Larry Woodall
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Charles Lawrence "Larry" Woodall (July 26, 1894 – May 16, 1963) was a
professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...
player. He played ten seasons in
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), ...
, all in the
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
with the Detroit Tigers (1920–1929), primarily as a
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 ...
.


Life

Born in Staunton, Virginia, he attended
Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...
and the
University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
.


Career

During most of Woodall's playing career, he played behind two starting catchers of the Tigers,
Johnny Bassler John Landis Bassler (June 3, 1895 – June 29, 1979) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher in professional baseball for 26 seasons between 1911 and 1937, including nine seasons in Major League Baseball with ...
and
Oscar Stanage Oscar Harland Stanage (March 17, 1883 – November 11, 1964) was an American baseball catcher. He played professional baseball for 24 years from 1903 to 1926, including 13 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers. A native of T ...
. For one season in 1927, however, he played a career-high 86 games at catcher during manager
George Moriarty George Joseph Moriarty (July 7, 1884 – April 8, 1964) was an American third baseman, umpire and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1903 to 1940. He played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Highlanders, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Wh ...
's first season. Woodall posted a .997 fielding percentage (committing one
error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...
), the best percentage among all starting catchers that season. He hit over .300 in three seasons and had a career
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
of .268 in 548 games. Woodall batted and threw right-handed. After his major league career was over, Woodall spent ten seasons in the Pacific Coast League. In 1930–31, he played for the
Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...
, including a stint as
player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the s ...
in 1930. He moved on to the Sacramento Senators in 1932–33, then put in six seasons with the San Francisco Seals from 1934 to 1939. Woodall's post-playing career included more than two decades 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 eigh ...
, as a
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...
(1942–1948, including service on Boston's 1946 pennant-winning team), director of public relations, and scout. In 1949, he scouted
Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid" and "Buck", is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-tim ...
but reported that Mays "was not the Red Sox' type of player."James, Bill (2001). ''The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract''. The Free Press. p. 205. Woodall remained a Red Sox employee until his death at age 68 in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
.


See also

*
List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise The following is a list of former Major League Baseball (MLB) players who played in at least 10 MLB seasons and spent their entire MLB playing careers exclusively with one franchise. In most cases, this means the player only appeared with one team ...


References


External links

* : {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodall, Larry 1894 births 1963 deaths Asheville Tourists players Baseball players from Virginia Boston Red Sox coaches Boston Red Sox scouts Detroit Tigers players Fort Worth Panthers players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball catchers North Carolina Tar Heels baseball players People from Staunton, Virginia Portland Beavers managers Portland Beavers players Sacramento Senators players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Toledo Mud Hens players Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball players