Thomas Mullen Umphlett (May 12, 1930 – September 21, 2012) was a

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

and

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. 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 (A ...

who played from to 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 eight ...

and Washington Senators. His 21-year

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 professiona ...

career as a player and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

lasted from 1950 through 1970. He batted and threw right-handed and was listed as tall and . Born in

Scotland Neck, North Carolina Scotland Neck is a town in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States. According to the 2010 census, the town population was 2,059. It is part of the Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area. History The Hoffman-Bower ...

, the son of Willie L. Umphlett and the former Daisy Mullen, he was a three-sport athlete (baseball, basketball, football) at Ahoskie High School, from which he graduated in . He signed with the Red Sox that year, choosing a professional baseball career over football scholarship offers to several universities. In 1950, with the

Marion Red Sox The Marion Red Sox were a minor league baseball team that existed from 1949 to 1951. Affiliated with the Boston Red Sox, they played in the Ohio–Indiana League in Marion, Ohio. In 1949, they were managed by Wally Millies Walter Louis Millies ...

of the Class D

Ohio–Indiana League The Ohio–Indiana League was a Class D level minor league baseball league that operated from 1948 to 1951. The league was composed of six teams from Ohio and two teams from Indiana. There was also a six–team Ohio–Indiana League in 1907, ...

, he

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

.319 in 94 games. By 1952, Umphlett was in Triple-A, then he made his big league debut on April 16, 1953, at the age of 22, wearing the number 38. He hit .283 in his rookie season, displaying a sharp eye at the plate: he averaged one strikeout every 16.5 at-bats. He finished second in American League Rookie of the Year Award voting to

Harvey Kuenn Harvey Edward Kuenn (; December 4, 1930 – February 28, 1988) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). As a shortstop and outfielder, he played with the Detroit Tigers (1952–1959), Cle ...

in 1953. However, on December 9, Boston included him in a major offseason trade, sending Umphlett and left-handed

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

Mickey McDermott Maurice Joseph "Mickey" McDermott Jr. (April 29, 1929 – August 7, 2003) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Pre-professional career Mickey McDermott was the third son of Maurice McDermott Sr., a police officer and ...

to the Senators for right fielder

Jackie Jensen Jack Eugene Jensen (March 9, 1927 – July 14, 1982) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for three American League (AL) teams from 1950 to 1961, most notably the Boston Red Sox. He was named the AL's Most Valuable Pl ...

. The deal was a boon to the Red Sox: Jensen led 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 b ...

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the b ...

three times over the next six seasons, made two All-Star teams, and was named his league's

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a partic ...

in . Umphlett struggled at the plate in Washington. He batted only .219 in 114

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

in , then .217 in 110 games in 1955. The Senators traded him back to the Red Sox in November 1955, and Umphlett played for the Bosox' Triple-A affiliates the next seven years. He continued to play in the high minors through June 1967, then became a manager in the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

' organization. In 360 career MLB games, Umphlett hit .246 with 285

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

— 45

doubles Men's doubles, Women's doubles or Mixed doubles are sports having two players per side, including; * Beach volleyball * Doubles badminton * Doubles curling * Footvolley * Doubles pickleball * Doubles squash * Doubles table tennis * Doubles te ...

, eight triples and six

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s — in 1,160

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s). He drove in 111 runs. Umphlett averaged one strikeout every 10.8 at bats in his career. Never much of a threat on the basepaths, Umphlett stole only seven career bases. He had a .986 career

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, di ...

. In 1954, he wore number 4. In 1955, he wore 22. According to Baseball-Reference, the player Umphlett is most similar to statistically is

Art Kruger Arthur Theodore Kruger (March 16, 1881 – November 28, 1949) was a professional baseball player who played outfielder in the Major Leagues from -. He would play for the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Naps, Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a c ...

. Umphlett managed the Short Season-Class A

Auburn Twins Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area * Electoral district of Auburn * Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region * Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania * ...

in 1967, then moved up to full-season Class A with the

Wisconsin Rapids Twins The Wisconsin Rapids Twins were a Class A Minor League Baseball team that existed from 1963 to 1983, playing in the Midwest League. Affiliated with the Washington Senators (1963) and the Minnesota Twins (1964-1983), they were located in Wiscon ...

(part of 1968), Red Springs Twins (all of 1969) and the

Lynchburg Twins Lynchburg is a toponym that may refer to: * Lynchburg, California * Lynchburg, Mississippi * Lynchburg, Missouri * Lynchburg, North Dakota * Lynchburg, Ohio (in Clinton and Highland counties) * Lynchburg, Columbiana County, Ohio *Lynchburg, South Ca ...

(part of 1970).

Major transactions

*On December 9, 1953, Umphlett was traded by the Boston Red Sox with

to the Washington Senators for

. *On November 8, 1955, he was traded by the Washington Senators with

Bob Porterfield Erwin Coolidge "Bob" Porterfield (August 10, 1923 – April 28, 1980) was a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for twelve seasons between 1948 and 1959 for the New York Yankees, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh ...

Johnny Schmitz John Albert Schmitz (November 27, 1920 – October 1, 2011) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who worked in 366 games over 13 seasons as a member of the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Se ...

, and

Mickey Vernon James Barton "Mickey" Vernon (April 22, 1918 – September 24, 2008) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who played for the Washington Senators (1939–1948, 1950–1955), Cleveland Indians (1949–1950, 1958), Boston Red ...

to the Boston Red Sox for

Karl Olson Karl Arthur Olson (July 6, 1930 – December 25, 2010) of Kentfield, California, was a backup outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox (1951, 1953–55), Washington Senators (1956–57) and Detroit Tigers (1957). He ...

, Dick Brodowski,

Tex Clevenger Truman Eugene "Tex" Clevenger (July 9, 1932 – August 24, 2019) was an American Major League Baseball relief pitcher and spot starter who played for the Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees from 1954 to ...

, Neil Chrisley, and Al Curtis (a minor leaguer). *On June 12, 1962, Umphlett was traded by the Boston Red Sox, with cash, to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

for Billy Gardner.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Umphlett, Tom 1930 births 2012 deaths Baseball players from North Carolina Boston Red Sox players Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball center fielders Marion Red Sox players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Minor league baseball managers People from Scotland Neck, North Carolina Richmond Virginians (minor league) players Roanoke Ro-Sox players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Seattle Rainiers players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players