Lew Ritter

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1902-1908)

Lew Ritter was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1902 to 1908 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 7 seasons. In 462 career games, he hit .219 with 315 hits, 1 home runs, and 120 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

AVG .219
HR 1
RBI 120
H 315
OPS .539
PIV -2,949
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 150 lb
Born
9/7/1875 in Liverpool, PA, USA
Died
5/27/1952 in Harrisburg, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1902-09-10
Last Game
1908-08-29

Full name: Lewis Elmer Ritter

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Batting Statistics

Lew Ritter — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
462 1,437 129 315 33 17 1 120 55 96 180 .219 .271 .268 .539 -2,949

Career AVG .219 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — 12.5% below league average.

Career OBP .271 vs. league average .308 across their career seasons — 12.0% below league average.

Career SLG .268 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 17.0% below league average.

Career OPS .539 vs. league average .631 across their career seasons — 14.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lew Ritter — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1902 BRO NL 16 57 5 12 1 0 0 2 2 1 8 .211 .266 (-21%) .321 (-26%) .343 (-34%) .665 (-30%) -253.0
1903 BRO NL 78 259 26 61 9 6 0 37 9 19 30 .236 .261 (-10%) .316 (-8%) .345 (-8%) .662 (-8%) -342.9
1904 BRO NL 72 214 23 53 4 1 0 19 17 20 34 .248 .246 (avg) .300 (+6%) .321 (-14%) .622 (-5%) -59.5
1905 BRO NL 92 311 32 68 10 5 1 28 16 15 39 .219 .248 (-12%) .307 (-17%) .322 (-9%) .629 (-13%) -650.6
1906 BRO NL 73 226 22 47 1 3 0 15 6 16 20 .208 .247 (-16%) .307 (-14%) .315 (-24%) .622 (-19%) -601.0
1907 BRO NL 93 271 15 55 6 1 0 17 5 18 40 .203 .245 (-17%) .304 (-16%) .308 (-25%) .613 (-20%) -757.6
1908 BRO NL 38 99 6 19 2 1 0 2 0 7 9 .192 .240 (-20%) .298 (-18%) .306 (-24%) .605 (-21%) -284.8
Career · 7 seasons 462 1,437 129 315 33 17 1 120 55 96 180 .219 — — — — -2,949

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 (466 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Lew Ritter — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home23469756165154.237
Away23273773150044.204

Last 10 Games — Batting

Lew Ritter — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1908-08-29 BROSTLW 402000000
1908-08-26 BROCHCL 300000000
1908-08-22 BROPITL 701000001
1908-08-16 BROCINL 301000000
1908-08-08 BROCINW 300000001
1908-08-08 BROCINL 301000010
1908-08-01 BROPITL 400000000
1908-07-29 BROPITL 100000001
1908-07-27 BROCHCL 000000010
1908-07-21 BROPITL 300000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Lew Ritter — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 3 2 26 0 1 1
2B 5 5 9 11 1 6
3B 5 3 3 9 2 0
C 410 299 1780 497 95 34
OF 15 14 26 2 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Lew Ritter — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1902 BRO C 16 0 91 18 3 2
1903 BRO C 74 0 309 80 25 6
1903 BRO OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1904 BRO 2B 5 5 9 11 1 6
1904 BRO 3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1904 BRO C 57 56 249 88 12 7
1905 BRO 3B 2 1 2 3 0 0
1905 BRO C 84 80 397 106 26 4
1905 BRO OF 4 5 7 0 0 0
1906 BRO 1B 3 2 26 0 1 1
1906 BRO 3B 2 2 1 5 2 0
1906 BRO C 53 52 211 61 6 4
1906 BRO OF 9 9 19 2 1 0
1907 BRO C 89 83 391 103 16 11
1908 BRO C 37 28 132 41 7 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Lew Ritter — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Catcher 414
First Base 3
Second Base 5
Third Base 5
Left Field 6
Center Field 2
Right Field 9

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Lew Ritter (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Paul Cook
    .223 avg, 0 HR
  2. 84
    Red Kleinow
    .213 avg, 3 HR
  3. 78
    Walter Blair
    .217 avg, 3 HR
  4. 69
    Tom Needham
    .209 avg, 8 HR
  5. 67
    Jim Stephens
    .220 avg, 3 HR
  6. 67
    Jimmy Peoples
    .211 avg, 7 HR

Lew Ritter: the record in brief

September 10, 1902 and August 29, 1908 bracket Lew Ritter's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Ritter spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Brooklyn Superbas. Ritter played primarily as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Born on September 7, 1875, in Liverpool, PA, USA, Ritter was listed at 150 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. The bio records the death on May 27, 1952, in Harrisburg, PA, USA. Lew Ritter was the playing name; the full given name is Lewis Elmer.

In 462 games and 1,437 at bats, Ritter batted .219 with 315 hits, adding 1 home run, 120 RBI, and 55 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .271 clip and slugging .268, Ritter finished with a .539 OPS. Ritter's .219 average ran 12.5% below the .251 that the league posted over the same seasons. The hits column peaks at 68, in 1905. 1903 brought the most runs batted in, 37. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .248 in 1904, did not top the league's .246. In none of the compared seasons from 1902 to 1908 did Ritter top the league batting average.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lew Ritter

What years did Lew Ritter play?
Lew Ritter played in Major League Baseball from 1902 to 1908.
Was Lew Ritter a pitcher?
No. Lew Ritter was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Lew Ritter hit?
Lew Ritter hit 1 career home run with 315 hits.
What teams did Lew Ritter play for?
Lew Ritter played for one team, the Brooklyn Superbas (1902–1908).
What were Lew Ritter's career stats?
In 462 games, Lew Ritter had 315 hits, 1 home runs, 120 RBI, 129 runs, and 55 stolen bases, with a .219 batting average.
What position did Lew Ritter play?
Lew Ritter played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Lew Ritter and how much did he weigh?
Lew Ritter was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 150 pounds.
How many home runs did Lew Ritter hit each season?
Lew Ritter's home runs by season: 0 in 1902, 0 in 1903, 0 in 1904, 1 in 1905, 0 in 1906, 0 in 1907, and 0 in 1908. His most in one season was 1, in 1905.
What was Lew Ritter's career batting average?
Lew Ritter batted .219 over his career, with 315 hits in 1,437 at bats.
How many RBI did Lew Ritter have?
Lew Ritter drove in 120 runs in his career.
Is Lew Ritter in the Hall of Fame?
No. Lew Ritter has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.