Galeard Lee Wade (January 20, 1929 – January 16, 2022) was an American baseball player who was a

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

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), ...

, playing for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

in the 1955 and 1956 seasons.

Life and career

Wade was originally signed as an amateur free agent

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

by the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

organization. He then was assigned to their

Ponca City Ponca City ( iow, Chína Uhánⁿdhe) is a city in Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 25,387 at the time of the 2010 census- and a population of 24,424 in the 2020 ...

affiliate club of the Kansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League in 1947. As an 18-year-old rookie, Wade had a split season record while building a 10–9 record in 28 pitching appearances and hitting for a .318 average in 59 games as an outfielder. After that, he made the switch to outfield, where he spent the rest of his professional baseball career. Wade would go on to lead four different circuits in stolen bases during his minor league career and twice in the

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

. Wade also played in the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Kansas City Athletics The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun as a charter member franchise in the new American League in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 for 13 seas ...

and

Milwaukee Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bost ...

' minor league systems in all of part of fifteen seasons spanning 1947–1961. In 1955, he posted a .292 average with career-highs in

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 (20),

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(67) and stolen bases (67) in 120 games. In addition, Wade played winter baseball with the

Leones del Caracas The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A. or better known by its commercial name as the ''Leones del Caracas'', is a professional baseball team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. In its creation, its headquarters are the University Stadium of C ...

Navegantes del Magallanes The Navegantes del Magallanes (Magellan Navigators), commonly known as Magallanes, are a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Based in Valencia, Magallanes has won 13 LVBP championships and two (2) Caribbean Series. It wa ...

and

Indios de Oriente The Indios de Oriente was a baseball club which played from 1956 through 1964 in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. They played its home games at the Estadio Municipal de Puerto La Cruz in Anzoátegui, Venezuela. History The Indios de O ...

in Venezuela, where he built a fan base around him, earning the nickname ''Galgo'' (greyhound) for his flashy speed on the bases. In a four-season stint, he batted .304 and stole 44 bases in 163 games, and accompanied his pennant-winning Caracas to the 1953 Caribbean Series, where he batted .353. Wade's major league career with the Chicago Cubs included parts of two seasons (1955, 1956). He was in the starting lineup on both opening days. Wade's baseball career ended in 1961 when he was hit by a pitch, permanently damaging his eyesight. Following baseball, he worked for over 25 years at a power company. Wade also served on the McDowell County School Board. His hobbies included hunting, hiking, and golfing, which he played until the age of 91. Wade died after a brief illness on January 15, 2022, four days before his 93rd birthday.

References

External links

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Gale 1929 births 2022 deaths Asheville Tourists players Baseball players from Missouri Cambridge Dodgers players Chicago Cubs players Dallas Rangers players Elmira Pioneers players Fort Worth Cats players Greenville Spinners players Indianapolis Indians players Indios de Oriente players Lancaster Red Roses players Leones del Caracas players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Major League Baseball center fielders Miami Sun Sox players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Newport News Dodgers players People from Taney County, Missouri Ponca City Dodgers players School board members in North Carolina St. Paul Saints (AA) players Seattle Rainiers players Spokane Indians players Toledo Sox players