Pee Wee Reese (1984)


Date of Birth: 7/23/1918
Date of Death: 8/14/1999
Birthplace: Ekron, Kentucky

Pee Wee Reese didn't play baseball until his senior year of high school, and he only played in six games there. After high school, he played amateur baseball for a church league. In 1938, he joined his first professional team, the Louisville Colonels of the American Association. He was acquired by the Boston Red Sox prior to the 1939 baseball season, and he was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers in July of that year.

Brooklyn Dodgers

Reese made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 1940. However, he was injured that year and ended up playing in only 84 games. He batted .272 with 85 hits. The following season, his first full one in the major leagues, he played in 152 games and he batted .229 with 136 hits and 23 doubles. As the Dodgers' shortstop, he led the NL in putouts wtih 346.

Reese had a strong defensive season in 1942, leading all NL shortstops in assists with 482, double plays with 99, and putouts with 337. Offensively, he batted .255 with 144 hits, 24 doubles, and 53 RBIs in 151 games. He struck out 55 times and walked 82 times.

From 1943 through 1945, Reese served in the US navy. When he returned to the Dodgers in 1946, he had a strong season, batting .284 with 154 hits in 152 games. The next year, he led the NL in walks with 104 walks to only 67 strikeouts. That season he again batted .284 with 135 hits, 24 doubles, and 73 RBIs in 142 games.

Reese again played well defensively in 1948, leading all NL shortstops in double plays with 93 and putouts with 335. Offensively, he batted .274 with 155 hits, 31 doubles, 25 stolen bases, and 75 RBIs in 151 games.

Reese played in a career high 155 games in 1949. He finished the season with 172 hits, 27 doubles, a career high 16 home runs, 73 RBIs, 26 stolen bases, and a .279 batting average. He walked a career high 116 times and struck out 59 times. As the Dodgers' shortstop, he led the NL in putouts with 316.

In 1951, Reese had career highs in hits (176) and RBIs (84). He batted .286 in 154 games. The following season, he led the NL in stolen bases with a career high of 30. He finished the 1952 season with 152 hits, 18 doubles, 58 RBIs, and a .272 batting average. He walked 86 times and struck out 59 times.

Reese's best season came in 1954, when he batted a career high .309 with 171 hits, a career high 35 doubles, and 69 RBIs in 141 games. That was his only season with a batting average over .300.

Reese batted .282 in 145 games in 1955. He had 156 hits, 29 doubles, and 61 RBIs. The next year, his batting average dropped to .257. He finished the season with 147 hits, 19 doubles, and 46 RBIs in 147 games. He was awarded the Lou Gehrig Memorial award in 1956.

Reese batted just .224 in 103 games in 1957. In 1958, his last season in the major leagues, he became a backup infielder and he played in only 59 games that season.

Career Statistics

Statistics for Reese in 16 seasons (1940-1958) in the major leagues include:

  • 7 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 176 in 1951
  • 2 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 35 in 1954
  • 5 seasons with 20 or more stolen bases, with a high of 30 in 1952

Career batting statistics for Reese include:

  • 2,166 games played
  • 2,170 hits
  • 330 doubles
  • 885 RBIs
  • 232 stolen bases
  • 890 strikeouts to 1,210 walks
  • .269 batting average
  • .366 on-base percentage
  • .743 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Reese as a shortstop include:

  • 2,014 games played
  • 5,891 assists
  • 1,246 double plays
  • 4,040 putouts
  • 388 errors
  • .962 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Reese include:

  • 7 postseasons
  • 44 games played
  • 169 at-bats
  • 46 hits
  • 3 doubles
  • 2 triples
  • 2 home runs
  • 5 stolen bases
  • 16 RBIs
  • 17 strikeouts to 18 walks
  • .272 batting average

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a player, Reese became a TV network broadcaster, working for CBS (1960-1965) and NBC (1966-1968). He also was a broadcaster during the 1967 and 1968 World Series games.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Pee Wee Reese
ESPN - Pee Wee Reese
Baseball Reference - Pee Wee Reese

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