Johnny Rucker

Center Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1940-1946)

AVG .272
HR 21
RBI 214
H 711
OPS .668
PIV -2,090
Position
Center Fielder
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 175 lb
Born
1/15/1917 in Crabapple, GA, USA
Died
8/7/1985 in Moultrie, GA, USA
MLB Debut
1940-04-16
Last Game
1946-09-29

Full name: John Joel Rucker

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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

Career Arc

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

SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home349125616433218110.264
Away35613611903793106.278

Last 10 Games — Batting

DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1946-09-29 NY1PHIW 401000001
1946-09-28 NY1PHIW 500000201
1946-09-26 NY1BSNW 401000000
1946-09-26 NY1BSNL 400000000
1946-09-25 NY1BSNL 511100000
1946-09-22 NY1PHIL 401000000
1946-09-22 NY1PHIL 512110100
1946-09-19 NY1CHCW 310000010
1946-09-18 NY1CHCL 401000000
1946-09-17 NY1STLL 502000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 607 0 1422 46 44 14

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1940 NY1 OF 57 0 121 3 6 0
1941 NY1 OF 142 0 344 13 12 5
1943 NY1 OF 117 0 300 9 10 3
1944 NY1 OF 139 0 310 14 5 4
1945 NY1 OF 98 0 256 6 6 2
1946 NY1 OF 54 0 91 1 5 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

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%.

Career Spans

Johnny Rucker (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Patrick Gillespie
    .276 avg, 10 HR
  2. 97
    Von Joshua
    .273 avg, 30 HR
  3. 92
    Walt Williams
    .270 avg, 33 HR
  4. 91
    James Roseman
    .263 avg, 17 HR
  5. 83
    Mike Dorgan
    .274 avg, 4 HR
  6. 83
    Ted Uhlaender
    .263 avg, 36 HR

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.