George Edward Lerchen (December 1, 1922 – March 26, 2014)
was a backup
outfielder in
Major League Baseball who played from through for the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
(1952) and
Cincinnati Redlegs (1953). Listed at 5' 11", 175 lb., Lerchen was a
switch-hitter
In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers.
Characteristics
Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...
and threw
right-handed. He was born in
Detroit,
Michigan. His father,
Dutch Lerchen, played briefly for the 1910
Boston Red Sox.
In a two-season career Lerchen was a .204 hitter (10-for-49) with one
home run and five
RBI in 36 games, including three
runs, 10
doubles, one
stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...
, and a .361
on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
. In eight outfield appearances at
center field
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the Baseball positions, baseball and softball fielding position between Left fielder, left field and Right fielder, right field. In the numberi ...
(4) and
right, he posted a perfect 1.000
fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...
in 16 chances.
References
Baseball Reference
1922 births
2014 deaths
Baseball players from Detroit
Cincinnati Redlegs players
Detroit Tigers players
Major League Baseball outfielders
Jamestown Falcons players
Miami Marlins (International League) players
Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players
Houston Buffaloes players
Portland Beavers players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Toledo Mud Hens players
Flint Arrows players
Williamsport Grays players
Williamsport Tigers players
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