Pee Wee Reese, baseball player, 126 home runs, 1940-1958

Pee Wee Reese

⭐ Hall of Fame 1984

Born: 7/23/1918 in Ekron, KY, USA

Died: 8/14/1999 in Louisville, KY, USA

MLB Debut: 1940-04-23 | Final Game: 1958-09-26

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 160 lbs

Full name: Harold Henry Reese

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Biography

Pee Wee Reese, born in 1918, was a prominent shortstop in Major League Baseball, known for his exceptional defensive skills and leadership on the field. His professional career spanned from 1940 to 1958, during which he played a remarkable 2,166 games. Reese amassed a total of 2,170 hits, 126 home runs, and 885 RBIs, concluding his career with a batting average of .269. He was also known for his speed on the bases, recording 232 stolen bases throughout his tenure in the league. A ten-time All-Star, Reese was an integral part of the Brooklyn Dodgers during the team's most successful years, including their first World Series championship in 1955. His ability to connect with fans and teammates alike made him a beloved figure in baseball, particularly as he played during the integration of the sport, standing alongside Jackie Robinson and helping to pave the way for future generations of players. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the game, Reese was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, solidifying his legacy as one of the great shortstops of his era.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2166 8058 1338 2170 330 80 126 885 232 1210 890 0.269 0.366 0.377 0.743 9266.3

Career AVG .269 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .366 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +9.8% above league average.

Career SLG .377 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.743 vs. league average 0.715 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
1940 BRO NL 84 312 58 85 8 4 5 28 15 45 42 0.272 .267 (+2%) .335 (+9%) .387 (-4%) .722 (+2%) 244.5
1941 BRO NL 152 595 76 136 23 5 2 46 10 68 56 0.229 .262 (-13%) .332 (-7%) .373 (-21%) .705 (-14%) -1616.6
1942 BRO NL 151 564 87 144 24 5 3 53 15 82 55 0.255 .253 (+1%) .323 (+8%) .349 (-5%) .672 (+1%) 365.9
1946 BRO NL 152 542 79 154 16 10 5 60 10 87 71 0.284 .256 (+11%) .328 (+17%) .358 (+6%) .687 (+11%) 1456.7
1947 BRO NL 142 476 81 135 24 4 12 73 7 104 67 0.284 .262 (+8%) .336 (+23%) .376 (+13%) .712 (+18%) 2175.8
1948 BRO NL 151 566 96 155 31 4 9 75 25 79 63 0.274 .263 (+4%) .340 (+7%) .379 (+3%) .719 (+5%) 660.5
1949 BRO NL 155 617 132 172 27 3 16 73 26 116 59 0.279 .262 (+6%) .343 (+15%) .384 (+7%) .727 (+11%) 1797.2
1950 BRO NL 141 531 97 138 21 5 11 52 17 91 62 0.260 .265 (-2%) .346 (+7%) .401 (-5%) .747 (avg) 233.5
1951 BRO NL 154 616 94 176 20 8 10 84 20 81 57 0.286 .260 (+10%) .336 (+10%) .385 (+2%) .721 (+6%) 894.8
1952 BRO NL 149 559 94 152 18 8 6 58 30 86 59 0.272 .252 (+8%) .326 (+13%) .369 (-1%) .696 (+5%) 848.1
1953 BRO NL 140 524 108 142 25 7 13 61 22 82 61 0.271 .264 (+3%) .335 (+11%) .397 (+6%) .733 (+8%) 1073.8
1954 BRO NL 141 554 98 171 35 8 10 69 8 90 62 0.309 .261 (+18%) .333 (+21%) .390 (+17%) .723 (+19%) 2376.6
1955 BRO NL 145 553 99 156 29 4 10 61 8 78 60 0.282 .258 (+9%) .332 (+12%) .393 (+2%) .726 (+7%) 933.8
1956 BRO NL 147 572 85 147 19 2 9 46 13 56 69 0.257 .258 (avg) .331 (-3%) .397 (-13%) .728 (-9%) -947.5
1957 BRO NL 103 330 33 74 3 1 1 29 5 39 32 0.224 .257 (-13%) .323 (-5%) .391 (-36%) .715 (-22%) -1258.3
1958 LAD NL 59 147 21 33 7 2 4 17 1 26 15 0.224 .257 (-13%) .324 (+4%) .394 (-3%) .719 (avg) 27.5

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
44 169 20 46 3 2 2 16 18 17 0.272

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1956 WS BRO 7 27 3 6 0 1 0 2 2 6 0.222
1955 WS BRO 7 27 5 8 1 0 0 2 3 5 0.296
1953 WS BRO 6 24 0 5 0 1 0 0 4 1 0.208
1952 WS BRO 7 29 4 10 0 0 1 4 2 2 0.345
1949 WS BRO 5 19 2 6 1 0 1 2 1 0 0.316
1947 WS BRO 7 23 5 7 1 0 0 4 6 3 0.304
1941 WS BRO 5 20 1 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 0.200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 115 90 84 240 19 9
SS 2014 456 4040 5891 388 1246

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1940 BRO SS 83 0 190 238 18 41
1941 BRO SS 151 0 346 473 47 76
1942 BRO SS 151 0 337 482 35 99
1946 BRO SS 152 0 285 463 26 104
1947 BRO SS 142 0 266 441 25 99
1948 BRO SS 149 0 335 453 31 93
1949 BRO SS 155 0 316 454 18 93
1950 BRO 3B 7 0 9 16 0 1
1950 BRO SS 134 0 282 398 26 94
1951 BRO SS 154 0 292 422 35 106
1952 BRO SS 145 0 282 376 21 89
1953 BRO SS 135 0 265 380 23 83
1954 BRO SS 140 140 270 426 25 74
1955 BRO SS 142 142 239 404 23 86
1956 BRO 3B 12 9 6 21 2 1
1956 BRO SS 136 135 263 367 23 79
1957 BRO 3B 75 62 51 166 13 5
1957 BRO SS 23 20 46 62 6 16
1958 LAN 3B 21 19 18 37 4 2
1958 LAN SS 22 19 26 52 6 14

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Third Base 115
Shortstop 2013

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1956 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1953 TSN All-Star SS
1949 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1947 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1946 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS

Featured In Rankings

#19
Top 20 Shortstops in MLB Baseball History
Ranked 19 of 20
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Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1956 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 71.0 336 3
1955 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 36.0 336 1
1954 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 53.0 336 0
1953 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 27.0 336 0
1952 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 29.0 336 0
1951 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 15.0 336 0
1950 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 8.0 336 0
1949 Most Valuable Player NL 5th 118.0 336 2
1948 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 60.0 336 0
1947 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 80.0 336 2
1946 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 79.0 336 0
1942 Most Valuable Player NL 25th 6.0 336 0
1940 Most Valuable Player NL 26th 6.0 336 0