Fred James Walters (September 4, 1912 – February 1, 1980) was a backup

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 ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

who played briefly for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

during the season. Listed at and —and nicknamed "Whale"—Walters batted and threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. He was signed by the Red Sox in 1937 out of Mississippi State University. A native of

Laurel, Mississippi Laurel is a city in and the second county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, Jones County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,161. It is located northeast of Ellisville, M ...

, Walters was one of many players who only appeared in the majors during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He was a .172 hitter (16-for-93) with two runs, two doubles, one stolen base, and five RBI without

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s in 40 games. In 38 catching appearances he posted a .993 fielding percentage (one error in 144 chances). His professional playing career extended for 11 seasons (1938–42; 1944–49). In June 1946, he abruptly became the player-manager of the Triple-A

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as th ...

during the six-week suspension of skipper

Nemo Leibold Harry Loran "Nemo" Leibold (February 17, 1892 – February 4, 1977) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1925. He played for the Cleveland Naps, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and Washington Senators. He stood at and was n ...

and led the squad to a sparkling 34–12 record. The following season, he piloted the Double-A Birmingham Barons to the

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cla ...

championship. Walters left baseball after the 1950 season, which he spent as manager of the

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

, eventually became a sheriff in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

,. and died in his hometown of Laurel at the age of 67.

References

External links

Baseball Reference
1912 births 1980 deaths Baseball players from Mississippi Birmingham Barons managers Birmingham Barons players Boston Red Sox players Chattanooga Lookouts managers Chattanooga Lookouts players Little Rock Travelers players Louisville Colonels (minor league) managers Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball catchers Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball players Montreal Royals players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players People from Laurel, Mississippi Rocky Mount Red Sox players San Antonio Missions players Scranton Red Sox players {{US-baseball-catcher-1910s-stub

See also

References

External links