Ray Schalk, baseball player, 1912-1929

Ray Schalk

⭐ Hall of Fame 1955

Born: 8/12/1892 in Harvel, IL, USA

Died: 5/19/1970 in Chicago, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1912-08-11 | Final Game: 1929-09-15

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Ray William Schalk

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Biography

Ray Schalk was a distinguished American professional baseball player, born in 1892, who made significant contributions to the game during his career from 1912 to 1929. Primarily known for his exceptional skills as a catcher, Schalk played a total of 1,762 games, amassing 1,345 hits, 11 home runs, and 594 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .253. His defensive prowess and strategic acumen behind the plate earned him a reputation as one of the finest catchers of his time, solidifying his legacy in the sport. Schalk's career unfolded during a transformative era in baseball, marked by the transition from the deadball era to the more offensive-minded styles of the 1920s. He was known for his speed on the bases, stealing a remarkable 177 bases throughout his career, which was an impressive feat for a catcher. His contributions to the game were formally recognized when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955, a testament to his enduring impact on the sport and his pivotal role in the evolution of catching techniques and strategies in Major League Baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1762 5306 579 1345 199 49 11 594 177 638 358 0.253 0.340 0.316 0.656 -2882.4

Career AVG .253 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — 6.8% below league average.

Career OBP .340 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .316 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 14.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.656 vs. league average 0.707 across their career seasons — 7.2% 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
1912 CHW AL 23 63 7 18 2 0 0 8 2 3 3 0.286 .268 (+6%) .335 (+6%) .358 (-11%) .694 (-3%) -1.4
1913 CHW AL 129 401 38 98 15 5 1 38 14 27 36 0.244 .259 (-6%) .325 (-9%) .345 (-9%) .670 (-9%) -725.3
1914 CHW AL 136 392 30 106 13 2 0 36 24 38 24 0.270 .255 (+6%) .322 (+8%) .339 (-7%) .661 (avg) 153.1
1915 CHW AL 135 413 46 110 14 4 1 54 15 62 21 0.266 .250 (+6%) .318 (+15%) .332 (-2%) .651 (+6%) 772.3
1916 CHW AL 129 410 36 95 12 9 0 41 30 41 31 0.232 .248 (-7%) .314 (-1%) .326 (-7%) .640 (-4%) -249.6
1917 CHW AL 140 424 48 96 12 5 2 51 19 59 27 0.226 .248 (-9%) .312 (+6%) .323 (-10%) .635 (-2%) 91.0
1918 CHW AL 108 333 35 73 6 3 0 22 12 36 22 0.219 .255 (-14%) .318 (-6%) .326 (-22%) .645 (-14%) -717.4
1919 CHW AL 131 394 57 111 9 3 0 34 11 51 25 0.282 .262 (+7%) .322 (+14%) .347 (-8%) .670 (+2%) 433.9
1920 CHW AL 151 485 64 131 25 5 1 61 10 68 19 0.270 .271 (-1%) .331 (+9%) .363 (-4%) .694 (+2%) 446.8
1921 CHW AL 128 416 32 105 24 4 0 47 3 40 36 0.252 .286 (-12%) .344 (-5%) .395 (-17%) .739 (-11%) -863.4
1922 CHW AL 142 442 57 124 22 3 4 60 12 67 36 0.281 .285 (-2%) .345 (+10%) .397 (-7%) .743 (+1%) 334.5
1923 CHW AL 123 382 42 87 12 2 1 44 7 39 28 0.228 .282 (-20%) .344 (-11%) .390 (-29%) .734 (-21%) -1493.9
1924 CHW AL 57 153 15 30 4 2 1 11 1 21 10 0.196 .283 (-31%) .345 (-13%) .389 (-31%) .734 (-23%) -586.6
1925 CHW AL 125 343 44 94 18 1 0 52 11 57 27 0.274 .288 (-5%) .349 (+9%) .407 (-18%) .756 (-6%) -140.2
1926 CHW AL 82 226 26 60 9 1 0 32 5 27 11 0.265 .279 (-5%) .345 (+1%) .390 (-19%) .735 (-10%) -336.1
1927 CHW AL 16 26 2 6 2 0 0 2 0 2 1 0.231 — — — — 0.0
1928 CHW AL 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1929 NY1 NL 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
14 42 2 12 0 0 0 2 6 3 0.286

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1919 WS CHA 8 23 1 7 0 0 0 2 4 2 0.304
1917 WS CHA 6 19 1 5 0 0 0 0 2 1 0.263

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
C 1727 0 7168 1811 175 226

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1912 CHA C 23 0 115 40 14 4
1913 CHA C 125 0 599 154 15 18
1914 CHA C 125 0 613 183 21 20
1915 CHA C 134 0 655 159 13 8
1916 CHA C 124 0 653 166 10 25
1917 CHA C 139 0 624 148 15 18
1918 CHA C 106 0 422 114 12 15
1919 CHA C 129 0 551 130 13 14
1920 CHA C 151 0 581 138 10 19
1921 CHA C 126 0 453 129 9 19
1922 CHA C 142 0 591 150 8 16
1923 CHA C 121 0 481 93 10 20
1924 CHA C 56 0 176 55 10 8
1925 CHA C 125 0 368 99 8 15
1926 CHA C 80 0 251 45 7 6
1927 CHA C 15 0 24 8 0 1
1928 CHA C 1 0 4 0 0 0
1929 NY1 C 5 0 7 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1727

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1917 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1916 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1916 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1915 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1914 Baseball Magazine All-Star C2

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1925 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 7.0 64 0
1922 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 26.0 64 0
1914 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 13.0 64 0
1913 Most Valuable Player AL 20th 3.0 64 0