Ralph "Red" Kress (January 2, 1905 – November 29, 1962) was an American

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system u ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the major ...

and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

. From through , he played for the St. Louis Browns (1927–1932; 1938–1939), Chicago White Sox (1932–1934), Washington Senators (1934–1936),

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

(1939–1940) and

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

(1946). Kress batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Columbia, California.

Playing career

Throughout his Major League career, Kress was known for his good disposition and perpetual motion. Although he played mostly at

, he showed his versatility playing every position but

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...

and center fielder. Kress broke in the majors with the Browns in the 1927 season. In 1929 he led

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

shortstops in fielding percentage (.946) and double plays (94), and during three consecutive seasons he batted over .300 with over 100

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

: .305 with 107 in 1929, .313 with 112 in 1930, and .311 with 114 in 1931, including a 22-game hitting-streak in 1930. Despite his efforts, in 1932 he was traded by St. Louis to the White Sox. The White Sox had Luke Appling at shortstop, so Kress assumed a role as a utilityman. In the 1934 midseason, he was sent by Chicago to the Washington Senators, who had manager Joe Cronin at shortstop. Kress played in seven different positions, until Bucky Harris released him in 1936. Kress spent 1937 with the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association, hitting .330 and leading the league shortstops in total chances. He was reacquired by the Browns before the 1938 season. Again at shortstop, he responded with a .302 average and leading American League shortstops in fielding (.965). Traded to the Detroit Tigers in 1939, he broke his leg during the season. In 1940, the

champion Tigers released the hard-luck Kress on August 1, but he remained with Detroit as a coach through the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 World Series, 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The ...

, then in 1941 continued his career in the American Association as player-manager of the St. Paul Saints of the American Association. During his minor league days with the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Divi ...

, Kress played a nine-inning game at nine different positions. While playing against the Montreal Royals in 1945, he pitched a no-hit, no run game for eight one-third innings. But he lost in the ninth, 1–0, on a hit, walk and

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistic ...

. In 1946, Kress returned to the Majors when he signed with the New York Giants under manager

Mel Ott Melvin Thomas Ott (March 2, 1909 – November 21, 1958), nicknamed "Master Melvin", was an American professional baseball right fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Giants, from through . He batted left-handed a ...

as a player-coach. It was his last year as an active player. In a 14-season MLB career, Kress was a .286 hitter with 1,454 hits, 298 doubles, 58

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

, 89

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

s, 691 runs, 799 RBI, 47 stolen bases and 474 walks in 1,391

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Baseball ...

. As a shortstop, Kress recorded a .944 fielding percentage as a result of 1761 putouts, 2357 assists, and 243 errors in 4361 chances, and also made 558 double plays. Overall, he recorded a .953 fielding percentage.

Coaching career

Kress continued as a full-time Giants' coach under Ott and Leo Durocher through 1949. He was a member of the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

' coaching staff for eight years (1953–1960), and then the Los Angeles Angels in their maiden AL season (1961). In addition to the Saints, he also managed minor league clubs such as the Sacramento Solons and Indios de Ciudad Juárez. Kress returned to New York City, this time to coach for the first-year Mets under Casey Stengel. The team lost 120 games, the most defeats by a Major League team in a single season since the 19th century. Almost two months after the season was over, Kress died from a heart attack in Los Angeles, at 57 years of age.

References

External links

Red Kress
- Baseballbiography.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kress, Red 1905 births 1962 deaths American Association (1902–1997) MVP Award winners American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Chicago White Sox players Cleveland Indians coaches Detroit Tigers coaches Detroit Tigers players El Centro Imperials players Indios de Ciudad Juárez (minor league) players Los Angeles Angels coaches Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Major League Baseball third base coaches Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players New York Giants (NL) coaches New York Giants (NL) players New York Mets coaches People from Columbia, California Sacramento Solons managers St. Louis Browns players St. Paul Saints (AA) managers St. Paul Saints (AA) players Superior Blues players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players