Key Retirees:
Peaches Badeau, CF
Philadelphia & Kansas City Athletics 1939-55
After graduating from Rutgers, Badeau went straight to the majors in 1939 where he hit .328 in 137 AB. And he never hit below .300 throuhgout his career. He missed half the 1942 season to WWII and returned to the majors to play the final 7 games of the 1943 season. He won 3 batting titles over a four year span from 1945-48, twice hitting above .390. He retired with a .341 career average which is 10th best all-time and the best ever by a CF. He won 2 GG's in his final two seasons as well as the 1951 WS. He retired with 2677 hits, 325 doubles, 150 HR, 1138 RBI, 1367 runs, 1089 walks and a .882 OPS.
Chuck Rauch, C
Boston Red Sox 1934-47
Philadelphia Phillies 1947-50
Chicago Cubs 1950-55
Rauch was a late bloomer. He debuted in the majors at age 20 but he did not surpass 100 AB in a season until age 25. He was not a full time player until WWII began depleting rosters at age 27. But oh, did he make his mark. He found his stroke during the war, playing in three consecutive WS with Boston, but the Red Sox were not convinced that he would ever live up to the potential they once thought he had. In June of 1947, he was shipped to the Phillies and in 1948 his presence was finally fully felt when he hit .318 with 30 HR and 114 RBI at age 33 to lead the Phils back to the WS. He and the Phillies won the 1948 and 1949 WS, and Rauch quickly became known as one of the top catchers in the game. In April of 1950, he was traded to the Cubs, and in his final season he helped lead them to their first WS in nearly two decades. By the time he retired, his 314 career homeruns were the 11th highest total in history and the 2nd most ever by any catcher, behind only to Willard Schwarz. He retired with a .281 average, 2038 hits, 342 doubles, 1281 RBI, 1089 runs, 955 walks and a .828 OPS. He won 9 GG's and can be considered one of the best defensive catchers ever. He won the 1950 NL BOTY and four WS.
Other Notable Retirees:
Frankie Bowers, C
Browns 1941-43, 1946-51
Pirates 1951-55
.308, 1306 H, 207 DBL, 137 HR, 749 RBI, 606 R, 282 BB, .822 OPS
Bowers was quietly one of the top catchers of his day. He missed three prime seasons to WWII, but returned in 1946 to hit .332 with 18 HR and 102 RBI and lead the Browns to the WS. He won one GG and went to 5 AS Games.
Scottie Allen, SP
Braves 1937-55
189-190, 3.29 ERA, 3694 IP, 959 BB, 1847 K, 140 CG, 34 SHO, 1.22 WHIP
Many people think Allen was a much better pitcher than his record shows. Some even say he underperformed for much of his career. Others have even said he did not know how to win, but many blame much of his poor record on the offense that supported him. Regardless of what people say, Allen posted one of the best career ERA's during his time but he finished his career one game below .500. He never won a POTY Award and amazingly he went to just one AS game.
Honorable Mentions:
Don "Chubby" Allen, SP
Athletics 1943-44, 1946-48
Cubs 1948-49
Browns/Orioles 1950-54
133-139, 4.32 ERA, 2552.1 IP, 1419 BB, 1579 K, 123 CG, 13 SHO, 1.46 WHIP
Carl Sandoz, RF
Tigers 1942-55
.311, 1583 H, 274 DBL, 41 HR, 583 RBI, 695 R, 357 K, 494 BB, .769 OPS
1944 AL ROY. 26-Gm hitting streak in that season. Won 4 WS with Detroit.
Artie Albrecht, CF
Ancestor
Reds 1938-49
Phillies 1949
Giants 1950-55
.283, 1866 H, 348 DBL, 131 HR, 838 RBI, 978 R, 762 BB, .776 OPS
Won 1 WS with the Reds. Won 1 WS with Phillies. Went to 2 WS with Giants. Won 1 GG.
Mitch Liebowitz, LF
Ancestor
Reds 1938-47
Braves 1947-1954
Giants 1954-55
.242, 1531 H, 346 DBL, 209 HR, 1051 RBI, 927 R, 824 BB, .757 OPS
Bud Moore, C
Ancestor
Tigers 1935-49
Braves 1950-53
Pirates 1953-55
.292, 1822 H, 324 DBL, 107 HR, 896 RBI, 774 R, 608 BB, .757 OPS
Other Retiring Ancestors:
Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn, P
Reds 1938-42, 1946-51
Cubs 1952-54
Orioles 1954
22-35, 27 Sv, 5.83 ERA, 373.1 IP, 266 BB, 189 K, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 1.79 WHIP
Clinton "Buster" Darling, 3B/LF
Tigers 1934-42, 1950-55
.289, 354 H, 48 DBL, 27 HR, 168 RBI, 160 R, 160 K, 86 BB, 12 SB, .755 OPS
Won 3 WS with the Tigers.
Willie Young, 1B/SS/2B
Pirates 1935-44
Dodgers 1944, 1946-52
Cubs 1953-55
.246, 777 H, 140 DBL, 47 HR, 401 RBI, 517 R, 450 BB, 128 SB, .704 OPS