Key Retirees:
After the 1957 season
Luther Ormiston, 3B
Detroit Tigers 1944, 1946-56
Ormiston slugged his way to 4th all-time among retired third basemen with 281 homeruns. He was the 1948 and 1952 AL BOY - the first two of five pennant winning seasons he was part of with the Tigers. After Detroit won their record 4th straight World Series in 1955, Ormiston had only 38 more at-bats the rest of his career. Not coincidentally, those 1950s Mighty Tigers never won another pennant. Ormiston was a 5-time all-star and he retired with a .273 average, 1390 hits, 262 doubles, 281 homeruns, 1039 RBI, 886 walks and a .909 OPS.
Hershel Lee, C
Philadelphia & Kansas City Athletics 1948-57
Lee was already a renowned slugger in the Negro Leagues at age 25. After eight Negro League seasons, primarily with the Birmingham Black Barons, Lee was signed by the R.W. Jones, the Athletics' general manager who became known for his scouting of the Negro Leagues and the opportunities he gave to negro stars. As a rookie, Lee promptly hit .299 with 28 HR and 101 RBI. Those 28 HR and 101 RBI are still an Athletics rookie record to this day (1965). In his first five seasons, Lee finished 2nd, 3rd or 4th in American League homeruns. He won three Gold Gloves and the 1951 World Series and was a 5-time all-star. He retired with a .276 average, 1105 hits, 211 doubles, 237 homeruns (6th all-time among catchers), 798 RBI, 665 runs, 536 walks and a .886 OPS.
Other Notable Retirees:
Hershel Cooley, LF
A's 1935-56
Phillies 1957
.294, 1959 H, 369 2B, 126 3B, 24 HR, 712 RBI, 1107 R, 652 BB, 442 SB, .755 OPS
Three-time all-star. Sparkplug for many good Athletics teams. Won 1951 World Series.
Nick Pursell, 3B
Giants 1941-43, 1945-57
.282, 1673 H, 262 2B, 145 3B, 127 HR, 815 RBI, 845 R, 539 BB, 147 SB, .783 OPS
Former Negro Leaguers:
Al Jackson, LF
Indians 1947-56
Jackson was the first black player to play in the big leagues, breaking the color barrier with Cleveland in 1947. He was a gifted player but many people who knew him said he suffered under the relentless expectations and bigotry. In 1951, he was hit in the head by a pitch from Browns pitcher
Eugene Sprecher, a noted racist. Jackson never fully recovered his vision and never hit above .255 again.
Grady Fisher, LF
Braves 1950-52
Red Sox 1952-56
Jim Meacham, C
Tigers 1951-56
Meacham was a well known slugger from the Negro Leagues. As a 30-year-old rookie in 1951, he hit .332 with 10 HR and 40 RBI in just 190 at-bats. Hershel Lee spoke out on the issue later, saying that the Tigers and manager Bob Guilderson preferred to play the struggling, but white,
John Degal. Of course Degal would go on to become the greatest slugging catcher of all time, even ahead of the immortal Willard Schwarz, but at the time he was hitting just .198 and the Tigers finished in 2nd place, 9 games behind Lee's Athletics.
Moses Bottoms, SS
Pirates 1951-53
Phillies 1953-56
Retiring Ancestors:
Cutter Brekke, SS
Braves 1941-43, 1946-52
Pirates 1953-56
.277, 1287 H
Phillip Gillette, CF
Phillies 1945
Indians 1945
Pete Nagel, 1B
Browns 1942-43