Leon Clarence Brinkopf (October 20, 1926 – July 2, 1998) was a right-handed

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 ...

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), ...

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 1952. Brinkopf was originally signed by the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

in 1944 but found himself released a year later. He made his way to the Chicago Cubs' farm system after they acquired him from his independent minor league team in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, in exchange for former Cub big-leaguer

Roy Easterwood Roy Charles Easterwood (January 12, 1915 – August 24, 1984) was a Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Chicago Cubs in 1944. A native of Waxahachie, Texas, the 29-year-old rookie stood and weighed 196 lbs. Easterwood is one ...

. Brinkopf debuted with the Cubs on April 18, 1952, and appeared in a total of nine games, including his final big-league contest on May 5. The sum of his Major League Baseball experience was four hits (all singles) in 22 at-bats (a .182 batting average), 2 RBI and a run scored. Brinkopf died on July 2, 1998, in his birthplace of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

References

Major League Baseball shortstops Chicago Cubs players Des Moines Bruins players Nashville Vols players Newark Moundsmen players Odessa Oilers players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Shreveport Sports players Baseball players from Missouri Sportspeople from Cape Girardeau, Missouri 1926 births 1998 deaths {{US-baseball-shortstop-stub