Ray Blades

Born: 8/6/1896 in Mount Vernon, IL, USA

Died: 5/18/1979 in Lincoln, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1922-08-19 | Final Game: 1932-09-25

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'7" | Weight: 163 lbs

Full name: Francis Raymond Blades

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Biography

Ray Blades was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball, known for his offensive prowess during the 1920s. Born in 1896, Blades played from 1922 until his retirement in 1932, appearing in a total of 767 games. Over the course of his career, he recorded 726 hits and achieved a batting average of .301, marking him as a consistent and effective hitter of his time. Blades contributed significantly to his teams with 50 home runs and 340 runs batted in (RBIs), showcasing his ability to drive in runs and provide power at the plate. Blades was also known for his speed on the base paths, accumulating 33 stolen bases throughout his career, an impressive feat for the era. He played during a transformative time in baseball, as the league was transitioning from the deadball era into a period defined by more offensive output. His contributions were vital to the teams he played for, and his legacy remains as a skilled hitter and an integral part of the game during an exciting time in baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
767	2415	467	726	133	51	50	340	33	331	310	0.301	0.395	0.460	0.855	8007.7

Career AVG .301 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — +6.3% above league average.

Career OBP .395 vs. league average .345 across their career seasons — +14.7% above league average.

Career SLG .460 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — +15.8% above league average.

Career OPS 0.855 vs. league average 0.742 across their career seasons — +15.3% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1922	STL	NL	37	130	27	39	2	4	3	21	3	25	21	0.300	.285 (+5%)	.345 (+24%)	.397 (+12%)	.743 (+18%)	515.6
1923	STL	NL	98	317	48	78	21	5	5	44	4	37	46	0.246	.282 (-13%)	.344 (-1%)	.390 (avg)	.734 (avg)	18.6
1924	STL	NL	131	456	86	142	21	13	11	68	7	35	38	0.311	.283 (+10%)	.345 (+8%)	.389 (+25%)	.734 (+17%)	1504.2
1925	STL	NL	122	462	112	158	37	8	12	57	6	59	47	0.342	.288 (+19%)	.349 (+21%)	.407 (+31%)	.756 (+27%)	2629.4
1926	STL	NL	107	416	81	127	17	12	8	43	6	62	57	0.305	.279 (+9%)	.345 (+18%)	.390 (+18%)	.735 (+18%)	1689.9
1927	STL	NL	61	180	33	57	8	5	2	29	3	28	22	0.317	.282 (+12%)	.344 (+20%)	.392 (+15%)	.736 (+17%)	648.0
1928	STL	NL	51	85	9	20	7	1	1	19	0	20	26	0.235	.280 (-16%)	.342 (+15%)	.395 (-5%)	.737 (+4%)	142.0
1930	STL	NL	45	101	26	40	6	2	4	25	1	21	15	0.396	.293 (+35%)	.354 (+42%)	.429 (+43%)	.784 (+43%)	907.8
1931	STL	NL	35	67	10	19	4	0	1	5	1	10	7	0.284	.276 (+3%)	.338 (+16%)	.388 (avg)	.726 (+7%)	132.4
1932	STL	NL	80	201	35	46	10	1	3	29	2	34	31	0.229	.275 (-17%)	.335 (+2%)	.391 (-15%)	.726 (-7%)	-180.3

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
8	12	2	1	0	0	0	0	2	5	0.083

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	BB	SO	AVG
1931	WS	SLN	2	2	0	0	0	2	0.000
1930	WS	SLN	5	9	2	1	2	2	0.111
1928	WS	SLN	1	1	0	0	0	1	0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	PO	A	E	DP
2B	7	12	16	0	2
3B	14	9	11	2	0
OF	623	1313	51	52	9
SS	4	5	12	5	2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1922	SLN	3B	1	1	2	1	0
1922	SLN	OF	29	61	6	5	0
1922	SLN	SS	4	5	12	5	2
1923	SLN	3B	4	0	1	0	0
1923	SLN	OF	83	194	11	7	2
1924	SLN	2B	7	12	16	0	2
1924	SLN	3B	7	7	8	1	0
1924	SLN	OF	109	256	6	12	1
1925	SLN	3B	1	1	0	0	0
1925	SLN	OF	114	266	13	6	4
1926	SLN	OF	105	229	10	5	1
1927	SLN	OF	50	64	0	6	0
1928	SLN	OF	19	34	1	1	1
1930	SLN	OF	32	66	1	3	0
1931	SLN	OF	20	26	1	4	0
1932	SLN	3B	1	0	0	0	0
1932	SLN	OF	62	117	2	3	0