Merv Shea
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1927-1944)
Merv Shea was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1944 for 6 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 18 seasons. In 439 career games, he hit .220 with 263 hits, 5 home runs, and 115 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
- 5'11" / 175 lb
- Died
- 1/27/1953 in Sacramento, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1927-04-23
- Last Game
- 1944-08-19
Full name: Mervyn John Shea
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 439 | 1,197 | 105 | 263 | 39 | 7 | 5 | 115 | 8 | 189 | 145 | .220 | .327 | .277 | .603 | -2,853 |
Career AVG .220 vs. league average .278 across their career seasons — 20.8% below league average.
Career OBP .327 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .277 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 29.6% below league average.
Career OPS .603 vs. league average .735 across their career seasons — 17.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | DET | AL | 34 | 85 | 5 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 15 | .176 | .282 (-37%) | .344 (-31%) | .392 (-19%) | .736 (-24%) | -378.4 |
| 1928 | DET | AL | 39 | 85 | 8 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 11 | .235 | .280 (-16%) | .342 (-8%) | .395 (-17%) | .737 (-13%) | -174.0 |
| 1929 | DET | AL | 50 | 162 | 23 | 47 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 2 | 19 | 18 | .290 | .289 (avg) | .353 (+3%) | .415 (-8%) | .769 (-3%) | -35.2 |
| 1933 | BOS | AL | 16 | 56 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 7 | .143 | .270 (-47%) | .329 (-39%) | .377 (-48%) | .707 (-44%) | -389.6 |
| 1933 | SLA | AL | 94 | 279 | 26 | 73 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 2 | 43 | 26 | .262 | .270 (-3%) | .329 (+9%) | .377 (-15%) | .707 (-4%) | -389.6 |
| 1934 | CHA | AL | 62 | 176 | 8 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 24 | 19 | .159 | .278 (-43%) | .340 (-24%) | .392 (-55%) | .733 (-41%) | -1108.6 |
| 1935 | CHA | AL | 46 | 122 | 8 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 30 | 9 | .230 | .279 (-18%) | .342 (+11%) | .399 (-38%) | .742 (-15%) | -172.6 |
| 1936 | CHA | AL | 14 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1937 | CHA | AL | 25 | 71 | 7 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 10 | .211 | .276 (-24%) | .342 (+2%) | .398 (-43%) | .740 (-22%) | -203.1 |
| 1938 | BRO | NL | 48 | 120 | 14 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 28 | 20 | .183 | .272 (-33%) | .341 (-1%) | .392 (-43%) | .734 (-23%) | -368.2 |
| 1939 | DET | AL | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1944 | PHI | NL | 7 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | .267 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 439 | 1,197 | 105 | 263 | 39 | 7 | 5 | 115 | 8 | 189 | 145 | .220 | — | — | — | — | -3,219 | ||
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 (439 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 211 | 578 | 50 | 130 | 1 | 59 | .225 |
| Away | 228 | 619 | 55 | 133 | 4 | 57 | .215 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944-08-19 | PHI | PIT | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1944-08-17 | PHI | PIT | L | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1944-08-13 | PHI | CHC | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1944-08-11 | PHI | STL | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1944-08-09 | PHI | STL | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1944-08-06 | PHI | NY1 | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1944-07-26 | PHI | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1939-08-16 | DET | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-08-12 | DET | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1939-08-06 | DET | BOS | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | DET | C | 31 | 0 | 94 | 17 | 6 | 1 |
| 1928 | DET | C | 30 | 0 | 93 | 24 | 6 | 2 |
| 1929 | DET | C | 46 | 0 | 157 | 32 | 7 | 4 |
| 1933 | BOS | C | 16 | 0 | 48 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| 1933 | SLA | C | 85 | 0 | 328 | 60 | 2 | 15 |
| 1934 | CHA | C | 60 | 0 | 240 | 35 | 8 | 4 |
| 1935 | CHA | C | 43 | 0 | 161 | 30 | 2 | 2 |
| 1936 | CHA | C | 14 | 0 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937 | CHA | C | 25 | 0 | 91 | 21 | 4 | 1 |
| 1938 | BRO | C | 47 | 0 | 149 | 19 | 4 | 2 |
| 1939 | DET | C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1944 | PHI | C | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 407 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Merv Shea (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Merv Shea: the record in brief
The profile opens with Merv Shea's first major league game on April 23, 1927; the last one listed came on August 19, 1944. Club by club, the record runs the Detroit Tigers (1927 through 1939), the Boston Red Sox (1933), the St. Louis Browns (1933), the Chicago White Sox (1934 through 1937), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1938), and the Philadelphia Blue Jays (1944). Shea played primarily as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Born on September 5, 1900, in San Francisco, CA, USA, Shea was listed at 175 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Shea died on January 27, 1953, in Sacramento, CA, USA. Merv Shea was the playing name; the full given name is Mervyn John.
Shea finished with 263 hits from 1,197 at bats in 439 games, which works out to .220, along with 5 home runs and 115 RBI. Shea's career OPS of .603 combines a .327 on-base mark with .277 slugging. Measured against the leagues Shea played in, the .220 career average compares with a .278 league average over the same seasons, 20.8% below the league. By OPS the gap is 17.9% below league average (.603 against .735).
Frequently Asked Questions about Merv Shea
- What years did Merv Shea play?
- Merv Shea played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1944.
- Was Merv Shea a pitcher?
- No. Merv Shea was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Merv Shea hit?
- Merv Shea hit 5 career home runs with 263 hits.
- What was Merv Shea's career batting average?
- Merv Shea batted .220 over his career, with 263 hits in 1,197 at bats.
- How many RBI did Merv Shea have?
- Merv Shea drove in 115 runs in his career.
- Is Merv Shea in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Merv Shea has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.