Muddy Ruel, baseball player, 1915-1934

Muddy Ruel

Born: 2/20/1896 in St. Louis, MO, USA

Died: 11/13/1963 in Palo Alto, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1915-05-29 | Final Game: 1934-08-25

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 150 lbs

Full name: Herold Dominic Ruel

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Biography

Muddy Ruel was a professional baseball player whose career spanned nearly two decades from 1915 to 1934. Born in 1896, Ruel was primarily recognized as a position player, though he made notable contributions behind the plate as a catcher. Over the course of his career, he played in 1,468 games, amassing 1,242 hits and posting a respectable batting average of .275. Ruel's offensive contributions included 534 runs batted in and 4 home runs, while he also showcased his speed on the basepaths with 61 stolen bases. Ruel's playing style was characterized by his solid defensive skills and ability to manage pitchers, which were essential traits during his era, a time when the game was transitioning from the deadball era into a more offensive-minded approach. His longevity and consistency in the league reflected his importance to the teams he played for, including the Washington Senators and the New York Yankees, among others. Ruel's career achievements and adaptability in a changing baseball landscape solidified his legacy as a reliable player during a pivotal time in the history of the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1468 4514 494 1242 187 29 4 534 61 606 238 0.275 0.365 0.332 0.697 -1825.2

Career AVG .275 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .365 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — +7.6% above league average.

Career SLG .332 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — 13.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.697 vs. league average 0.722 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
1915 SLA AL 10 14 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 5 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1917 NYY AL 6 17 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 0.118 — — — — 0.0
1918 NYY AL 3 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1919 NYY AL 79 233 18 56 6 0 0 31 4 34 26 0.240 .262 (-8%) .322 (+5%) .347 (-24%) .670 (-10%) -234.4
1920 NYY AL 82 261 30 70 14 1 1 15 4 15 18 0.268 .271 (-1%) .331 (-6%) .363 (-6%) .694 (-6%) -314.5
1921 BOS AL 113 358 41 99 21 1 1 45 2 41 15 0.277 .286 (-3%) .344 (+2%) .395 (-12%) .739 (-5%) -256.9
1922 BOS AL 116 361 34 92 15 1 0 28 4 41 26 0.255 .285 (-11%) .345 (-4%) .397 (-24%) .743 (-15%) -945.2
1923 WSN AL 136 449 63 142 24 3 0 54 4 55 21 0.316 .282 (+12%) .344 (+14%) .390 (-2%) .734 (+6%) 753.9
1924 WSN AL 149 501 50 142 20 2 0 57 7 62 20 0.283 .283 (avg) .345 (+7%) .389 (-15%) .734 (-5%) -187.5
1925 WSN AL 127 393 55 122 9 2 0 54 4 63 16 0.310 .288 (+8%) .349 (+18%) .407 (-16%) .756 (avg) 360.9
1926 WSN AL 117 368 42 110 22 4 1 53 7 61 14 0.299 .279 (+7%) .345 (+16%) .390 (avg) .735 (+7%) 772.5
1927 WSN AL 131 428 61 132 16 5 1 52 9 63 18 0.308 .282 (+9%) .344 (+17%) .392 (-4%) .736 (+6%) 812.3
1928 WSN AL 108 350 31 90 18 2 0 55 12 44 14 0.257 .280 (-8%) .342 (avg) .395 (-19%) .737 (-10%) -594.1
1929 WSN AL 69 188 16 46 4 2 0 20 0 31 7 0.245 .289 (-15%) .353 (-1%) .415 (-31%) .769 (-17%) -513.7
1930 WSN AL 66 198 18 50 3 4 0 26 1 24 13 0.253 .293 (-14%) .354 (-3%) .429 (-28%) .784 (-17%) -585.6
1931 BOS AL 33 83 6 25 5 0 0 6 0 9 6 0.301 .276 (+9%) .338 (+9%) .388 (-7%) .726 (+1%) 34.0
1931 DET AL 14 50 1 6 1 0 0 3 0 5 1 0.120 .276 (-57%) .338 (-41%) .388 (-64%) .726 (-53%) 34.0
1932 DET AL 51 136 10 32 4 2 0 18 1 17 6 0.235 .275 (-14%) .335 (-4%) .391 (-25%) .726 (-15%) -335.3
1933 SLA AL 36 63 13 12 2 0 0 8 0 24 4 0.190 .270 (-29%) .329 (+25%) .377 (-41%) .707 (-10%) 40.9
1934 CHW AL 22 57 4 12 3 0 0 7 0 8 5 0.211 .278 (-24%) .340 (-10%) .392 (-33%) .733 (-22%) -197.5

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
14 40 2 8 2 0 0 1 9 3 0.200

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1925 WS WS1 7 19 0 6 1 0 0 1 3 2 0.316
1924 WS WS1 7 21 2 2 1 0 0 0 6 1 0.095

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 3 0 21 2 1 2
C 1410 0 5347 1136 116 135

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1915 SLA C 6 0 20 3 1 0
1917 NYA C 6 0 23 6 0 0
1918 NYA C 2 0 8 2 0 0
1919 NYA C 79 0 340 90 11 6
1920 NYA C 80 0 317 62 6 2
1921 BOS C 109 0 375 86 11 7
1922 BOS C 112 0 359 96 10 17
1923 WS1 C 133 0 528 146 14 14
1924 WS1 C 147 0 612 112 15 23
1925 WS1 1B 1 0 2 0 0 1
1925 WS1 C 126 0 491 103 11 18
1926 WS1 C 117 0 452 81 6 13
1927 WS1 C 128 0 495 100 7 8
1928 WS1 1B 2 0 19 2 1 1
1928 WS1 C 101 0 397 73 5 5
1929 WS1 C 62 0 247 52 3 6
1930 WS1 C 60 0 243 32 4 5
1931 BOS C 30 0 83 21 6 2
1931 DET C 14 0 60 17 2 2
1932 DET C 49 0 150 25 2 3
1933 SLA C 28 0 72 21 0 3
1934 CHA C 21 0 75 8 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1409
First Base 3

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1927 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1926 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1925 Baseball Magazine All-Star C1
1925 Baseball Magazine All-Star C1

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1927 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 15.0 64 0
1924 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 7.0 64 0
1923 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 7.0 64 0