Rusty Peters, baseball player, 1936-1947

Rusty Peters

Born: 12/14/1914 in Roanoke, VA, USA

Died: 2/21/2003 in Harrisonburg, VA, USA

MLB Debut: 1936-04-14 | Final Game: 1947-09-28

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Russell Dixon Peters

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Biography

Rusty Peters, born in 1914, was a professional baseball player who made his mark in the Major Leagues from 1936 to 1947. Primarily a position player, Peters played a total of 471 games during his career, where he recorded 289 hits and achieved a batting average of .236. He contributed significantly to his teams with 117 RBIs and hit 8 home runs, showcasing a blend of contact hitting and situational awareness on the field. Additionally, he demonstrated speed on the bases, stealing 9 bases throughout his career. Peters played during a transformative period in baseball, which included the pre-World War II years and the post-war era. His career spanned a time when the game was evolving, with a growing emphasis on power hitting and speed. While not a superstar, his contributions to his teams reflected the hard-nosed playing style characteristic of that era. Rusty Peters remains a part of baseball history, having navigated the challenges of a competitive landscape and leaving a lasting legacy as a steady presence in the league.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
471 1222 123 289 53 16 8 117 9 98 199 0.236 0.295 0.326 0.620 -2694.0

Career AVG .236 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 10.8% below league average.

Career OBP .295 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 11.8% below league average.

Career SLG .326 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — 13.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.620 vs. league average 0.708 across their career seasons — 12.4% below 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
1936 PHA AL 45 119 12 26 3 2 3 16 1 4 28 0.218 .283 (-23%) .349 (-30%) .404 (-13%) .753 (-21%) -491.3
1937 PHA AL 116 339 39 88 17 6 3 43 4 41 59 0.260 .276 (-6%) .342 (-1%) .398 (-7%) .740 (-4%) -249.5
1938 PHA AL 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1940 CLE AL 30 71 5 17 3 2 0 7 1 4 14 0.239 .267 (-10%) .335 (-16%) .387 (-13%) .722 (-15%) -196.7
1941 CLE AL 29 63 6 13 2 0 0 2 0 7 10 0.206 .262 (-21%) .332 (-14%) .373 (-36%) .705 (-26%) -256.2
1942 CLE AL 34 58 6 13 5 1 0 2 0 2 14 0.224 .253 (-12%) .323 (-23%) .349 (-1%) .672 (-12%) -141.4
1943 CLE AL 79 215 22 47 6 2 1 19 1 18 29 0.219 .255 (-15%) .324 (-13%) .346 (-19%) .671 (-16%) -615.9
1944 CLE AL 88 282 23 63 13 3 1 24 2 15 35 0.223 .261 (-15%) .325 (-18%) .357 (-16%) .683 (-17%) -900.9
1946 CLE AL 9 21 0 6 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0.286 — — — — 0.0
1947 SLA AL 39 47 10 16 4 0 0 2 0 6 8 0.340 — — — — 157.8

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
2B 166 0 356 411 27 97
3B 111 0 99 202 35 19
OF 4 0 5 0 0 0
SS 117 0 154 223 28 43

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1936 PHA 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1936 PHA 3B 10 0 7 29 3 3
1936 PHA OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1936 PHA SS 25 0 44 53 11 12
1937 PHA 2B 70 0 138 170 11 34
1937 PHA 3B 31 0 37 54 13 2
1937 PHA SS 13 0 16 42 5 3
1938 PHA SS 2 0 3 2 2 0
1940 CLE 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1940 CLE 2B 9 0 24 23 4 7
1940 CLE 3B 6 0 3 16 4 1
1940 CLE SS 6 0 4 5 0 0
1941 CLE 2B 3 0 4 2 1 2
1941 CLE 3B 9 0 9 15 4 2
1941 CLE SS 11 0 13 28 5 5
1942 CLE 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1942 CLE 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1942 CLE SS 24 0 21 46 4 8
1943 CLE 2B 6 0 5 6 0 1
1943 CLE 3B 46 0 39 76 11 9
1943 CLE OF 2 0 5 0 0 0
1943 CLE SS 14 0 17 16 0 7
1944 CLE 2B 63 0 151 181 8 45
1944 CLE 3B 8 0 4 12 0 2
1944 CLE SS 13 0 25 16 1 5
1946 CLE SS 7 0 11 13 0 3
1947 SLA 2B 13 0 34 29 3 8
1947 SLA SS 2 0 0 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1
Second Base 165
Third Base 111
Shortstop 119
Left Field 4

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Washington and Lee University Lexington VA 1934