Johnny Ray

Born: 3/1/1957 in Chouteau, OK, USA

MLB Debut: 1981-09-02 | Final Game: 1990-09-30

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

Full name: John Cornelius Ray

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Biography

Johnny Ray, born in 1957, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1981 until his retirement on September 30, 1990. Over his 9-year career, Ray played in 1,353 games, establishing himself as a reliable hitter with a career batting average of .290. He accumulated 1,502 hits, including 53 home runs and 594 runs batted in, while also showcasing his speed on the base paths with 80 stolen bases. Ray's consistent performance earned him recognition as the TSN Rookie Player of the Year and a selection to the All-Star Game during his career. Ray's playing style was characterized by his ability to hit for average and his versatility on the field, making him a valuable asset to his teams. He played during a transformative era in baseball, where offense began to take a more prominent role in the game. His contributions on the field not only reflected his personal talent but also highlighted the increasing emphasis on offensive production in the late 20th century. Johnny Ray remains a respected figure in baseball history, remembered for his achievements and the impact he had during his playing days.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
742.0	637.0	111.0	161.0	12.0	6.0	3.0	30.0	85.0	5.0	9.0	0.253	0.350	0.305	0.655

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1937	72.0	60.0	15.0	26.0	0	2.0	0	6.0	9.0	0	3.0	0.433	0.521	0.500	1.021
1938	14.0	12.0	1.0	2.0	0	0	0	1.0	2.0	0	0	0.167	0.286	0.167	0.453
1939	118.0	102.0	22.0	23.0	4.0	1.0	0	4.0	14.0	4.0	3.0	0.225	0.331	0.284	0.615
1940	110.0	87.0	20.0	23.0	0	0	0	2.0	21.0	0	1.0	0.264	0.423	0.264	0.687
1941	38.0	31.0	5.0	6.0	0	0	0	2.0	6.0	0	0	0.194	0.324	0.194	0.518
1942	25.0	23.0	3.0	4.0	0	0	0	0	2.0	0	0	0.174	0.240	0.174	0.414
1943	137.0	120.0	19.0	26.0	0	1.0	1.0	2.0	10.0	0	2.0	0.217	0.282	0.258	0.540
1944	139.0	123.0	17.0	28.0	4.0	0	0	7.0	13.0	1.0	0	0.228	0.312	0.260	0.572
1945	89.0	79.0	9.0	23.0	4.0	2.0	2.0	6.0	8.0	0	0	0.291	0.356	0.468	0.824

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1353	5188	604	1502	294	36	53	594	80	353	329	0.290	0.333	0.391	0.724	1007.1

Career AVG .290 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — +12.1% above league average.

Career OBP .333 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .391 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.724 vs. league average 0.711 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
1981	PIT	NL	31	102	10	25	11	0	0	6	0	6	9	0.245	.255 (-4%)	.320 (-11%)	.368 (-4%)	.688 (-7%)	-156.6
1982	PIT	NL	162	647	79	182	30	7	7	63	16	36	34	0.281	.261 (+8%)	.324 (-2%)	.388 (-2%)	.712 (-2%)	-362.2
1983	PIT	NL	151	576	68	163	38	7	5	53	18	35	26	0.283	.260 (+8%)	.324 (-1%)	.389 (+3%)	.714 (+1%)	8.4
1984	PIT	NL	155	555	75	173	38	6	6	67	11	37	31	0.312	.259 (+20%)	.322 (+10%)	.384 (+13%)	.707 (+11%)	1180.8
1985	PIT	NL	154	594	67	163	33	3	7	70	13	46	24	0.274	.257 (+7%)	.323 (avg)	.390 (-4%)	.714 (-2%)	-280.0
1986	PIT	NL	155	579	67	174	33	0	7	78	6	58	47	0.301	.257 (+17%)	.325 (+11%)	.395 (avg)	.720 (+5%)	713.1
1987	PIT	NL	123	472	48	129	19	3	5	54	4	41	36	0.273	.262 (+4%)	.331 (-1%)	.415 (-14%)	.746 (-8%)	-744.5
1987	LAA	AL	30	127	16	44	11	0	0	15	0	3	10	0.346	.262 (+32%)	.331 (+8%)	.415 (+4%)	.746 (+6%)	-744.5
1988	LAA	AL	153	602	75	184	42	7	6	83	4	36	38	0.306	.254 (+20%)	.317 (+8%)	.377 (+13%)	.695 (+11%)	1160.9
1989	LAA	AL	134	530	52	153	16	3	5	62	6	36	30	0.289	.254 (+14%)	.319 (+2%)	.375 (-4%)	.694 (-1%)	-210.7
1990	LAA	AL	105	404	47	112	23	0	5	43	2	19	44	0.277	.257 (+8%)	.324 (-5%)	.385 (-4%)	.710 (-4%)	-410.5

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2B	1277	1219	2682	3836	118	828
OF	40	41	75	0	5	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1981	PIT	2B	31	25	52	96	2	22
1982	PIT	2B	162	162	381	512	21	89
1983	PIT	2B	151	138	319	452	13	102
1984	PIT	2B	149	134	331	400	12	90
1985	PIT	2B	151	145	305	423	18	89
1986	PIT	2B	151	144	280	479	5	89
1987	PIT	2B	119	115	248	358	12	84
1987	CAL	2B	29	29	52	90	2	19
1988	CAL	2B	104	102	194	328	15	64
1988	CAL	OF	40	41	75	0	5	0
1989	CAL	2B	130	130	279	403	11	98
1990	CAL	2B	100	95	241	295	7	82

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Second Base	1277
Left Field	40
Designated Hitter	8

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
1988	Player of the Week	Week of 1988-04-22
1988	TSN All-Star	2B
1986	Player of the Month	April
1986	Player of the Week	Week of 1986-04-11
1985	Player of the Week	Week of 1985-10-04
1984	Player of the Week	Week of 1984-08-10
1984	Player of the Week	Week of 1984-09-21
1983	Silver Slugger	2B
1982	TSN Rookie Player of the Year