Ray Murray

Raymond Lee Murray
(Deacon)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 204 lb.

• Debut April 25, 1948
• Final Game September 25, 1954
• Born October 12, 1917 in Spring Hope, NC USA
• Died April 9, 2003 in Fort Worth, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Catcher Ray Murray was in the major leagues with three American League teams in 1948 and 1950-1954. He got by far the most plate appearances with the Philadelphia Athletics and was the regular catcher for them in 1953.

Ray debuted in the minor leagues in 1940. He had the highest batting average of the regulars on the 1941 Tarboro Orioles, but then missed the 1942-1945 seasons due to military service. Coming back from the war, he got into four games in 1948 with the Cleveland Indians (who went on to win the pennant), but spent most of 1946 to 1949 with the Oklahoma City Indians, impressing in 1949 when he hit .319 with 16 home runs and 44 doubles. At that point he was already 31 years old.

He was up in the majors in 1950-1954, getting 153 plate appearances in 1950, 139 in 1951, 146 in 1952, 289 in 1953 and 64 in 1954. During the 1951 season he was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics in a three-team trade that brought Minnie Minoso to the Chicago White Sox. In Ray's best year with the bat, 1953 at age 35, he hit .284 and slugged .425, both well above the team averages. He was however, sold to the Baltimore Orioles before the start of the 1954 season. After that season he was sold to the New York Giants but did not appear in the majors with them.

He continued to play in the minors until 1962, mostly as a player-manager. With the Dallas Eagles in 1955, he hit 25 home runs with a .329 batting average. With the 1958 Corpus Christi Giants he hit 19 home runs with a .357 batting average in 93 games at age 40.

Murray finished the 1957 season as manager of the Springfield Giants, taking over from Mike McCormick. He then managed the Giants' entries in the Texas League from 1958 to 1961: the Corpus Christi Giants in 1958 and 1959, and then the Rio Grande Valley Giants in 1960 and 1961, until July 10th, when the team again moved, becoming the Victoria Giants for the remainder of the season.

After his time in baseball was over, he became a deputy sheriff in Tarrant County, Texas.

Notable Achievements

• 1955 Player of the Year Texas League Dallas Eagles

Related Sites

• Ray Murray at the SABR Bio Project