Quote:
Originally Posted by cinemaodyssey
If you don't mind the crude watermark, here's Padgett with the Phillies.
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No I don't mind at all - Thank you very much!
I had thought that Padgett was only some type of a career backup catcher/outfielder until recently until I got a chance to exam his career numbers more carefully. When I did I found out that he was anything but that. He might have been an all-star if World War Two hadn't intervened Padgett must have been one of the first major leaguers to volunteer for military service after the Pearl Harbor attack and he lost four full seasons (1942-1945) to the military service of his country. Padgett could really hit - batting .288 lifetime. He hit .314 in his rookie year of 1937 for the Cardinals, in the only season where he had enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title (also belting 10 home runs and driving 74 RBI) . He hit an amazing .399 in a semi-regular/platooning role for the Cardinals in 1939 (233 at-bats) and he even hit .316 in a backup role in 1947 as he neared the end of his career with the Phillies (158 at-bats).