| Johnny Ray | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born: (1957-03-01)March 1, 1957 (age 68) Chouteau, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: September 2, 1981, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| NPB: April 6, 1991, for the Yakult Swallows | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: September 30, 1990, for the California Angels | |
| NPB: July 16, 1992, for the Yakult Swallows | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .290 |
| Home runs | 53 |
| Runs batted in | 594 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .269 |
| Home runs | 13 |
| Runs batted in | 64 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Johnny Cornelius Ray (born March 1, 1957) is an American formersecond baseman andoutfielder inMajor League Baseball who had a 10-year career from 1981 to 1990. He played for thePittsburgh Pirates of theNational League and theCalifornia Angels of theAmerican League. He also played two seasons for theYakult Swallows in Japan in 1991 and 1992.
Ray played college baseball for theUniversity of Arkansas, finishing up in the 1979College World Series for the runner-up Razorbacks. Ray was selected by theHouston Astros in the 12th round of the amateur baseball draft. He was traded to the Pirates on August 31, 1981, along withRandy Niemann forPhil Garner.
Ray became the Pirates' starting second baseman. As a rookie in 1982 he played in every game and was named the Rookie of the Year byThe Sporting News, even though theBaseball Writers' Association of America selectedLos Angeles Dodgers second baseman Steve Sax as the Rookie of the Year.
Besides, Ray continued his productive hitting, leading the league in doubles in 1983 and 1984. He then won theSilver Slugger Award for second baseman in 1983, and finished fifth in the league in batting average in 1984. By that time, the switch-hitting Ray was consistently one of the most difficult batters to strike out.
The Pirates, going with a youth movement, traded Ray to the Angels on August 29, 1987, forMiguel García and minor league prospect Bill Merrifield. García had a brief career in the major leagues while Merrifield never made it out of the minor leagues. Meanwhile, after narrowly missing making the All-Star team during a couple of seasons, Ray was finally chosen to the American LeagueAll-Star team in 1988. Ray also played some games in left field.
After his career in the Major Leagues, Ray played for two seasons with theYakult Swallows in Japan. Since retiring, Ray returned to Chouteau, Oklahoma, where he was born, raised and still lives. As a mark of distinction, one roadside sign outside the eastern Oklahoma town reads "Chouteau, OK. Home of Johnny Ray."[1]
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,353 | 5,188 | 1,502 | 294 | 36 | 53 | 604 | 594 | 80 | 353 | 329 | .290 | .333 | .391 | .724 |
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