Johnny Rucker
Center Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1940-1946)
Johnny Rucker was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1946 for the New York Giants, a span of 7 seasons. In 705 career games, he hit .272 with 711 hits, 21 home runs, and 214 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
- 6'2" / 175 lb
- Died
- 8/7/1985 in Moultrie, GA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1940-04-16
- Last Game
- 1946-09-29
Full name: John Joel Rucker
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 705 | 2,617 | 354 | 711 | 105 | 39 | 21 | 214 | 35 | 109 | 248 | .272 | .302 | .366 | .668 | -2,090 |
Career AVG .272 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .302 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 8.4% below league average.
Career SLG .366 vs. league average .363 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .668 vs. league average .692 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | NY1 | NL | 86 | 277 | 38 | 82 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 23 | 4 | 7 | 32 | .296 | .267 (+11%) | .335 (-7%) | .387 (+3%) | .722 (-1%) | -135.0 |
| 1941 | NY1 | NL | 143 | 622 | 95 | 179 | 38 | 9 | 1 | 42 | 8 | 29 | 61 | .288 | .262 (+10%) | .332 (-4%) | .373 (+3%) | .705 (avg) | -228.8 |
| 1943 | NY1 | NL | 132 | 505 | 56 | 138 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 46 | 4 | 22 | 44 | .273 | .255 (+7%) | .324 (-7%) | .346 (-2%) | .671 (-4%) | -441.6 |
| 1944 | NY1 | NL | 144 | 587 | 79 | 143 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 39 | 8 | 24 | 48 | .244 | .261 (-7%) | .325 (-16%) | .357 (-9%) | .683 (-12%) | -1225.1 |
| 1945 | NY1 | NL | 105 | 429 | 58 | 117 | 19 | 11 | 7 | 51 | 7 | 20 | 36 | .273 | .260 (+5%) | .328 (-7%) | .354 (+18%) | .683 (+6%) | 191.3 |
| 1946 | NY1 | NL | 95 | 197 | 28 | 52 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 27 | .264 | .256 (+3%) | .328 (-9%) | .358 (-5%) | .687 (-7%) | -250.6 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 705 | 2,617 | 354 | 711 | 105 | 39 | 21 | 214 | 35 | 109 | 248 | .272 | — | — | — | — | -2,090 | ||
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 (705 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 349 | 1256 | 164 | 332 | 18 | 110 | .264 |
| Away | 356 | 1361 | 190 | 379 | 3 | 106 | .278 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-09-29 | NY1 | PHI | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946-09-28 | NY1 | PHI | W | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946-09-26 | NY1 | BSN | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-26 | NY1 | BSN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-25 | NY1 | BSN | L | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-22 | NY1 | PHI | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-22 | NY1 | PHI | L | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-19 | NY1 | CHC | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1946-09-18 | NY1 | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-17 | NY1 | STL | L | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Center Field | 607 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Georgia | Athens | GA | 1936, 1937, 1938 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 33th | 4.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Johnny Rucker (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Johnny Rucker: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 16, 1940 and the final game on September 29, 1946, Johnny Rucker built the record summarized on this page. All of the seasons listed were played for the New York Giants. Rucker, a center fielder by primary position, threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Rucker is listed at 6 feet, 2 inches and 175 pounds. The birth record reads January 15, 1917, in Crabapple, GA, USA. The bio records the death on August 7, 1985, in Moultrie, GA, USA. On the record, Johnny Rucker was born John Joel Rucker.
Rucker finished with 711 hits from 2,617 at bats in 705 games, which works out to .272; the totals also include 21 homers, 214 runs batted in, and 35 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .302 and .366 give Rucker a career OPS of .668. Against a .261 league average for those years, Rucker's .272 average was near the norm. Rucker collected a career-high 179 hits in 1941. The Lg AVG column puts Rucker's 1941 at .288 against .262, the widest margin among the busiest seasons at 10%. Only 1944 fell short of the league batting average among the compared seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Rucker
- What years did Johnny Rucker play?
- Johnny Rucker played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1946.
- Was Johnny Rucker a pitcher?
- No. Johnny Rucker was a position player (Center Fielder).
- How many home runs did Johnny Rucker hit?
- Johnny Rucker hit 21 career home runs with 711 hits.
- What was Johnny Rucker's career batting average?
- Johnny Rucker batted .272 over his career, with 711 hits in 2,617 at bats.
- How many RBI did Johnny Rucker have?
- Johnny Rucker drove in 214 runs in his career.
- Is Johnny Rucker in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Johnny Rucker has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.