Rick Ferrell (1984)


Date of Birth: 10/12/1905
Date of Death: 7/27/1995
Birthplace: Durham, North Carolina
College: Guilford College

Rick Ferrell came from a baseball family, with one brother who also played major league baseball and another brother who played in the minor leagues. He was first signed by the Detroit Tigers in 1926, but he never played with them.

In 1927 and 1928, Ferrell played in the American Association. He became a free agent on November 8, 1928, and three days later, he signed with the St. Louis Browns.

St. Louis Browns (Baltimore Orioles)

Ferrell was the backup catcher for the Browns in 1929. He played in 64 games with them and he batted .229 with 33 hits. The following season, he became the starting catcher. He finished the 1930 season with 84 hits, 18 doubles, 41 RBIs, and a .268 batting average in 101 games.

Ferrell had a good season in 1931, batting .306 in 117 games. He had 118 hits, 30 doubles, and 57 RBIs. He played well defensively, leading all AL catchers in assists with 86.

Ferrell had a career high batting average of .315 in 1932. He had 138 hits, 30 doubles, 65 RBIs, and 66 walks to just 18 strikeouts in 126 games.

Boston Red Sox

On May 9, 1933, Ferrell was traded to the Boston Red Sox. That season, he had career highs in hits (143) and RBIs (77). He batted .290 in 22 games with the Browns and 118 games with the Red Sox. He again led AL catchers in assists with 92.

Ferrell batted .297 in 132 games in 1934. He had 130 hits, 29 doubles, 48 RBIs, and 20 strikeouts to 66 walks. He led AL catchers in putouts with 531.

Ferrell had a career high 34 doubles in 1935. He batted .301 with 138 hits and 61 RBIs in 133 games. He led all AL catchers in caught stealing percentage with an impressive 60%. The following season, his batting average went up to .312. He finished the 1936 season with 128 hits, 27 doubles, and 55 RBIs in 121 games. He played well defensively, leading AL catchers in putouts with 556.

Washington Senators (Minnesota Twins)

Ferrell was traded to the Washington Senators on June 11, 1937. He struggled offensively that season, batting just .244 in 18 games with the Red Sox and 86 games with the Senators. He played much better in 1938, when he batted .292 in 135 games. He finished that season with 120 hits, 24 doubles, and 58 RBIs. He had a career high 75 walks to just 17 strikeouts.

Ferrell played in just 87 games in 1939, and he batted .281. He had another good year defensively, leading AL catchers in caught stealing percentage with 58%. The following season, he batted .273 with 89 hits in 103 games.

Return to St. Louis Browns

Ferrell was traded again in 1941, this time back to the St. Louis Browns. He finished the season with 99 hits, 19 doubles, 36 RBIs, and a .256 batting average in 21 games with the Senators and 100 games with the Browns.

Ferrell played in 99 games in 1942, and he batted .223 with 61 hits. The following year, he played in just 74 games. He batted .239 with 50 hits in 1943.

Return to the Washington Senators

Ferrell was traded back to the Senators on March 1, 1944. He batted .277 that season in 99 games. The following year, he batted .266 in 91 games.

Ferrell retired after the 1945 season. He spent the 1946 season as a coach with the Senators. In 1947, he played again with them, ending his major league career after 37 games that season. The Senators officially released him on December 29, 1947.

Career Statistics

Career batting statistics for Ferrell include:

  • 1,884 games played
  • 1,692 hits
  • 324 doubles
  • 734 RBIs
  • 277 strikeouts to 931 walks
  • .281 batting average
  • .378 on-base percentage
  • .741 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Ferrell as a catcher include:

  • 1,806 games played
  • 135 errors
  • 1,127 assists
  • 7,248 putouts
  • .984 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After he retired as a major league player, Ferrell was a coach for the Washington Senators. Later, he moved to the Detroit Tigers and served, at various times, as a coach, scout, general manager, and executive consultant.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Rick Ferrell
ESPN - Rick Ferrell
Baseball Reference - Rick Ferrell

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