Buddy Ryan - OF
1908-11, 1914-18, 1920-23, 1925, 1935
Portland, Salt Lake, Sacramento

Ryan's Pacific Coast League Career average was .295. Not impressed? He held that mark over a 27 year career as both a player and a coach and 15 seasons in the PCL, all played during the dead ball era.

Born October 6, 1885 in Denver, Colorado,

Ryan had a PCL career that spanned from 1908 to 1925, with a single game appearance in his coaching days in 1935. He spent all but two years of pro days in the minors, with five seasons at Portland, four at Salt Lake, five at Sacramento, and one final at-bat in Portland.

He was predominantly an outfielder, although Portland played him both in the field and at 3rd base for his first two seasons.

His best year was in 1915 with Salt Lake when he had a.340 average on 193 games and 754 at-bats and 12 home runs. His best season for round-trips was in 1911, when he belted 23 out of the park. Stats on his RBI record are sketchy: Regular reporting doesn't start until 1921, when he had a (likely) career-high 90 RBIs.

Ryan had a modest, short, yet serviceable career in the major leagues. In 1912 he left the PCL to play for Cleveland where he had a .271 average in 93 games on 328 at-bats. His production wasn't much to write home about, with one homerun and just 31 RBIs. Still he played well enough when called upon to stay with the club for their
1913 season. His work for the Naps fell a notch under .300 at .296 in 73 games with 243 at-bats. No home runs and 32 RBI were not enough to impress even the lowly Naps. He was turned loose and returned to Portland for the 1914 season.

Cliff Blankenship's Salt Lake Bees began their franchise history in the PCL on March 31, 1915, at Salt Lake's Majestic Park, playing to a capacity crowd of 10,000. Buddy Ryan joined the expansion club, and would be one of their marquee players until 1918. An injury in 1918 limited Ryan, who usually played most of the 200+ game schedule at his position, to just 52 innings of work that year.

In 1923 Ryan suffered an a more lasting injury that continued to plague his playing. He played and pinched a bit in 1923. There is no record of his playing anywhere in 1924. He returned to Sacramento in 1925 and largely came off the bench to hit, with just 14 games and 20 at-bats that season.

Once Ryan hung up his glove, he went on to coach in the PCL and elsewhere for another ten years.

Ryan died July 9, 1956 in Sacramento, California.