Raymond Leroy Coleman (June 4, 1922 – September 19, 2010) was an American

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 ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

who appeared in 559 career games over five 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), ...

between and for 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 p ...

(over three separate stints), Philadelphia Athletics and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. Born in

Dunsmuir, California Dunsmuir is a city in Siskiyou County, northern California. It is on the upper Sacramento River in the Trinity Mountains. Its population is 1,707 as of the 2020 census, up from 1,650 from the 2010 census. Dunsmuir is currently a hub for tourism ...

, he batted left-handed, threw right-handed and was listed as tall and . Signed by the Browns as an amateur free agent in 1940 out of Yreka High School, Coleman played 14 seasons of professional baseball until his 1956 retirement, missing the 1943 through 1945 campaigns while serving in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

in the

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and

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theaters of operation of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He made his major league debut in 1947. Coleman put together two consecutive years with 20-plus

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

s (25 in and 24 in ), while finishing second 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 12

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

s in 1951. He compiled 146 hits with 76 runs driven in during the 1951 season. Overall, Coleman batted .258 as a major leaguer; his 446 career hits included 73 doubles, 20 triples, 33 home runs and 199 RBI. After his third term as a member of the Browns in 1952, St. Louis sent him to the Brooklyn Dodgers' organization as part payment for

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 wh ...

Billy Hunter, and he played four more seasons in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

before leaving the game. A retired bookkeeper, Ray Coleman died September 19, 2010, at age 88.Ray Coleman Obituary
''The Oklahoman'', September 21, 2010

References

External links

* http://www.baseballinwartime.com/player_biographies/coleman_ray.htm

Sources

1922 births 2010 deaths Baseball players from California Birmingham Barons players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago White Sox players Fort Worth Cats players Havana Sugar Kings players Major League Baseball outfielders Mayfield Browns players Mayfield Clothiers players Mobile Bears players Omaha Cardinals players Paragould Browns players People from Dunsmuir, California Philadelphia Athletics players St. Louis Browns players St. Paul Saints (AA) players San Antonio Missions players Springfield Browns players United States Navy personnel of World War II Yreka High School alumni American expatriate baseball players in Cuba {{US-baseball-outfielder-1920s-stub