Ray Berres

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Raymond Frederick (Ray) Berres (born August 31, 1907 in Kenosha, Wisconsin) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1934, 1936), Pittsburgh Pirates (1937-1940[start]), Boston Bees (1940[end]), Boston Braves (1941) and New York Giants (1942-1945). He batted and threw right handed.

In an 11-season career, Berres was a .216 hitter with three home runs and 78 RBI in 561 games played.

Berres was a 5'9" 170-lb, light-hitting catcher who, thanks to his fine glove, managed to play in 11 major league seasons for five National League teams, usually in a backup role. He provided fine catching, quality game calling, and a respectable throwing arm. Drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers from the Birmingham Barons (Southern Association) in the 1933 rule V draft, he debuted with Brooklyn in 1934. His most productive season came in 1936, when he posted career-highs in batting average (.240), hits (64) and doubles (10). The Pittsburgh Pirates, short of catching, signed him a year later.

Before the 1940 season, Berres was traded by Pittsburgh to the Boston Bees in exchange for future Hall of Famer Al Lopez. He played in part of two seasons with the Boston franchise, including their first year as the Braves in 1941, when he appeared in a career-high 120 games while hitting .201(56-for-279). Finishing his career with the New York Giants in 1945, he coached for the Chicago White Sox for more than two decades.

As of October 2006, Berres (99) is recognized as the second-oldest living major league ballplayer behind Rollie Stiles (born in 1906).