Merv Shea
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1927-1944)
- 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
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 407 | 0 | 1412 | 254 | 41 | 33 |
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.
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.