George Bostic "Possum" Whitted (February 4, 1890 – October 16, 1962) was an American professional baseball outfielder and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1912 to 1922 for the St. Louis Cardinals,

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

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 ...

, and

Brooklyn Robins The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californi ...

Baseball career

Whitted was the first rookie in history to start at every position (except pitcher and catcher) during the season. In

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

, after being traded from the Cardinals to Boston, Whitted was a member of the Braves team that went from last place to first place in two months, becoming the first team to win a pennant after being in last place on the Fourth of July. The team then went on to defeat Connie Mack's heavily favored

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 ...

in the

1914 World Series The 1914 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 1914 season. The 11th edition of the World Series, it was played between the American League champion and defending World Series champion Philadelphia Athletics and t ...

. During the 1914 season, Whitted played every position for the Braves except for catcher and pitcher. Whitted then played for the Phillies in 1915, which won the National League (NL) pennant. In 11 seasons, Whitted played in 1,025 games and had 3,630 at bats, 440 runs, 978 hits, 145 doubles, 60 triples, 23 home runs, 451 runs batted in, 116 stolen bases, 215 walks, .269 batting average, .313 on-base percentage, .361 slugging percentage, 1,312 total bases, and 180 sacrifice hits. Defensively, he recorded a .966

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 ...

playing at every position except catcher and pitcher.

Personal life

Whitted died in Wilmington, North Carolina at the age of 72 due to cardiac complications. As a United States Army Sergeant First Class in the Quartermaster Corps during World War I, stationed in France, he met his wife, Isabelle French, and is buried at the Wilmington National Cemetery. There is presently one survivor of George "Possum" Bostic Whitted, Sr.; his granddaughter, Dr. Tracy Whitted Brown, Neuroscientist and Clinical Neuropsychologist, formerly of the Salk Biological Institute, daughter of Possum's only child, George Bostic Whitted, Jr., of Chapel Hill. George Whitted Sr., and George Whitted, Jr., are buried in the VA Cemetery in Wilmington, NC. Possum's sister, Dr. Bessie Whitted Spence, taught at Duke University, Trinity College of Religion, and was the first female Professor Emeritus.

References

External links

Possum Whitted
at SABR (Baseball BioProject) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitted, Possum 1890 births 1962 deaths Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball third basemen St. Louis Cardinals players Boston Braves players Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates players Brooklyn Robins players Asheville Tourists managers Savannah Indians players Jacksonville Jays players Jacksonville Tarpons players Toledo Mud Hens managers Toledo Mud Hens players Salisbury Colonials players Durham Bulls players Durham Bulls managers Baseball players from North Carolina Sportspeople from Durham, North Carolina Accidental deaths in North Carolina Accidental deaths from falls