (+5%) 678.0
1903 PIT NL 138 506 66 145 28 10 0 59 15 55 29 .287 .261 (+9%) .316 (+14%) .345 (+10%) .662 (+12%) 1260.4
1904 PIT NL 156 544 79 143 22 12 0 51 12 59 36 .263 .246 (+7%) .300 (+12%) .321 (+8%) .622 (+10%) 1130.9
1905 PIT NL 153 533 54 136 29 6 0 52 12 51 29 .255 .248 (+3%) .307 (+5%) .322 (+3%) .629 (+4%) 453.1
1906 PIT NL 152 484 46 130 21 5 1 62 6 68 25 .269 .247 (+9%) .307 (+20%) .315 (+8%) .622 (+14%) 1562.1
1907 BSN NL 144 499 45 127 17 4 2 51 8 50 32 .255 .245 (+4%) .304 (+8%) .308 (+3%) .613 (+5%) 595.8
1908 BSN NL 121 421 44 115 10 3 2 36 7 50 13 .273 .240 (+14%) .298 (+21%) .306 (+6%) .605 (+13%) 1262.7
1909 BSN NL 30 87 4 15 1 0 0 3 1 8 10 .172 .244 (-29%) .306 (-21%) .312 (-41%) .618 (-31%) -360.6
Career · 13 seasons 1,672 5,923 709 1,619 216 68 18 675 155 607 290 .273 — — — — 7,225

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

Claude Ritchey — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
8 27 2 4 1 0 0 2 4 7 .148

Playoff Batting by Year

Claude Ritchey — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1903 WS PIT 8 27 2 4 1 0 0 2 4 7 .148

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1573 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Claude Ritchey — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home780268134174110317.276
Away79329053117838276.270

Last 10 Games — Batting

Claude Ritchey — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1909-06-24 BSNNY1L 100000000
1909-06-23 BSNNY1L 300000010
1909-06-23 BSNNY1L 100000000
1909-06-20 BSNSTLL 401000000
1909-06-09 BSNCINL 401100000
1909-06-07 BSNCINL 411000001
1909-06-05 BSNPITL 401000001
1909-06-02 BSNPITL 403000000
1909-05-31 BSNBROW 400000000
1909-05-31 BSNBROL 400000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Claude Ritchey — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1479 747 3444 4479 355 562
OF 23 0 32 6 5 1
SS 166 0 365 473 80 56

Season-by-Season Fielding

Claude Ritchey — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1897 CIN 2B 8 0 16 19 5 2
1897 CIN OF 22 0 32 6 5 1
1897 CIN SS 70 0 144 204 40 21
1898 LS3 2B 71 0 208 212 21 30
1898 LS3 SS 80 0 194 228 37 32
1899 LS3 2B 138 0 356 419 51 56
1899 LS3 SS 11 0 23 35 3 2
1900 PIT 2B 123 0 303 357 33 51
1901 PIT 2B 139 0 340 392 46 53
1901 PIT SS 1 0 0 4 0 1
1902 PIT 2B 114 0 275 341 22 48
1902 PIT OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1903 PIT 2B 137 0 281 460 30 45
1904 PIT 2B 156 156 330 482 36 48
1904 PIT SS 2 0 2 2 0 0
1905 PIT 2B 153 153 279 478 31 59
1905 PIT SS 2 0 2 0 0 0
1906 PIT 2B 151 151 326 439 27 59
1907 BSN 2B 144 144 340 460 24 55
1908 BSN 2B 120 120 325 368 24 46
1909 BSN 2B 25 23 65 52 5 10

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Claude Ritchey Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 1480
Shortstop 165
Left Field 10
Center Field 1
Right Field 12

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Claude Ritchey (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Phil Rizzuto HOF
    .273 avg, 38 HR
  2. 77
    Tom Herr
    .271 avg, 28 HR
  3. 76
    Ossie Bluege
    .272 avg, 43 HR
  4. 70
    Bucky Harris HOF
    .274 avg, 9 HR
  5. 69
    Milt Stock
    .289 avg, 22 HR
  6. 66
    Bill Hallman
    .272 avg, 21 HR

Claude Ritchey: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 22, 1897 and the final game on June 24, 1909, Claude Ritchey built the record summarized on this page. By club, Ritchey's seasons break down as the Cincinnati Reds (1897), the Louisville Colonels (1898 through 1899), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1900 through 1906), and the Boston Doves (1907 through 1909). At 167 pounds on a 5-foot-6 frame, Ritchey is listed as a second baseman. Ritchey switch-hit and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Ritchey was born on October 5, 1873, in Emlenton, PA, USA. Ritchey died on November 8, 1951, in Emlenton, PA, USA. Ritchey's full given name, per the bio, is Claude Cassius Ritchey.

Ritchey's career batting table shows 1,672 games, 5,923 at bats and 1,619 hits, a .273 average, along with 18 homers, 675 RBI, and 155 stolen bases. Ritchey got on base at a .348 rate and slugged .342 (.690 OPS). Set against a .259 league average for the same years, Ritchey's .273 average sits 5.6% above it. The hits column peaks at 162, in 1899.

Frequently Asked Questions about Claude Ritchey

What years did Claude Ritchey play?
Claude Ritchey played in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1909.
Was Claude Ritchey a pitcher?
No. Claude Ritchey was a position player (Second Baseman).
How many home runs did Claude Ritchey hit?
Claude Ritchey hit 18 career home runs with 1619 hits.
What was Claude Ritchey's career batting average?
Claude Ritchey batted .273 over his career, with 1,619 hits in 5,923 at bats.
How many RBI did Claude Ritchey have?
Claude Ritchey drove in 675 runs in his career.
Is Claude Ritchey in the Hall of Fame?
No. Claude Ritchey has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.