Lost In Left Field

Stan Spence, centerfielder mostly for the #Senators and #RedSox, was born #OTD in 1915. A four-time All-Star, he batted .300 twice, led the league in triples in 1942. Spence was a .282 hitter with 1,090 hits in his nine-year career and lost a year to service in World War II.

Heinie Wagner, shortstop mostly for the #RedSox, died #OTD in 1943. An excellent defender, he also stole 20 bases four times and twice received MVP votes. Wagnerwas a career .250 hitter and was part of four World Series-winning teams.

Ed Stone, outfielder mostly for the Newark Eagles and Philadelphia Stars, died #OTD in 1983. A three-time All-Star, he batted .300 six times and was in the league's top-10 three times. Stone was a career .313 hitter in 12 seasons. @nlbmprez

George Altman, outfielder mostly for the #Cubs, was born #OTD in 1933. A three-time All-Star, he batted .300 twice, had 20 homers twice, and led the league in triples in 1961. A career .269 hitter, Altman had 101 homers in nine seasons, and later played many years in Japan.

Bob Fothergill, outfielder mostly for the #Tigers and #WhiteSox, died #OTD in 1938. An eight-time .300 hitter, his best year was 1927 when he batted .359 and drove in 114 runs. Fothergill was a career .325 hitter with 1,064 hits in 12 seasons.

Stan Coveleski, pitcher mostly for the #Indians and #Senators, died #OTD in 1984. A five-time 20 game winner, he led the league in ERA and shutouts twice each and in strikeouts once. He won 215 career games and was elected to the #HallofFame in 1969.

Alfred "Army" Cooper, pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs, died #OTD in 1966. In 1929 he won 11 games and led the league with six saves, and led the league in strikeouts ratio in 1930. Cooper had a recorded career record of 27-12 in four seasons. @nlbmprez

Gee Walker, outfielder mostly for the #Tigers and #Reds, was born #OTD in 1908. An All-Star in 1937 and six-time .300 hitter, he scored 100 runs and had 100 RBI twice each. A career .294 hitter with 1,991 hits, Walker was part of the 1935 World Series winners.

Richie Ashburn, outfielder mostly for the #Phillies, was born #OTD in 1927. A six-time All-Star, he batted .300 nine times and won two batting titles. Ashburn also led the league in walks four times and in hits three times, and was elected to the #HallofFame in 1995.

John Henry "Pop" Lloyd, shortstop mostly for the New York Lincoln Giants and many others, died #OTD in 1964. In his 27-year career he batted .337 and averaged 209 hits per 162-games. He was elected to the #HallofFame in 1977. @nlbmprez

Bill Wambsganss, second baseman mostly for the #Indians, was born #OTD in 1894. He led the league in sacrifice hits twice, and had career highs of 174 hits and 93 runs scored in 1924. He batted .259 in his career and turned an unassisted triple play in the 1920 World Series.

Subby Byas, catcher mostly for the Chicago American Giants in the Negro League, was born #OTD in 1910. A two-time All-Star, he batted .300 twice, including a .342 average in 1941. He batted .270 during his eight-year career. @nlbmprez

@NegroLeagueMan @26thYankee @nlbmprez Considering I asked to interview for my own book only to never receive a response, I’ll pass. But thanks for the invitation.

@LILFBaseball @26thYankee @nlbmprez Check out my book, the 1910 Chicago Leland Giants. If You can’t find it do an in inner library loan. Wickware won 40 games in 1910. It’s all there! Make sure you listen to me on YouTube nightly, especially tonight!

Frank Wickware, pitcher mostly for the Chicago American Giants, was born #OTD in 1888. Known to have won 77 games with a 2.88 ERA due largely to an excellent curveball, he was one of the best pitchers of his time and was nominated for the #HallofFame in 2006. @nlbmprez

@NegroLeagueMan @26thYankee @nlbmprez Also, calling us “incompetent” really isn’t appreciated. Let’s all play nice, okay?

@NegroLeagueMan @26thYankee @nlbmprez We said “known” because those are the only officially recorded stats for him. We’re aware he compiled a much more impressive record that lacks verified stats. Also, character limits are real.

Chad Cordero, reliever mostly for the #Nationals, was born #OTD in 1982. An All-Star in 2005, he won the Rolaids Reliever of the Year Award that year when he led the National League with 47 saves. He won 20 games and saved 128 in his injury-shortened seven-year career.

Scott Podsednik, outfielder mostly for the #WhiteSox and #Brewers, was born #OTD in 1976. An All-Star in 2005 as a member of the World Series winners, he led the league with 70 steals in 2004 and was runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 2003.

Fernando Rodney, reliever for the #Tigers, #Rays and others, was born #OTD in 1977. A three-time All-Star, he had 20 saves seven times, leading the American League with 48 saves in 2014. He won 48 games and saved 327 with a 3.80 ERA in his 17-year career.

Dwayne Murphy, centerfielder mostly for the #Athletics, was born #OTD in 1955. An excellent defender, he won six consecutive Gold Gloves and led the league in putouts three times and outfield assists once. He stole 20 bases twice and hit 20 homers three times.