Wesley Cheek Ferrell (February 2, 1908 – December 9, 1976) 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 ...

player. He played 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), ...

from 1927 through 1941. Primarily a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

, Ferrell played for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

(1927–33),

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 ei ...

(1934–37), Washington Senators (1937–38),

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 ...

(1938–39),

Brooklyn Dodgers 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, Califor ...

(1940) and Boston Braves (1941). He batted and threw right-handed.

Early life

Wesley Cheek Ferrell was born on February 2, 1908 in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

to Rufus Benjamin "Lonnie" and Alice Clara Carpenter. His father was employed by the Southern Railroad, and the family lived on a 160-acre

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a ...

farm that was also used to grow crops such as

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...

and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus ''Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the chie ...

. Wes was the fifth of seven children, all boys.Thompson, p. 20 They each played baseball for the local high school team, and two others went on to enjoy long careers in baseball: Rick, a

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...

, and George, an 18-year

minor league 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 ...

veteran. Wesley starred in baseball and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

while playing for Guilford High School, and later for the

Oak Ridge Military Academy Oak Ridge Military Academy (ORMA) is a college-preparatory military school in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina. The school is the third oldest military academy in the United States and the first military boarding school to admit girls ...

in 1926. He was soon noticed by Bill Rapp, a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

for the

, and in 1927 they, as well as the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, offered him a contract while he was playing for a semi-professional team in East Douglas, Massachusetts. He chose the Indians, and joined the team for the remainder of the

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 ** ...

season. He made his

debut on September 9, 1927, pitching a single

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

against the

, and gave up three

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an err ...

s. Although, he initially made the Indians' roster in 1928, he was soon demoted to the Terre Haute Tots, of the

Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League was a Minor League Baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 seasons, with teams based in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The league began pla ...

. He pitched well for the Tots, winning 20 games against eight losses, and had a 2.74

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

. In September, he was re-called to majors, and pitched two games before the season ended. He started both games, completed one of them, and while he pitched well, he received the loss in both.

Major league career

Cleveland Indians

In 1929, he joined the Indians for good. Though only a spot-starter at first, he established himself as one of the best pitchers 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 ...

(AL) by season's end. He was noted to have had an excellent

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have th ...

, which he complemented with a good

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

and a deceptive

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed c ...

. He posted a 21–10 win–record with 100

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is den ...

s and a 3.60

(ERA). His 21 victories placed second in the league behind

George Earnshaw George Livingston Earnshaw (February 15, 1900 – December 1, 1976) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played in parts of nine seasons (1928–36) with the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Brooklyn Dodgers, and St. Louis Cardinals ...

's 24, and he finished in the top ten in strikeouts, earned run average, and saves. In 1930, he began the season as the Indians' number two starting pitcher behind Willis Hudlin, who made the team's

opening day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

start. He quickly established himself as the team's

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ca ...

by significantly improving his pitching performance. He increased his win total to 25 which finished second in the league, this time behind

Lefty Grove Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove (March 6, 1900 – May 22, 1975) was an American professional baseball pitcher. After having success in the minor leagues during the early 1920s, Grove became a star in Major League Baseball with the American League's P ...

's 28, and lowered his ERA to 3.31. His batting skills improved in 1930; his

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

jumped from .237 in 1929 to .297 in 1930. Ferrell continued his excellence during the 1931 season. Although his ERA increased to 3.75, he led the league in complete games with 27 and collected another 22 wins. On April 29, he pitched a 9–0

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher w ...

against 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 ...

, striking out eight, while also hitting a

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 ...

and a double and amassing four

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 bat ...

(RBIs). His brother Rick was the Browns' catcher. On May 8, he experienced pain in his right shoulder while warming up for a start against the Red Sox, and for the rest of the season his fastball became largely ineffective, forcing him to rely upon his other pitches. As stellar as his pitching statistics were, it was his hitting skills that were dramatically improving each season. Through 1930, he had hit just one home run but in 1931 he hit nine, breaking the previous home run record for pitchers of seven by

Jack Stivetts John Elmer Stivetts (March 31, 1868 – April 18, 1930) was a professional baseball pitcher who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning from 1889 to 1899. He played in the American Association ...

in 1890. On August 31 he hit two home runs against the

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 ...

in 13–5 victory at

Comiskey Park Comiskey Park was a baseball park in Chicago, Illinois, located in the Armour Square neighborhood on the near-southwest side of the city. The stadium served as the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1910 Chicago White Sox s ...

, the first of five times he would achieve the feat. Ferrell was an honest and outspoken individual, and his attitude began to sour during this period of his career. It was suspected that he had anxiety in regard to his shoulder injury, which caused him to angrily react to perceived bad calls by

umpires An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

, and teammates who made errors that negatively affected the game. On one occasion, Ferrell refused to be pulled from a game by his manager, and was suspended ten days without pay for

insubordination Insubordination is the act of willfully disobeying a lawful order of one's superior. It is generally a punishable offense in hierarchical organizations such as the armed forces, which depend on people lower in the chain of command obeying order ...

. Because of his volatile temperament he was fined and suspended several times for refusing to leave a game, or for leaving it without permission. After being driven from the mound in one game, he punched himself in the face and began to slam his head into the wall. He had to be restrained by his team to stop him from continuing to hurt himself. Despite the pain in his shoulder, and worsening behavioral issues, he continued to be a durable and effective pitcher. In 1932, Ferrell posted his fourth consecutive 20-win season, with a record of 23–13, struck out 105, and had a 3.66 ERA. The 1933 season began well for Ferrell, he had a 5–4 win–loss record and a 2.12 ERA on June 1, and was named to the inaugural

Major League Baseball All-Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

representing the American League. He was not called upon to play in the game, but his brother Rick was also selected to the team, and played the entire game. As the season progressed, however, his performance began to diminish. From July until the end of the season, he was largely ineffective as a pitcher, and his availability became infrequent. In response, his manager,

Roger Peckinpaugh Roger Thorpe Peckinpaugh (February 5, 1891 – November 17, 1977) was an American professional baseball player shortstop and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1910 through 1927, during which he played for the Cleveland Nap ...

, tried playing him in

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

. The experiment was deemed a failure, owing to Ferrell's lack of fielding skills. He had another great year as a batter, however, hitting seven home runs, and he compiled 26 RBIs and a .271 batting average. After a disappointing 11–12 record for the year, the Indians offered him what Ferrell regarded as an unacceptable contract offer, and he refused to sign. He also refused to join the team unless his contract demands were met. For his first 100 starts in his career, Ferell went 63-32 (.663), with the winning percentage being among the highest in MLB history for first 100 starts. On May 25, 1934, the Indians traded him, along with Dick Porter, to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Bob Weiland, Bob Seeds and $25,000 cash.

Boston Red Sox

By joining the Red Sox, Ferrell united with his brother Rick, who was their starting

. He made his debut for Boston on May 30 in relief, as were his next two appearances. He entered the starting

rotation Rotation, or spin, is the circular movement of an object around a '' central axis''. A two-dimensional rotating object has only one possible central axis and can rotate in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. A three-dimensional ...

on June 10. On August 12, in front of a record crowd of 46,766 fans (with about 20,000 turned away),

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

made his farewell appearance as a New York Yankee in Boston. He singled and doubled against Ferrell, but Boston prevailed against Ruth and the

by a score of 6–4. From that point until the end of the season, he was consistently effective, lowering his ERA from 4.64 on July 25, to a season-ending 3.63. He completed the 1934 season with a 14–5 record, and twice hit two home runs in a game. The first occurred against the St. Louis Browns on July 13, and the other on August 22 against the

when he hit a game-tying home run in the eighth inning, then hit the game-winning,

walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not ...

in tenth inning. Never known as a

control pitcher In baseball, a control pitcher, also known as a finesse pitcher, is a pitcher who succeeds mostly by using accurate pitches, as opposed to a power pitcher who relies on velocity. By issuing a below average number of bases on balls he exhibits good ...

, Ferrell's

base on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...

totals were usually high, including leading the league with 130 in 1931, but in 1934, his bases on balls per 9 innings pitched was the best in AL. In 1935, Ferrell continued the success he had in the latter part of 1934, and arguably had his greatest season. He compiled league-leading totals with victories with 25, as well as innings pitched, games started, and games completed. He also finished within the leaders in shutouts, bases on balls per nine innings, and strikeouts. As a batter, he had a .347

, and hit seven home runs, the third, and last, time he reached this plateau. On July 21, with the Red Sox trailing the

4–6 in the bottom of the ninth inning and two runners on the bases. Ferrell was sent in as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, Americ ...

and hit a three-run walk-off home run, defeating the Tigers by the score of 7–6. The following day, Ferrell once again hit a walk-off home run, this time in a tied-game against the St. Louis Browns. His achievements during the 1935 season resulted in his second-place finish in the

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 particu ...

(MVP) voting, finishing behind

Hank Greenberg Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...

. Ferrell had another effective season in 1936, with a 20–15 record, while leading the league in games started, complete games, and inning pitched. His best games that season were two-hit shoutouts; one occurred on May 3 against the Tigers, and the other on June 21 against the Browns. This was his sixth and last time he achieved the 20-win mark during his major league career. His 1937 season began slow and he was unable to turn it around, by June 11, he had just three victories against six losses, and his ERA was a lofty 7.61. On June 11, the Ferrell brothers and

Mel Almada Baldomero "Mel" Almada Quirós (February 7, 1913 – August 13, 1988) was a Mexican center fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1933 through 1939 for the Boston Red Sox (1933–37), Washington Senators (1937–38), St. Louis Browns ...

were traded to the Washington Senators in exchange for Ben Chapman and

Bobo Newsom Louis Norman "Bobo" Newsom (August 11, 1907 – December 7, 1962) was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Also known as "Buck", Newsom played for nine of the 16 then-existing big-league teams from 1929 through 1953 over all or ...

Later career

Shortly after being traded to Washington, Wes won four of his first five starts, and was named to his second All-Star team. Joining him on the team was his brother Rick, and the game was played on July 7, although neither of the Ferrell brothers played. Although he had a lackluster pitching record of 14–19, he led the AL in innings and complete games for the third consecutive season. Ferrell remained with Washington in 1938, and leading the team with 13 victories, but due to his behavior and personality conflict with owner Clark Griffith, he was released from the team on August 12. Ferrell was quickly signed by the Yankees, and appeared in five games before the season ended. Over the following winter, he underwent arm surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow, but was unable to fully recover. He was released by the Yankees in May 1939, and went unsigned until January 1940, when he joined the

. He made just one relief appearance for the Dodgers before being released in May. He signed with the Boston Braves in February 1941, but was released after four games. Ferrell finished his major-league career with a win–loss record of 193–128, 4.04 ERA, and 985 strikeouts in 2623 innings pitched. In 374 games pitched, he started 323, completed 227, and tossed 17 shutouts. In addition to his talents as a pitcher, he was also one of the best-hitting pitchers in major league history, setting records for pitchers; his nine home runs in 1931, and his career-total of 38 still stand. In total, he collected 329 hits, 57 doubles, and 12 triples; delivered 208 RBIs; scored 175 runs; and compiled a .446

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player ...

, and a .280 batting average.

Post-major league career

Even after the end of his major league career, Ferrell continued to play minor league ball. During these later years, he mainly played the outfield. After his release by the Braves in May 1941, he signed with the

Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets The Class D Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets was a Minor League Baseball team who played in three different leagues between the and seasons. The team was a combination of three separate towns from North Carolina (now Eden, Rockingham County, No ...

of the class-D

Bi-State League The Bi-State League was an American baseball minor league formed in 1934 with teams in Virginia and North Carolina. The league held together for nine seasons, being represented by ten cities from North Carolina and eight from Virginia. Only the ...

, where he batted .332 with 20 home runs in just 74 games. The following season, he joined the class-C Lynchburg Senators of the

Virginia League The Virginia League was a minor league baseball affiliation which operated in Virginia and North Carolina from 1906 to 1928. It was classified as a "C" league from 1906 to 1919 and as a "B" league from 1920 to 1928. The most famous alumni to c ...

, where he hit .361 with 31 homers in 123 games. He continued to play sporadically in the minors for several years before finally retiring for good after the 1949 season.

Later life and legacy

Wes Ferrell died at the age of 68 on December 9, 1976 in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

, and is interred at New Garden Cemetery in Greensboro, North Carolina. Arguments in favor of inducting Ferrell into the Baseball Hall of Fame include the factors which affected his numbers and lack of post-season success. In addition to the era in which he played, he didn't play for many good teams, and he pitched in hitter-friendly parks. In his book, ''

The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract ''The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract'' is a reference book written by Bill James featuring an overview of professional baseball decade by decade, along with rankings of the top 100 players at each position. The original edition was publi ...

'',

Bill James George William James (born October 5, 1949) is an American baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics. ...

, noted that Ferrell's high career ERA of 4.04 is not surprising due to the heavy-hitting era in which he played. The average AL ERA during his playing time was lofty 4.54. However, when Ferrell's ERA is adjusted with what he produced as a hitter, he was effectively 22% better than the league average. In this regard, he is comparable to other high-ERA pitchers that helped themselves by being a good batter such as

Ted Lyons Theodore Amar Lyons (December 28, 1900 – July 25, 1986) was an American professional baseball starting pitcher, manager and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in 21 MLB seasons, all with the Chicago White Sox. He is the franchise l ...

, a Hall of Fame member, and

Carl Mays Carl William Mays (November 12, 1891 – April 4, 1971) was an American baseball pitcher who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929. During his career, he won over 200 games, 27 in 1921 alone, and was a member of four Wor ...

. Although he, unlike his brother, has not been inducted into the

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-re ...

, in 1981,

Lawrence Ritter Lawrence Stanley Ritter (May 23, 1922 – February 15, 2004) was an American writer whose specialties were economics and baseball. Ritter was a professor of economics and finance, and chairman of the Department of Finance at the Graduate School ...

and Donald Honig included him in their book ''The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time'', in celebration of his being not just a star pitcher but the best-hitting pitcher of all time—noting that

did most of his hitting when he was no longer a regular pitcher. In February 2008, Ferrell was inducted to the

Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame was instituted in 1995 to recognize the careers of selected former Boston Red Sox players, coaches and managers, and non-uniformed personnel. A 15-member selection committee of Red Sox broadcasters and executives, p ...

. He is the only pitcher since 1900 to win 20 games in his first four full major league seasons. He retired with the seventh highest

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

(.601) among pitchers with at least 300 AL decisions (for teams that never won the pennant) and also with the fourth highest

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, divi ...

(.975) in AL history. "I didn't see any big deal in being a good hitter as well as a good pitcher", said Ferrell, a two-time minor league batting champion as an

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 catc ...

after his major league days were over. When he went on to be a manager, Ferrell was slapped with suspensions for incidents such as removing his team from the field, which through erroneous reports grew into legends of Ferrell having physically attacked umpires. He was a fiery competitor and a brilliant player with natural talent, whose achievements may have been obscured by his irascibility.

References

External links

Wes Ferrell
at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Baseball Hall of Fame: Ferrell Remembered for Pitching, Hitting ProwessWes Ferrell
at Baseball Almanac
Wes Ferrell
at Baseballbiography.com
Wes Ferrell
at The Baseball Page * : {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrell, Wes Major League Baseball pitchers Boston Braves players Boston Red Sox players Brooklyn Dodgers players Cleveland Indians players New York Yankees players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players American League All-Stars American League wins champions Baseball players from North Carolina Minor league baseball managers Terre Haute Tots players Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets players Lynchburg Senators players Greensboro Patriots players Lynchburg Cardinals players Marion Marauders players Tampa Smokers players 1908 births 1976 deaths