Oscar Grimes, baseball player, 1938-1946

Oscar Grimes

Born: 4/13/1915 in Minerva, OH, USA

Died: 5/19/1993 in Westlake, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1938-09-28 | Final Game: 1946-09-25

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 178 lbs

Full name: Oscar Ray Grimes

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Biography

Oscar Grimes was a professional baseball player who enjoyed a productive career in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1946. Born in 1915, Grimes established himself as a consistent position player during a time when the game was recovering from the Great Depression and moving towards the post-war era. Over the course of his career, he appeared in 602 games, compiling a batting average of .256 with a total of 469 hits. He showcased his power at the plate, hitting 18 home runs and driving in 200 runs, while also demonstrating speed on the bases with 30 stolen bases. Grimes was selected as an All-Star during his career, highlighting his skill and contribution to his teams. His career spanned a transformative period in baseball history, marked by the integration of the sport and changes in playing style. Although he faced the challenges of playing in a competitive league, Grimes left his mark through his solid performance and versatility on the field, contributing to the teams he played for until his retirement in 1946. His legacy remains a testament to the players of his era, who navigated the complexities of a changing American society while dedicating themselves to the game they loved.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
602 1832 235 469 73 24 18 200 30 297 303 0.256 0.363 0.352 0.715 2540.6

Career AVG .256 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .363 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — +9.5% above league average.

Career SLG .352 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.715 vs. league average 0.700 across their career seasons — near 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
1938 CLE AL 4 10 2 2 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1939 CLE AL 119 364 51 98 20 5 4 56 8 56 61 0.269 .274 (-2%) .342 (+8%) .393 (-2%) .735 (+2%) 295.4
1940 CLE AL 11 13 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1941 CLE AL 77 244 28 58 9 3 4 24 4 39 47 0.238 .262 (-9%) .332 (+4%) .373 (-7%) .705 (-2%) 8.3
1942 CLE AL 51 84 10 15 2 0 0 2 3 13 17 0.179 .253 (-30%) .323 (-11%) .349 (-42%) .672 (-27%) -337.1
1943 NYY AL 9 20 4 3 0 0 0 1 0 3 7 0.150 — — — — 0.0
1944 NYY AL 116 387 44 108 17 8 5 46 6 59 57 0.279 .261 (+7%) .325 (+16%) .357 (+13%) .683 (+14%) 1171.0
1945 NYY AL 142 480 64 127 19 7 4 45 7 97 73 0.265 .260 (+1%) .328 (+20%) .354 (+1%) .683 (+10%) 1431.7
1946 NYY AL 14 39 1 8 1 0 0 4 0 1 7 0.205 — — — — 0.0
1946 PHA AL 59 191 28 50 5 0 1 20 2 27 29 0.262 .256 (+2%) .328 (+8%) .358 (-15%) .687 (-4%) 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 113 0 929 52 8 95
2B 135 0 288 297 24 71
3B 257 0 281 521 51 50
SS 72 0 122 151 28 35

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1938 CLE 1B 1 0 7 0 0 1
1938 CLE 2B 2 0 3 2 0 1
1939 CLE 1B 43 0 341 17 4 36
1939 CLE 2B 48 0 102 109 7 21
1939 CLE 3B 3 0 3 1 0 0
1939 CLE SS 37 0 58 66 11 18
1940 CLE 1B 4 0 21 2 1 2
1940 CLE 3B 1 0 0 4 0 0
1941 CLE 1B 62 0 544 31 3 53
1941 CLE 2B 13 0 28 31 2 7
1941 CLE 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1942 CLE 1B 1 0 4 0 0 0
1942 CLE 2B 24 0 46 39 5 10
1942 CLE 3B 8 0 5 12 1 1
1942 CLE SS 1 0 0 1 2 0
1943 NYA 1B 1 0 8 1 0 3
1943 NYA SS 3 0 2 7 0 3
1944 NYA 3B 97 0 105 189 17 14
1944 NYA SS 20 0 35 57 7 10
1945 NYA 1B 1 0 4 1 0 0
1945 NYA 3B 141 0 162 296 31 35
1946 NYA 2B 5 0 11 11 1 2
1946 NYA SS 7 0 20 14 4 3
1946 PHA 2B 43 0 98 105 9 30
1946 PHA 3B 6 0 6 19 2 0
1946 PHA SS 4 0 7 6 4 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 113
Second Base 136
Third Base 257
Shortstop 71