3.5X5.5 Vintage Hall of Fame plaque card signed in blue ballpoint ink by Ray Shalk. Toning, otherwise MINT. Raymond William Schalk (August 12, 1892 – May 19, 1970) was an American professional baseball player, coach, manager and scout. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox for the majority of his career. Known for his fine handling of pitchers and outstanding defensive ability, Schalk was considered the greatest defensive catcher of his era. He revolutionized the way the catching position was played by using his speed and agility to expand the previously accepted defensive capabilities for his position. Schalk was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. In an 18-year major league career, Schalk played in 1,762 games, accumulating 1,345 hits in 5,306 at-bats for a .253 career batting average along with 11 home runs, 594 runs batted in, 579 runs, 177 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of .340 and a .981 fielding percentage. He established himself as one of the American League's outstanding defensive catchers by leading AL catchers in fielding percentage eight times, putouts nine times, double plays four times, and assists twice. He set major league catching records for putouts and still holds the major league career record for double plays (217) and the American League career mark for assists. No catcher has approached Schalk's record for career double plays, and none has led the league in fielding percentage eight times. He held the record for most no-hitters caught (four), until a rules change in the early 1990s disallowed one of them.[citation needed] Schalk's 51.32% career stealing percentage ranks eighth all-time among major league catchers. He caught 144 shutouts in his career, ranking third all-time among catchers behind Yogi Berra and Carlton Fisk. He set standards for longevity for catchers, catching 100 or more games for 11 straight seasons. His major league record of 1,726 games caught stood until 1945 when it was broken by Rick Ferrell. He also established himself as one of the finest baserunning catchers, setting a single-season stolen base record for the position in 1916 with 30, which stood until John Wathan stole 36 bases in 1982.Comes with a full Letter of Authenticity from Todd Mueller Authentics.