Ernest Gordon Phelps (April 19, 1908 – December 10, 1992) born in

Odenton, Maryland Odenton ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, located approximately 10–20 minutes from the state capital, Annapolis. The population was 37,132 at the 2010 census, up from 20,534 at the 2000 ce ...

, United States was a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

for the Washington Senators (1931), Chicago Cubs (1933–34), Brooklyn Dodgers (1935–41) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1942). His .367 batting average in 1936 remains the highest for any catcher in the modern era (1901–present). He began his professional career with the Hagerstown Hubs of the

Blue Ridge League The Blue Ridge League was the name of two minor league baseball organizations that operated in the first half of the twentieth century in the United States. History The first league operated for the better part of sixteen years, from 1915 throu ...

in 1930. He set several all-time seasonal marks for the Blue Ridge League that year: at bats (466), hits (175), extra base hits (62) and total bases (300). He appeared briefly (3 games) at the major league level for the Washington Senators in 1931, but he did not stay permanently until he began playing with the Chicago Cubs in 1933. He played 726 major league games in 11 seasons, batting .310 (657-for-2117) including 19 triples and 54 home runs, 345 RBI, a .362 on-base percentage, and a .472 slugging percentage. Phelps was named to the National League All-Star Team from 1938 to 1940, and helped the Dodgers win the 1941 National League pennant. He died in his hometown at the age of 84.

Sources

*Johnson, Lloyd and Wolff, Miles, editors: ''Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball.'' Durham, North Carolina Publisher: Baseball America, 2007. Format: Hardback, 767 pp. {{DEFAULTSORT:Phelps, Babe 1908 births 1992 deaths Baseball players from Maryland Major League Baseball catchers Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Chicago Cubs players Brooklyn Dodgers players Pittsburgh Pirates players National League All-Stars People from Odenton, Maryland Hagerstown Hubs players Chattanooga Lookouts players Parkersburg Parkers players Youngstown Tubers players Youngstown Buckeyes players Albany Senators players

Sources

Further reading