Max Edward West (November 28, 1916 – December 31, 2003), was an outfielder and first baseman for the Boston Bees/

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) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

(1938–42 and 1946),

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 ...

(1946) and

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

(1948). West signed as an outfielder with Sacramento of the

PCL PCL may refer to: Aviation *FAP Captain David Abenzur Rengifo International Airport, near Pucallpa, Peru (IATA code: PCL) *Pilot-controlled lighting, a system by which aircraft pilots can control the lighting of runways and taxiways via radio cont ...

in 1935 and joined Mission of the same league the following year. After batting .330 with 16 home runs and 95 RBIs for Mission in 1937, West's contract was purchased by the Boston Braves. He batted .234 his rookie year but increased his average to .285 in 1939 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs (all career highs), finishing 23rd in voting for the 1939 National League MVP. West was named to the 1940 National League All-Star Team, his only career appearance, and was inserted as the starting right fielder at the last minute by NL manager

Bill McKechnie William Boyd McKechnie (August 7, 1886 – October 29, 1965) was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman during the dead-ball era. McKechnie was the first manager to win Wo ...

(over Mel Ott). In his only career All-Star at bat, he hit what would be the eventual game-winner, a three-run home run in the first inning off Red Ruffing at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. This would, however be West's only All-Star plate appearance, as he was injured (although not seriously) leaping for Luke Appling's double off the wall in the second inning and had to leave the game. West finished 26th in voting for the 1940 NL MVP, and 27th in voting for the 1942 NL MVP. In March 1943, West joined the Army Air Force, serving with the Sixth Ferrying Group, Air Transport Command at Long Beach, California, where he regularly played baseball with (the aforementioned) Ruffing,

Jerry Priddy Gerald Edward Priddy (November 9, 1919 – March 3, 1980) was an American professional baseball player and a second baseman in Major League Baseball for 11 years. He played for the New York Yankees (1941–1942), Washington Senators (1943, 194 ...

and Nanny Fernandez. In April 1946, after returning from military service, West was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for

Jim Konstanty Casimir James Konstanty (March 2, 1917 – June 11, 1976) was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball and National League Most Valuable Player of . He played for the Cincinnati Reds (1944), Boston Braves (1946), Philadelphia Phil ...

. He played just 73 games that year, batting .212. West was with San Diego of the Pacific Coast League in 1947, returned to Pittsburgh in 1948 (where he batted just .178 in 87 games) and returned to San Diego the following year. West led the Pacific Coast League in home runs on three occasions, and in 1949 he hit 48 home runs with 166 RBIs. He continued playing in the PCL until 1954. In seven seasons, West played in 824 Games and had 2,676 At Bats, 338 Runs, 681 Hits, 136 Doubles, 20 Triples, 77 Home Runs, 380 RBI, 19 Stolen Bases, 353 Walks, .254 Batting Average, .344 On-base percentage, .407 Slugging percentage, 1,088 Total bases and 15 Sacrifice hits. West operated a sporting goods firm with

Ralph Kiner Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955. Follow ...

in California after retiring from baseball. West died in

Sierra Madre, California Sierra Madre (Spanish for "mother range") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, whose population was 10,917 at the 2010 U.S. Census, up from 10,580 at the time of the 2000 U.S. Census. The city is in the foothills of the San Gabriel Vall ...

from

brain cancer A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondar ...

at the age of 87.

Sources

1916 births 2003 deaths Baseball players from Missouri Boston Bees players Boston Braves players Cincinnati Reds players Deaths from brain cancer in the United States Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball outfielders Mission Reds players National League All-Stars People from Dexter, Missouri Pittsburgh Pirates players Sacramento Senators players San Diego Padres (minor league) players {{US-baseball-outfielder-1910s-stub