Ray Chapman

Born: 1/15/1891 in Beaver Dam, KY, USA

Died: 8/17/1920 in New York, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1912-08-30 | Final Game: 1920-08-16

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Raymond Johnson Chapman

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Ray Chapman was a notable American professional baseball player who made significant contributions to the game during the early 20th century. Born in 1891, Chapman played as a position player in Major League Baseball from 1912 until his untimely death in 1920. Over the course of his career, he appeared in 1,051 games, accumulating 1,053 hits and achieving a batting average of .278. Known for his speed and agility on the basepaths, Chapman also recorded 233 stolen bases, showcasing his ability to disrupt opposing pitchers and defenses. Chapman's career was marked by his versatility and strong defensive skills, which made him a valuable asset to the Cleveland Indians. He was instrumental in the team's success during the 1910s, contributing 364 RBIs and hitting 17 home runs. His playing style was characterized by a combination of contact hitting and base running prowess, which reflected the evolving nature of baseball during that era. Tragically, Chapman's life was cut short in 1920 when he became the first player to be killed by a pitch in Major League history, a moment that profoundly impacted the game and raised concerns about player safety. His legacy endures as a testament to the spirit of competition and the inherent risks of the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1051	3785	671	1053	162	81	17	364	233	452	427	0.278	0.358	0.377	0.735	8722.9

Career AVG .278 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — +8.0% above league average.

Career OBP .358 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — +11.1% above league average.

Career SLG .377 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — +10.9% above league average.

Career OPS 0.735 vs. league average 0.663 across their career seasons — +11.0% 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
1912	CLE	AL	31	109	29	34	6	3	0	19	10	10	13	0.312	.268 (+16%)	.335 (+12%)	.358 (+18%)	.694 (+15%)	256.9
1913	CLE	AL	141	508	78	131	19	7	3	39	29	46	51	0.258	.259 (-1%)	.325 (-1%)	.345 (-1%)	.670 (-1%)	-128.2
1914	CLE	AL	106	375	59	103	16	10	2	42	24	48	48	0.275	.255 (+8%)	.322 (+11%)	.339 (+14%)	.661 (+13%)	897.8
1915	CLE	AL	154	570	101	154	14	17	3	67	36	70	82	0.270	.250 (+8%)	.318 (+11%)	.332 (+11%)	.651 (+11%)	1272.4
1916	CLE	AL	109	346	50	80	10	5	0	27	21	50	46	0.231	.248 (-7%)	.314 (+5%)	.326 (-11%)	.640 (-3%)	-49.3
1917	CLE	AL	156	563	98	170	28	13	2	36	52	61	65	0.302	.248 (+21%)	.312 (+18%)	.323 (+26%)	.635 (+22%)	2344.0
1918	CLE	AL	128	446	84	119	19	8	1	32	30	84	46	0.267	.255 (+5%)	.318 (+22%)	.326 (+8%)	.645 (+15%)	1667.8
1919	CLE	AL	115	433	75	130	23	10	3	53	18	31	38	0.300	.262 (+15%)	.322 (+9%)	.347 (+21%)	.670 (+15%)	1113.9
1920	CLE	AL	111	435	97	132	27	8	3	49	13	52	38	0.303	.271 (+12%)	.331 (+15%)	.363 (+17%)	.694 (+16%)	1347.6

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	PO	A	E	DP
2B	49	99	135	15	4
3B	36	53	97	6	13
OF	2	2	0	1	0
SS	957	2204	2950	336	350

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1912	CLE	SS	31	70	72	15	10
1913	CLE	OF	1	0	0	0	0
1913	CLE	SS	138	299	408	48	59
1914	CLE	2B	33	62	92	9	1
1914	CLE	SS	72	161	187	33	24
1915	CLE	SS	154	378	469	50	38
1916	CLE	2B	16	37	43	6	3
1916	CLE	3B	36	53	97	6	13
1916	CLE	SS	52	117	170	20	19
1917	CLE	SS	156	360	528	59	71
1918	CLE	OF	1	2	0	1	0
1918	CLE	SS	128	321	398	49	42
1919	CLE	SS	115	255	347	36	44
1920	CLE	SS	111	243	371	26	43