Raymond George Webster (November 15, 1937 – June 3, 2020) was a backup
second baseman in
Major League Baseball who played in part of two seasons for the
Cleveland Indians () and
Boston Red Sox (). Listed at 6' 0", 175 lb., he batted and threw
right-handed. In a two-season career, Webster had a .195
batting average (15-for-77) with two
home runs and 11
runs batted in in 47 games.
Webster began his professional career with the
Salem Senators, who he played for from 1955 to 1956. The following season he played for the
Amarillo Gold Sox, and had a .284 batting average and 19 home runs in 154 games. In 1958, Webster played for the
Sacramento Solons of the
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
, and ended the year with a .244 batting average and 10 home runs.
After finishing the season, Cleveland Indians manager
Joe Gordon recommended that they acquire him for their major league roster, and as a result they selected Webster in the
rule 5 draft.
During the 1959 offseason, Webster worked as a
surveyor
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...
for the
Yuma County, Arizona Public Works Department before Indians
spring training
Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
began. After spring training ended, he made the major league roster as the backup to
Billy Martin, though Gordon felt Webster had the superior exhibition season. He played in 40 games for the Indians in 1959, and had a .203 batting average. In January 1960, the Indians traded Webster to the Boston Red Sox for
Leo Kiely. He played in seven games early in the season, but was sent to the minors after May 15.
Webster finished 1960 with the
Montreal Royals and
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...
. He spent the next two seasons with the
Vancouver Mounties
The Vancouver Mounties were a high-level minor league baseball club based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1956– 62 and – 69. Its home field was Capilano Stadium. During the Mounties' first tw ...
and
Hawaii Islanders, then ended his career with the
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
, hitting .225 in 104 games.
[
Webster died of ]liver cancer
Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...
on June 3, 2020, at Browns Valley, California.
References
External links
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Ray
1937 births
2020 deaths
Amarillo Gold Sox players
Baseball players from Nevada County, California
Boston Red Sox players
Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players
Cleveland Indians players
Hawaii Islanders players
Indianapolis Indians players
Major League Baseball second basemen
Montreal Royals players
People from Grass Valley, California
Sacramento Solons players
Salem Senators players
Vancouver Mounties players