Raymond Ellis "Red" McKee (July 20, 1890 – August 5, 1972) was an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

. He played professional baseball for 21 years from 1908 to 1928, including four seasons in

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), ...

with the

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 ...

from 1913 to 1916. He appeared in 189 major league games and compiled a .254 batting average.

Early years

McKee was born in

Shawnee, Perry County, Ohio Shawnee is a village in Perry County, Ohio, United States. The population was 505 at the 2020 census. It is south of the county seat of New Lexington. History Shawnee had its start in 1872 when the railroad was extended to that point. The vill ...

, in 1890.

Professional baseball

McKee was drafted by the New York Highlanders from Indianapolis of the American Association. Two days later, the Highlanders traded McKee to the Tigers for Claud Derrick. From 1913 to 1916, McKee played in 189 games for the Detroit Tigers, 150 as a catcher and the rest as a pinch hitter. He had a career batting average of .254 and an on-base percentage of .339. In 1913, McKee had 237 putouts, 84 assists, and 5 double plays in only 62 games as a catcher. He signed his first professional baseball contract in early 1908 with Saginaw, Saginaw of the Southern Michigan League. He was a coal miner at the time he signed with Saginaw. Before the season started, he left Saginaw and played as a catcher for

Grayling Grayling or Greyling may refer to: Animals Fish * Grayling, generically, any fish of the genus ''Thymallus'' in the family Salmonidae ** European grayling (''Thymallus thymallus''), the European species of the genus ''Thymallus'' ** Arctic grayli ...

. He then moved on to Cheboygan where he alsoo worked in a paper mill. After a month in Cheboygan, he played for a club in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He also played during the 1908 season for clubs in

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the second-most populated ...

, and

Negaunee, Michigan Negaunee ( or ) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,568 at the 2010 census. The city is located at the southwest corner of Negaunee Township, which is administratively separate, in the Upper Peni ...

. He later played in the minor leagues for the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

(1910-1912), Springfield Reapers (1911-1912), San Francisco Seals (1917-1919), Saginaw Aces (1920-1921),

San Antonio Bears The San Antonio Bears were a minor league baseball team located in San Antonio, Texas. The Bears played in the Texas League from 1920 through 1928. Their home stadium was League Park. Season records Source: League leaders * 1920: Ed Brown – ...

(1922), Syracuse Stars (1923-1925),

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

(1925-1926), and

Memphis Chickasaws Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memphis ...

(1927-1928). He also managed the Saginaw Aces of the Michigan-Ontario League in 1920 and 1921.

Later years

McKee died in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

at age 82.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKee, Red 1890 births 1972 deaths Detroit Tigers players Major League Baseball catchers Baseball players from Ohio People from Shawnee, Perry County, Ohio Minor league baseball managers Indianapolis Indians players Springfield Reapers players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Saginaw Aces players San Antonio Bears players Syracuse Stars (minor league baseball) players London Tecumsehs (baseball) players Grand Rapids Homoners players Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Memphis Chickasaws players