Ray Berres
| Ray Berres | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Catcher | |||
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Born: August 31, 1907 Kenosha, Wisconsin | |||
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Died: February 1, 2007 (aged 99) Kenosha, Wisconsin | |||
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 24, 1934, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 30, 1945, for the New York Giants | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .216 | ||
| Home runs | 3 | ||
| Runs batted in | 78 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Raymond Frederick Berres (August 31, 1907 – February 1, 2007) was an American catcher and pitching coach in Major League Baseball who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1934, 1936), Pittsburgh Pirates (1937–40), Boston Bees/Braves (1940–41) and New York Giants (1942–45). He batted and threw right-handed.
Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Berres was a 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 170-lb, light-hitting catcher who, thanks to his fine glove, managed to play in 11 major league seasons for four National League teams, usually in a backup role. He provided fine catching, quality game-calling, and a respectable throwing arm. Drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers from the Birmingham Barons (Southern Association) in the 1933 Rule 5 draft, he debuted with Brooklyn in 1934, backing up Al López behind the plate.
He returned to the minor leagues in 1935, but became Brooklyn's starting catcher when Lopez was traded to Boston in December 1935. His most productive season came as a 1936 rookie, when he posted career highs in batting average (.240), hits (64) and doubles (10). The Pittsburgh Pirates, short of catching, signed him a year later.
Before the 1940 season, Berres was traded by Pittsburgh to the Boston Bees in exchange for Lopez. He played in part of two seasons with the Boston franchise, including their first year as the Braves in 1941, when he appeared in a career-high 120 games while hitting .201(56-for-279); he also led the NL in fielding percentage with a .995 mark. After backing up a series of Giants catchers for four seasons, he finished his career with that team in 1945. In an 11-season career, Berres was a .216 hitter with three home runs and 78 runs batted in in 561 games played.
He was the pitching coach for the Chicago White Sox for nearly two decades (1949 through 1966, then midseason of 1968 through 1969), primarily under manager Lopez, and was a member of the 1959 American League champions.
Berres died in his hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin from pneumonia at the age of 99. Berres was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Interview with Ray Berres
- Baseball Almanac
- Retrosheet
- Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers
- 1959 Chicago White Sox
- Ex-Sox pitching coach Berres dies
- Ray Berres at Find a Grave
| Preceded by Red Faber Marv Grissom |
Chicago White Sox pitching coach 1949–1966 1968–1969 |
Succeeded by Marv Grissom Hugh Mulcahy |