Roy Spencer

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1925-1938)

Roy Spencer was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1938 for 5 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 14 seasons. In 636 career games, he hit .247 with 448 hits, 3 home runs, and 203 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 .247
HR 3
RBI 203
H 448
OPS .598
PIV -5,387
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 168 lb
Born
2/22/1900 in Scranton, NC, USA
Died
2/8/1973 in Port Charlotte, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1925-04-19
Last Game
1938-05-09

Full name: Roy Hampton Spencer

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Career Batting Statistics

Roy Spencer — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
636 1,814 177 448 57 13 3 203 4 128 130 .247 .301 .298 .598 -5,387

Career AVG .247 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — 12.1% below league average.

Career OBP .301 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 12.7% below league average.

Career SLG .298 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — 25.4% below league average.

Career OPS .598 vs. league average .743 across their career seasons — 19.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Roy Spencer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1925 PIT NL 14 28 1 6 1 0 0 2 1 1 3 .214 — — — — 0.0
1926 PIT NL 28 43 5 17 3 0 0 4 0 1 0 .395 — — — — 0.0
1927 PIT NL 38 92 9 26 3 1 0 13 0 3 3 .283 .282 (avg) .344 (-11%) .392 (-14%) .736 (-13%) -202.9
1929 WS1 AL 50 116 18 18 4 0 1 9 0 8 15 .155 .289 (-46%) .353 (-37%) .415 (-48%) .769 (-43%) -848.9
1930 WS1 AL 93 321 32 82 11 4 0 36 3 18 27 .255 .293 (-13%) .354 (-14%) .429 (-27%) .784 (-21%) -1154.3
1931 WS1 AL 145 483 48 133 16 3 1 60 0 35 21 .275 .276 (avg) .338 (-3%) .388 (-16%) .726 (-10%) -719.0
1932 WS1 AL 102 317 28 78 9 0 1 41 0 24 17 .246 .275 (-11%) .335 (-10%) .391 (-27%) .726 (-19%) -935.0
1933 CLE AL 75 227 26 46 5 2 0 23 0 23 17 .203 .270 (-25%) .329 (-15%) .377 (-36%) .707 (-26%) -873.8
1934 CLE AL 5 7 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 .143 — — — — 0.0
1936 NY1 NL 19 18 3 5 1 0 0 3 0 2 3 .278 — — — — 0.0
1937 BRO NL 51 117 5 24 2 2 0 4 0 8 17 .205 .276 (-26%) .342 (-25%) .398 (-36%) .740 (-31%) -596.9
1938 BRO NL 16 45 2 12 1 1 0 6 0 5 6 .267 — — — — -55.7
Career · 12 seasons 636 1,814 177 448 57 13 3 203 4 128 130 .247 — — — — -5,387

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Roy Spencer — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Roy Spencer — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1927 WS PIT 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (636 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Roy Spencer — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home3048501002261102.266
Away332962782192100.228

Last 10 Games — Batting

Roy Spencer — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1938-05-09 BROSTLL 400000011
1938-05-08 BROSTLL 301000001
1938-05-07 BROCINW 403100200
1938-05-06 BROCINL 301000001
1938-05-05 BROPITL 300000000
1938-05-04 BROPITL 200000010
1938-05-03 BROPITW 401000200
1938-05-02 BRONY1L 200000010
1938-05-01 BRONY1L 200000000
1938-04-30 BRONY1L 301000002

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Roy Spencer — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 585 0 2138 275 40 33

Season-by-Season Fielding

Roy Spencer — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1925 PIT C 11 0 18 1 2 2
1926 PIT C 12 0 29 3 1 0
1927 PIT C 34 0 98 15 3 2
1929 WS1 C 41 0 128 20 5 2
1930 WS1 C 93 0 395 44 5 3
1931 WS1 C 145 0 642 69 11 9
1932 WS1 C 98 0 313 44 8 9
1933 CLE C 72 0 258 42 3 4
1934 CLE C 4 0 7 2 0 0
1936 NY1 C 14 0 18 3 0 0
1937 BRO C 45 0 177 27 0 2
1938 BRO C 16 0 55 5 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Roy Spencer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 588

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Roy Spencer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Mike Guerra
    .242 avg, 9 HR
  2. 92
    Junior Ortiz
    .256 avg, 5 HR
  3. 90
    Ira Thomas
    .242 avg, 3 HR
  4. 84
    Mickey O'Neil
    .238 avg, 4 HR
  5. 84
    Johnny Oates
    .250 avg, 14 HR
  6. 83
    Dick Bertell
    .250 avg, 10 HR

Roy Spencer: the record in brief

Roy Spencer played a first major league game on April 19, 1925 and a last one on May 9, 1938. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1925 to 1927), the Washington Senators (1929 to 1932), the Cleveland Indians (1933 to 1934), the New York Giants (1936), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1937 to 1938). The bio lists Spencer as a catcher who batted and threw right-handed. Spencer is listed at 5 feet, 10 inches and 168 pounds. The birth record reads February 22, 1900, in Scranton, NC, USA. Spencer died on February 8, 1973, in Port Charlotte, FL, USA. The given name on file is Roy Hampton Spencer.

Across 636 games at the plate, Spencer's career line reads 448 hits in 1,814 at bats for a .247 average, adding 3 home runs and 203 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .301 clip and slugging .298, Spencer finished with a .598 OPS. Spencer's .247 average ran 12.1% below the .281 that the league posted over the same seasons. In OPS terms, Spencer's .598 stands 19.5% below the league's .743. The hits column peaks at 133, in 1931.

Frequently Asked Questions about Roy Spencer

What years did Roy Spencer play?
Roy Spencer played in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1938.
Was Roy Spencer a pitcher?
No. Roy Spencer was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Roy Spencer hit?
Roy Spencer hit 3 career home runs with 448 hits.
What teams did Roy Spencer play for?
Roy Spencer played for 5 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1925–1927), the Washington Senators (1929–1932), the Cleveland Indians (1933–1934), the New York Giants (1936), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1937–1938).
What were Roy Spencer's career stats?
In 636 games, Roy Spencer had 448 hits, 3 home runs, 203 RBI, 177 runs, and 4 stolen bases, with a .247 batting average.
What position did Roy Spencer play?
Roy Spencer played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Roy Spencer and how much did he weigh?
Roy Spencer was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 168 pounds.
How many home runs did Roy Spencer hit each season?
Roy Spencer's home runs by season: 0 in 1925, 0 in 1926, 0 in 1927, 1 in 1929, 0 in 1930, 1 in 1931, 1 in 1932, 0 in 1933, 0 in 1934, 0 in 1936, 0 in 1937, and 0 in 1938. His most in one season was 1, in 1929, 1931, and 1932.
What was Roy Spencer's career batting average?
Roy Spencer batted .247 over his career, with 448 hits in 1,814 at bats.
How many RBI did Roy Spencer have?
Roy Spencer drove in 203 runs in his career.
Is Roy Spencer in the Hall of Fame?
No. Roy Spencer has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.