Jack Napier Littrell (January 22, 1929 – June 9, 2009) was an American

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), ...

(MLB)

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

in the 1950s. Listed at and , he batted and threw right-handed.

Career

Born in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, in 1929, Littrell initially signed with 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 eight ...

in 1948, and played in Boston's

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

during the 1948 and 1949 seasons. In a New York–Penn League game (then known as the PONY League) on August 15, 1949, he hit four home runs, coming on consecutive at bats. Littrell moved to the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

prior to the 1950 season, and played in the Athletics' minor league system from 1950 through 1954. Littrell played in MLB with Philadelphia in 1952 and 1954, staying with the franchise in 1955 when the team relocated as the Kansas City Athletics. The Athletics sold him to 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 ...

in December 1955. Littrell played in the Dodgers' minor league organization during the 1956 season, and then played his final season in MLB in 1957, as a member of 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 ...

. Littrell completed his professional career in the minors for Chicago in 1958, Kansas City in 1959, and for the

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 ...

from 1960 through 1962. He appeared in a total of 111 MLB games, batting .204 with two home runs and 17 RBIs. Defensively, he appeared at all four infield positions, with most of his games (80) at shortstop.

Personal life

Littrell's first wife, Margaret, died on January 1, 1954, due to injuries in a

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

automobile accident in Kentucky. Littrell and the couple's two children were also in the car; Littrell and their daughter were not injured, while their son sustained a broken leg. Littrell later remarried; he and his second wife, Sally Mae, had a daughter and two sons. Littrell died on June 9, 2009, of natural causes. His grandson

Corey Littrell Corey David Littrell (born March 21, 1992) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Listed at and , he throws and bats left-handed. Career Littrell attended Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky, and pitched for the school's b ...

was drafted in 2013 by the Red Sox as a pitcher.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Littrell, Jack 1929 births 2009 deaths Baseball players from Louisville, Kentucky Chicago Cubs players Eau Claire Braves players Hornell Maple Leafs players Kansas City Athletics players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball shortstops Oroville Red Sox players Ottawa A's players Philadelphia Athletics players Portland Beavers players Sacramento Solons players Savannah Indians players San Jose Red Sox players Sunbury A's players Vancouver Mounties players