Bill Whaley

 

Bill Whaley was an outfielder for the 1923 St. Louis Browns.

William Carl Whaley was born February 10, 1896, in Indianapolis, to Frank and Anna Whaley. He seems to have had an unstable childhood. Frank first appears in the Indianapolis city directory in 1890, listed as a clerk living at 32 N Mississippi; he then moves almost every year:

1890 clerk, 32 N Mississippi

1891 clerk, 372 S Tennessee

1892 clerk, 115 W Vermont

1893 clerk, 48 N West

1894 clerk, 23 N West

1895 clerk, 48 N West

1896 clerk, 398 W New York

From 1897 through 1900 Frank is not listed in the directory, but the 1900 census shows him as a machinist living in a rented house at 512 Illinois Street, with Anna. They are listed as husband and wife, but under years married it says zero, while Anna is shown as having given birth to one child, who is living, and is presumably William, but no children are said to be living with them. Who is William living with, and is Frank really his father, given that he has been married to Anna less than a year?

Frank returns to the Indianapolis directory in 1901:

1901 machinist, 611 Russell Ave

1902 machinist, 308 W McCarty

1903 machinist, 709 S West

1904 machinist, 906 Church

1905 machinist, 1109 S Capitol Ave

1906 foreman, 1021 S Capitol Ave

1907 machinist, 1021 S Capitol Ave

1908 foreman, 528 E Ohio

1909 machinist, 620 N New Jersey

In 1910 Frank disappears from the directory, then in 1911 Anna has her own listing, as the widow of Frank, and she continues Frank’s penchant for moving:

1911 320 N Adelaide

1912 527 E Miami

1913 514 E Wabash

1914 137 Spring

1915 137 Spring

In 1916 William, now twenty years old, gets his own listing, with Anna parenthetically living with him, as a ball player at 624 E Michigan. He had actually first played professional baseball in 1914 at age 18, for the Streator Boosters of the Class D Illinois-Missouri League, pitching 101 innings in 15 games with a 7-5 record. In 1915 he returned to Streator, now in the Bi-State League, then moved to the Waterloo Jays of the Central Association, still Class D, when the Bi-State League folded. For the Jays he played 42 games but only 16 as a pitcher, hitting .263.

In 1916 William returned to Waterloo but suffered from a sore arm. He went home to recuperate in early June, rejoined the team on June 23, and was released on July 10. He got into 26 games and hit .279, but only pitched four times.

In 1917 William and Anna moved to 531 E Miami. On May 9 it was reported that he had joined the Indiana National Guard; later in the month he signed with the Cedar Rapids Bunnies, back in the Central Association. In his first mound appearance with the Bunnies, on May 27, he pitched a 16-inning shutout, with 12 strikeouts and no walks. He was going great, with a 1.42 ERA, when on July 9 he was removed from a game with a sore arm, then on the 17^th he was released. From the July 18 Cedar Rapids Gazette:

BILL WHALEY IS GIVEN RELEASE

BAD ARM IS CAUSE

Ryan Charges He Refused to Work; Player Says No.

Bill Whaley, star hurler of the Bunnies, is fired. He was given his unconditional release by Manager Ray Ryan yesterday following the team’s return from La Crosse.

News of Whaley’s release is the greatest surprise fans have experienced this season. With a record of more than ten games won and only four lost, Bill was easily the favorite of the local club. He was a pitcher who always attracted fans to the park on his day to work.

In cutting Whaley adrift, Manager Ryan explains that his arm is bad, that Whaley refused to take his regular turn on the mound and that with baseball finances in such critical shape it was impossible to carry him longer.

Whaley on the other hand declares his wing is perfect, that he declined to work only when he was ill and that he will land a job with another club in the Central association or perhaps the American association, in a few days.

Two days later it was reported that Bill had returned to Indianapolis and had been signed by the American Association team there. I didn’t find anything more about him until in August he joined an independent team in Frankfort, Indiana, replacing a pitcher who had been dropped for throwing an emery ball despite having been warned by his manager not to. On August 23 the Kokomo Daily Tribune reprinted a story from the Frankfort Times on the incident, which said:

Bill Whaley is strictly a first class pitcher. He was with the local aggregation in the early part of the season and pitched a few innings against the Danville, Ill., team. When the management considered giving him a steady berth it was too late as he had signed with Cedar Rapids of the Central Association. He remained with the team until the association disbanded because of lack of patronage. Since then he has been at Indianapolis where he is a member of the national guard.

Suffice to say that Whaley will be able to take care of Kokomo Sunday.

Two days later the Daily Tribune added that Bill “is a clean pitcher who does not resort to the use of emery.” Also in 1917 Bill filled out his undated draft registration card; it also shows the 531 E Miami address, gives his occupation as professional baseball player, employed by C.R. Base Ball Association, Cedar Rapids, shows his military experience as five weeks as a private in the infantry [I don’t know when that happened], his appearance as medium height and medium build, and claims a draft exemption due to his mother being a dependent.

In 1918 Bill and Anna moved to 112 N Noble; I don’t know where he played baseball that year. The pair’s 1919 address was 330 N Davidson, and Bill played for the Bay City Wolves of the Class B Michigan-Ontario League, often referred to as the Mint League. A classified ad in the June 18 Bay City Times read: “LOST-Keyring and keys between Forest City House and interurban station, or on Interurban, Bill Whaley, Forest City House.” He played mainly in left field, pitching only occasionally. From the July 16 Bay City Times:

Whaley sure made a beautiful catch in the ninth with Stewart on first. The ball came within a few inches of touching the ground for a safe hit, when the dependable Bill put his scoops under it. Hand it to Whaley, he is some outfielder, and about the classiest in his line in the league.

Same paper, August 15:

Bill Whaley, who fractured an ankle in the first game of a double header here with Flint, on July 30, left to join the team in Kitchener today and will also probably work in the box. Bill is still wearing an ankle brace and probably won’t be able to show his usual speed in the outfield, but will be used whenever possible.

Bill played in 96 of Bay City’s 110 games, hitting .300/.365/.450 with 29 doubles, 11 triples and no home runs in 340 at-bats, stealing 20 bases. He pitched 37 innings in five games, and had a 3-0 record.

Bill and Anna’s 1920 address was 133 N Noble, and Bill returned to the Bay City Wolves. He did more pitching this year, having an 8-5 record and 1.78 ERA in 101 innings in 15 games. He also played 20 games at second and 12 at shortstop in addition to his usual left field duties; he hit .305/.373/.381 in 413 at-bats in 118 games (out of 122).

(This is as good a place as any for an aside on Anna’s method of making some extra money—endorsing patent medicines in newspaper ads. In an Indianapolis Times ad in 1906 she said that two bottles of “Cooper’s New Discovery” cured her stomach trouble; in 1920 she said she had gained 13 pounds as a result of taking “Pepgen” to cure her stomach trouble; and in 1926 she said that “Husky” relieved her dizzy spells, sick headaches, constipation and kidney trouble.)

For 1921 Bill and Anna lived at 708 E New York. Bill was with Bay City again; the Flint Journal reported on April 9:

The local directors look for Whaley to be a world-beater, and confidently predict that he will show the speed and dash that characterized his playing in 1919 before fracturing his ankle. And Bill’s contract calls for him to pitch at least one game per week, so the Wolves are certain to win a few contests, judging from the ability he displayed last season.

Bill actually only pitched in eight games that year, with a 3-0 record and 0.96 ERA in 28 innings. Otherwise he was the left fielder again, this season playing next to Kiki Cuyler in center. Bill hit .328/.412/.471 with 28 doubles, 14 triples and two homers, and 21 stolen bases, in 433 at-bats in 116 games. From the October 15 Bay City Times:

BILL WHALEY TAKES UP LOCAL BUSINESS

While baseball as a reality has sunk into oblivion, members of the hot-stove league will be gratified to know that a year round rendezvous has been established in the city where baseball games and talk will be run over at any time of the day or evening. The place is none other than the billiard hall in the rear of Tommy’s messenger store and is operated by none other than William (Bill) Whaley, dependable Wolf left fielder and pitching artist de luxe.

Bill has decided that Bay City is the place for him not only when chasing flies in the left pasture of Clarkson park, when the warm rays of Old Sol are beaming but also when the blustery winds of old Jack Frost hold sway in the local city. Taken as a whole the announcement ought to please local baseball fans who can get first hand news of all late national past-time and revel in the warmth of a stove as they re-hash all baseball games of the past season and plan for those of the coming year.

It looks like Bill didn’t bring his mother to Bay City, as the 1922 Indianapolis directory has Anna with her own listing, still at 708 E New York, while Bill does not appear. He played left field for the Wolves again, generally batting fourth, and didn’t pitch enough to appear in the official stats. It seems odd for him to have spent four years at the same level when he was doing so well. But on June 23 the Bay City Times reported:

Bill is probably the most dependable player of the team, a timely hitter and a mighty good pitcher when called upon to work in the box. He stands a great chance of going up this year and the fans will be mighty glad to see Bill get a chance in higher company of such is his lot.

And from the Indianapolis Times, August 23:

Another graduate of the Indianapolis sandlots is headed for the big leagues. He is Outfielder Bill Whaley, bought by the St. Louis Browns from the Bay City (Michigan-Ontario League) club. He has been crushing the ball hard and last averages show him hitting .360. In a recent game he got a triple, two doubles and a single.

Whaley is rated a high-class fielder, strong thrower and also possesses the ability to take the mound and pitch effectively. He started as a pitcher, but turned to the outfield because of his slugging prowess.

Whaley will join the Browns at the close of the Mint League season along with Sylvester Simon, Evansville boy with Bay City, who goes to the majors in the same deal with Whaley.

Whaley makes his home with his mother, Mrs. Anna Whaley, 708 E. New York St.

As it turned out, though, Bill did not report to St. Louis after the Mint League season ended, but went back to Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Times reported on September 14 that “Bill Whaley, outfielder and pitcher, has returned from the Bay City club of the Mint League and is ready to fill engagements with semi-pro and State teams” and instructed “Teams desiring his services address 708 E New York St., or call Circle 0617.” He hit .341/.413/.472 for the Wolves, with 32 doubles, 14 triples and one home run in 131 games, and stole 43 bases.

The 1923 Indianapolis directory again lists Anna on her own, still at 708 E New York, for an amazing three-year run of stability. From the St. Louis report in the Sporting News, January 25:

…Possibly most interesting of all was the statement [from Browns general manager Bob Quinn] that Whaley, the youngster secured from Bay City and listed as an outfielder, also has qualities as a first baseman. The significance of this is that if anything should happen to George Sisler, there is a capable substitute in prospect. Whaley in his minor league experience has played first, outfield and pitched; his record shows he can hit, throw and run. Few men available for purchase or draft last year made as good a showing as this aspirant for the job of being Sisler’s understudy.

Indianapolis Times, March 1:

WHALEY MAKES SHOWING

St. Louis Sport Scribes Give Bill a Few Boosts.

Reports from St. Louis are that Bill Whaley, the Indianapolis ball player who is getting a tryout with the Browns, is making a good impression. Whaley was purchased from Bay City in Mint League by the Browns after he had enjoyed a good season last year. The Mound City scribes are impressed with Bill’s ability to play most any position. In the first days at camp Whaley played first base and handled himself well. He has been hitting well, also.

Bill made the Browns as a spare outfielder. He made his major league debut on opening day, at home against the Tigers, pinch-hitting in the eighth for Cedric Durst and flying out to right field. He then sat until May 5, when he drew a walk pinch-hitting for Hub Pruett.

After that Bill didn’t get into a game for two months. The Browns’ outfield of Ken Williams, Baby Doll Jacobson and Jack Tobin was extremely stable, and even though George Sisler missed the entire season due to a severe sinus infection Bill didn’t play an inning at first base—that job was mainly filled by the immortal Dutch Schliebner. Bill got into both games of a doubleheader on July 15, going 0-for-3, and got his first start on the 18^th, playing left field in place of Williams, batting sixth in the order, and having another 0-for-3 day. He then sat on the bench until August 2 in Washington, when he batted leadoff and played right field in Tobin’s place and got his first hit, a single leading off the game against George Mogridge. He played more the rest of the season, including a stretch of eight games in five days in September where he filled in for Jacobson as the center fielder. On September 17 in Washington, in the second game of a doubleheader, he got his lone major league triple, off Walter Johnson. In what would be his only major league season, Bill hit .240/.309/.320 in 50 at-bats in 23 games, mostly as a center fielder and pinch-hitter.

On January 26, 1924, having just signed a new contract with the Browns, Bill was traded along with Charlie Root, Cedric Durst and two other players to the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League for George Lyons and Tony Rego. The Indianapolis Times reported on the 28^th:

WHALEY GOES TO ANGELS

Local Player Displeased With Deal Arranged by Browns

Outfielder Bill Whaley of this city, a member of the St. Louis Americans last season, is not pleased with the deal made by the Browns Sunday in which he is slated to go to the Los Angeles team of the Pacific Coast League…

Whaley said today he prefers to play in the middle west or east. He doesn’t like to go to the coast.

Bill was expected to be a backup outfielder for the Angels, but he played in 179 of the team’s 200+ games. On April 19 the Bay City Times quoted an unnamed Los Angeles paper’s story on the opening game of the season:

Fielding thrills of the day were provided by Whaley of the Angels who played center field when Durst was jerked away from Seattle’s left handed pitching. He came tearing in on Bowman’s short fly to center in the first, timed his lunge perfectly and dived at the ball, turning a somersault as handily as Walter Carlisle in his palmiest days. He came up with the ball.

On June 9 an item appeared in several newspaper that “Outfielder Bill Whaley and Pitcher Johnny Walters of Los Angeles were fined $10 each and suspended a day for arguing with an umpire.” The Sporting News reported on June 12:

LOS ANGELES BRACES UP WITH ADDITIONAL HITTING

Walton Cruise Has Served to Bring Team Out of Lethargy; Bill Whaley Fine Lead-Off Man

…But the big sensation of the Angels’ play has been the work of Bill Whaley. The former St. Louis outfielder has proven the best lead-off man the Seraphs have had in years. Out of 24 trips to the plate against Salt Lake he reached first 19 times. In each of the eight games he was on base the first time up. Manager Marty Krug was so satisfied with the work of Whaley, who has been playing right field that when “Babe” Twombly, the regular man for that position who had been out because of injuries, was able to get into the game, he switched Whaley to third base.

Bill, who also played some second base, hit .328 with a .432 slugging percentage in 704 at-bats, with 61 doubles, three triples and two homers. A short item in the November 24 Richmond Times Dispatch read:

Whaley Quits Basketball.

Believing that his slow start last season was due to his activities on the basketball floor, Outfielder Bill Whaley, of the Los Angeles Club, has decided to give up the tossing game. He is a crack player and recently turned down a nice offer from an Eastern professional five.

He found other things to occupy his time, though. From the January 2, 1925, Indianapolis Times:

Roller Skate Team

The Y.W.C.A. skating rink has a team composed of young men playing basketball and roller polo on skates. The team has a series of three games scheduled with the Riverside rink team. The squad is made up of Nels, Toy, Kurtz, Monroe, Carmin, Justice and Keifer. Managers of the Cumberland, Newcastle and Franklin rinks address Bill Whaley, 818 Christian Pl., or call Circle 6607.

They seem not to have had much time to call him, though, as on January 20 Bill was reported to be playing baseball for Vernon in the California Winter League. On February 7 the San Francisco Chronicle got to the story of Bill giving up basketball, calling him a “dark-skinned lad,” the first reference I found to his skin tone, but not the last. He returned to the Angels and started the season at third base; from a description of opening day in the Sporting News’ Los Angeles report in the April 16 issue:

Billy Whaley, at third base for Los Angeles, provided the fans with some real thrills. Whaley played the outfield last season but the Angels needed a third sacker this year, so Manager Marty Krug decided to shift him to that bag.

Whaley is a bit crude around third base but he gets everything that comes his way. One ball hit in his direction took a bad hop and Whaley stopped it with his chest. He put his foot in the way of another one.

By the end of April, though, Krug had inserted himself back in the lineup at third and Bill, who hadn’t been hitting, spent some time on the bench. On June 25 the Sporting News reported that the Angels had asked waivers on Bill, but he stayed on the team, and played quite a bit in the outfield, and some more at third, despite never getting going at the plate. He hit just .257 with a .339 slugging percentage in 404 at-bats in 135 games.

On November 3 Bill married Jessie Graves, formerly of Louisville, Kentucky, in Los Angeles. I don’t know where they lived; Bill did not appear in the Indianapolis directory between 1921 and 1932, though his mother did, moving most years. In January 1926 the Angels sold his contract to the Little Rock Travelers of the Class A (one lower than the PCL) Southern Association.

In March Bill reported to the Travelers for spring training, and on the 14^th a picture of him with his new car appeared in the Arkansas Gazette, with the caption:

Bill wasn’t smiling at the photographer when this picture was snapped at Kavanaugh Field between training spells last week—it was his new Nash. Whaley says he isn’t up on the expressions one uses when enthusiastic over a motor car, but he’s willing to say this new model Nash sedan is a whiz. Power, beauty and performance—all at your finger tips…

From a report on Cleveland Indians spring training by Eddie Ash in the April 1 Indianapolis Times:

Joe Comello, rookie from Cincinnati, and his uncle, Tony Comello, who accompanied Joe to Hot Springs, got along very well while they were here with the exception of one thing—they missed their spaghetti, especially Tony, who fairly pours it in. Bill Whaley, Indianapolis boy with Little Rock, has a bronze complexion and was mistaken for a spaghetti eater by Tony. And everybody had a laugh on Bill.

It was reported that Bill would be playing second base for Little Rock, but when the season began he was in the outfield. He was hitting .273 when, on June 29, the Travelers sold him to the New Orleans Pelicans, of the same league. As a result he moved from the last place team to the first place one; Little Rock was having financial difficulties and needed the money, while New Orleans could afford to sign Bill as a utility man. He ended up playing most of the time, at a variety of positions, and the Pelicans won the pennant. He hit .290 and slugged .392 in 452 at-bats, with 17 doubles, seven triples, and five home runs.

After the season Bill was sent to Omaha of the Western League, also Class A, as the player to be named later in a previous trade. A January 15, 1927, article in the Bay City Times called him a “rusty-skinned outfielder.” At the end of spring training he was acquired by the Lincoln Links, also of the Western League, where he played in just 17 games, hitting .241, before being sent to the Terre Haute Tots of the Class B Three-I League in early July. On July 24 the Bay City Times reported:

One of the sluggers of the Three-I league this year is Bill Whaley, sun-browned outfielder who has been jumping about the country, playing in many leagues, since he left Bay City a few years back…He is hitting in cleanup position almost daily.

Two days later the Decatur Review reported that Bill had been suspended ten days without pay, though it didn’t say why. On August 5 it was reported that he had been released; a few days later he was snapped up by Terre Haute rivals the Decatur Commodores. Between the two teams he hit .270/.353/.384 in 419 at-bats in 111 games.

Bill’s 1928 is a little murky. He started the season with Erie of the Class B Central League, where he played until mid-May and hit .296 in 81 at-bats. From there he moved to Spartanburg of the Sally League, also Class B. He hit .302/.365/.374 in 54 games there, but, as the Knoxville News-Sentinel reported on July 31:

Whaley Fired By Spartans For Drinking

Special to The News-Sentinel

SPARTANBURG, S.C., July 31.—“Bill” Whaley, Spartanburg right fielder, was unconditionally released Monday afternoon [30^th]. The action, by J. Wirron Willson, president of the local club, was the result of Whaley’s being arrested Sunday night at a prominent corner of the business section of the city on charges of being drunk and disorderly. He was alleged to have used profanity in profusion before and after the arrest. He was fined $50 in police court Monday…

From there Bill returned to the Central League, catching on with Fort Wayne, where he finished the season. He hit less than .200 there, giving him final Central League stats for the year of .248/.276/.395 in 40 games.

For 1929 Bill somehow made his way to Lynn of the Class B New England League, where he had a comeback season at age 33. He hit .333/.414/.412 with 19 doubles, nine triples, no homers and 19 stolen bases in 466 at-bats in 126 games, playing mostly in the outfield. After the season he went back to Indianapolis, where he played some more baseball for local teams and then played basketball over the winter. In 1930 he hit .278 in 11 games for Augusta of the Sally League, but I didn’t find anything about what he was doing the rest of the season.

For 1931 Bill caught on with the High Point Pointers of the Class C Piedmont League. The High Point Enterprise reported on March 18:

Bill Whaley, outfielder, reported and does not look to be his twenty-seven [35] years old, but he should know how old he is. Bill has had five [at least 16] years pro experience, is said to be fast and to know the game. We believe he must be good or the St. Louis Browns would not have taken him to the majors in 1923. Whaley is five feet ten and one half inches in height and weighs 170 pounds. In addition to being a good man on the defense he is to be reckoned with on the offense since he has never hit under .300 in pro ball [except for ten times].

From the same newspaper’s report on opening day, from April 30:

Bill Whaley, who has been looking pretty good in spring training, looked nothing short of sensational yesterday, as he went all over the outfield to grab fly balls. In the second frame he made a headfirst dive, landed on his head, and came up holding Packard’s line drive over second, in his glove. It was one of those famous circus catches you hear so much about. Another time he chased way over into rightfield and snagged a hard hit ball with one hand, for another pretty catch. Nice work, Bill.

Bill was with High Point through June 16, then the next day he was playing for Winston-Salem in the same league, with no explanation. After five games there he disappeared until July 11, when the “Semi-Pro and Amateur Baseball Gossip” column in the Indianapolis Times mentioned that he is playing for Memorial in the Sunday School League. That gap in between there is probably when he found time to play 12 games for Clarksburg in the Class C Mid-Atlantic League. In his time in the Piedmont League he played 43 games, hitting .288 with a .406 slugging percentage.

In 1932 Bill returns to the Indianapolis city directory, living with his mother at 511 E Walnut, where she had moved the year before. Apparently Jessie, whom he married in 1925 but I found no mention of afterward, is out of the picture by now. In the March 31 Sporting News it was reported that he had signed a contract with the Durham Bulls of the Piedmont League, now Class B. The April 26 Greensboro Record predicted that Bill would be in the outfield for Durham in the next day’s opener, but the next day it was reported that he had been released. This ended his professional baseball career.

Bill next appeared on June 14 in the Indianapolis Times:

After losing the first two games of the season, the Indianapolis Postoffice nine won four tilts in a row. A game is wanted for next Sunday. For dates get in touch with Bill Whaley, 734 Congress avenue, or call Ta. 5610.

In the June 22 Times Bill got a mention for hitting a triple in the Postoffice team’s fifth straight win, and another for his hitting in the Postoffice kittenball team’s victory—kittenball was an early kind of softball.

In the 1933 Indianapolis directory Bill is listed as a messenger for the Post Office, living at 421 E 9^th, apartment 1, with Anna. On April 28 the Times reported that “Bob Monroe, holder of the city two-mile roller skate speed record, will defend his title Saturday night at the Riverside rink” and named Bill as one of the four challengers who had entered the race so far.  On August 14 he was again named as the contact person for “the local postoffice nine” who “would like to schedule an out-of-town game for Sunday.”

In the 1934 directory Bill is now a special messenger for the Post Office, and he and Anna have of course moved again, to 222 E 10^th, apartment 3. On March 21 he was mentioned in the Times as one of the players asked to attend a meeting of the Indianapolis Reserves, who “will play in a fast Saturday afternoon league and on the road on Sundays.” Also in the Times, he was named on December 6 as the leading scorer for the Brinks Inc. basketball team in their 31-20 loss in the Co-operative League.

In 1935 a miracle happened, as Bill and Anna stayed at the 10^th Street address. It was a noteworthy year for another reason, as on June 25 Bill got married again, to Ann Daly. The 1936 directory showed Bill, Ann, and Anna still at the same address, but on Christmas Anna died of hypostatic pneumonia.

With Anna gone, Bill and Ann settled in, for a little while, at 222 E 10^th. In 1938 his occupation became “lab,” and Ann got her own listing as a saleswoman for L.S. Ayres & Company. In the 1940 directory Bill is listed as a clerk, and they have moved two houses down to 228 E 10^th, no longer with an apartment number. The 1940 census, taken on April 6, also shows the 228 address, and says that they were paying $30 a month rent. Ann, 34, born in Massachusetts, has three years of college, worked 40 hours the previous week as a saleslady in a department store, and worked 52 weeks in 1939 for $1352. Bill, 44, worked 14 hours the previous week as a caretaker for their lodgers’ rooms, and is categorized as an unpaid family worker. They have four lodgers, all men between 19 and 22 years old.

In the 1942 directory they’re still at 228 E 10^th, Ann is still a saleswoman for L.S. Ayres, while Bill has no occupation listed. Then, on March 3, 1943, after a hospital stay of a week, Bill died of cirrhosis of the liver, at age 47. The AP item on his death ran as follows:

INDIANAPOLIS, March 3—William “Bill” Whaley, 47, a retired baseball player who played with the St. Louis Browns and in the Pacific Coast League, died today after a year’s illness.

The widow survives.

The Sporting News went into a little more detail in their March 11 issue:

William Carl (Bill) Whaley, a former outfielder, who was with the St. Louis Browns in 1923, died at Indianapolis, Ind., March 3, after a year’s illness. The widow survives.

Whaley was born in Indianapolis, February 19, 1899 [sic], and signed with Cedar Rapids in 1919, to be sent to Bay City, where he remained four seasons, being sold to the St. Louis club late in 1922. After playing 23 games with the Browns in 1923, he was released to Los Angeles in 1924. The Angels sold Whaley to Little Rock in 1926, and he finished that season with New Orleans. Subsequently, he was with Lincoln, Terre Haute, Decatur, Erie, Spartanburg, Fort Wayne, Lynn, Augusta, High Point, Winston-Salem, Clarksburg and Durham, winding up his career with the latter club early in 1932.

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/W/Pwhalb102.htm

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/whalebi01.shtml

Sonny Hogg

 

Sonny Hogg played in two games with the 1934 Brooklyn Dodgers, one as a pinch runner (for Hack Wilson) and one at third base.

Wilbert George Hogg was born April 21, 1913, in Detroit. The major baseball websites call him Bert Hogg, but during his career he was more often called Sonny or Wilbert, and sometimes Bert, Sunny, or Wilbur. He was the second of five children of George and Clara Hogg, both native Michiganders. In the 1920 census the family are living at 889 Fairview Avenue in Detroit; George, 31, works in a powerhouse as a “turban [indecipherable]”—presumably they meant turbine. Clara is 30, Hazel 8, Wilbert 6, Grace 4, Florence 2, and Milton seven months.

In January 1928 14-year-old Wilbert finished in third place in the 220 yard Boys’ Junior Championship at the annual Ford Lake ice skating meet. In February he and Florence, age ten, won the award for best comic costumes in the Grand March at the Detroit Times Gold and Silver Skates Derby at Belle Isle. That summer Wilbert played for East Jefferson A.C. in the Detroit Baseball Federation Class D championships. The next April he and Grace were entered in junior events in the North American Indoor Skating Championships, held in Detroit at Olympia Stadium. From the Detroit Times, March 13, 1930:

3 MEET TODAY IN PLAY-OFF

Three of the city’s most skillful juvenile ping-pong players were to meet this afternoon at 4 o’clock at the Fisher Theater to play off semi-finals in the Detroit Times-Fisher Theater Ping-Pong Tournament.

Their names: Sonny Hogg, 16, of 3973 Fairview avenue, St. Clair Community Center entrant…

Yesterday they emerged victorious in the elimination matches held at the various centers…

Hutchins and the other boys who play in the finals Saturday will be awarded two guest tickets each to the current Fisher Theater attraction, Gary Cooper in “Seven Days’ Leave.” The winner of Saturday’s match will be eligible to compete in the championship matches, to be held at the end of the tournament, when three handsome silver cups and two silver placques will be awarded. The tournament is open to all Detroit lads between the ages of 10 and 16.

The following month came the 1930 census. As mentioned in the newspaper, the family was now living at 3973 Fairview Avenue; they owned the house, valued at $8000. George was now an engineer at the electric company, and 17-year-old Hazel was a bookkeeper for a bank; the other children were in school.

Sonny graduated from Southeastern High School in Detroit in 1931. His entry in his senior annual reads “Foch; House Basketball; Varsity Baseball; ‘S’ Club; Varsity Skating; House Tennis; Glee Club,” and lists Michigan State Normal as his planned college. A normal college was a teacher-training school, and Michigan State Normal is now Eastern Michigan University; Sonny went there from 1931-33. The only mention of him I found during that period is a Detroit Times article from 9-15-32 which shows him playing third base for Grand Trunk, Class A champions of the Detroit Baseball Federation, who were moving on to the national amateur baseball tournament.

The 1932 national amateur baseball tournament was held in Dayton, Ohio, and Sonny’s play there led to a 1933 tryout with the Dayton Ducks of the Class C (we’re talking Class C professional now, not Detroit’s levels of sandlot baseball) Mid-Atlantic League. He became their regular third baseman, hitting .263 and slugging .346 on 18 doubles, nine triples and one home run, in 471 at-bats in 128 games. A September 21 Sporting News item said that he had reported to the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom Dayton had an affiliation, but if he did he didn’t play in a game there. A December item said that he would report to them for spring training.

Sonny started the 1934 season back at third base for Dayton, and was hitting .200 in 11 games when on May 30 he was purchased by the Dodgers and called up after Jim Bucher broke his ankle. The move seems not to have excited people in Brooklyn. From Dan Parker’s syndicated column of June 6:

Brooklyn, in sixth place, is outdrawing most of the other major league clubs. Yet the tightwads who hold the Dodgers’ money bags wouldn’t open up the purse strings for Casey Stengel to get a capable utility infielder when three of his infielders were laid up with injuries. Instead, they sent down to the Mid-Atlantic League for a 20-year-old [21] lad named Wilbert Hogg. (How appropriate a name!)…

And from the Brooklyn report in the next day’s Sporting News:

In the meanwhile, Ebbets Field, casting around for an infielder, produced a lad named Wilbert Hogg, third baseman with the Dayton club of the Middle Atlantic League. Inasmuch as Hogg last year had a fielding percentage of .900 [.909] and a batting average of .263 at Dayton, the rank and file of Brooklyn fans weren’t expecting a lot.

But by the time these pieces appeared, Sonny’s major league career had come and gone. The Detroit Times ran an article on him on June 3:

HOGG IN GAME HIS FIRST DAY WITH DODGERS

Detroit Youngster Called on to Run for ‘Hack’ Wilson in 16-Inning Contest

By Vic Packman

It was getting late Friday evening and Boston and Brooklyn were going into the sixteenth inning with the score tied at 7-all.

A rookie in the Brooklyn dugout, his first day in a Dodger uniform, was wondering if he could break into the lineup and, if so, how soon would that big moment arrive.

That rookie was Wilbur “Sonny” Hogg, a Detroit boy, who barely had enough time to pack his bag and catch the train out of Dayton, O., Thursday night. He was bound for the big leagues.

Yes, a Detroit boy was heading for the big time. Wilbur, he doesn’t like to be called by that name [after all it’s not his name], was hurrying to Boston, Mass., to join the Dodgers. He thought he’d never get there.

Hogg got there all right, jumped into a uniform and worked out in the infield before the game. All rookies work out before the game starts, but after that they just sit and watch the regulars go through their paces.

For 15 innings Hogg just sat and watched.

The great “Hack” Wilson, small and roundish, got on base in the first half of the sixteenth inning.

“Hack” Wilson was tired, no doubt, or maybe he’s not so fast as he used to be.

“Sonny” got his chance. He couldn’t have been more excited in his 21 years when the umpire behind the plate shouted “Hogg now running for Wilson.”

Yes, Hogg finally broke into a major league box score.

The Detroit lad probably will get the assignment at third or short any day now, since the Dodgers have been using the veteran Lopez, first-string catcher, at the hot corner.

Hogg no doubt would have been a regular today. He lacked the funds to make the trip to the spring training camp when the Dodgers had strings on him. Sonny went back to Dayton, Brooklyn farm.

Hogg broke into pro baseball last season, quitting Michigan State Normal College in the Spring.

Dayton scouts picked up the local youngster when Grand Trunk, D.B.F. Class A champion in 1932, was playing in the national amateur tournament in Dayton. Grand Trunk went to the finals and Hogg’s play was the highlight of the tourney.

Sonny, who comes from a family of athletes now residing at 3973 Fairview, is a versatile athlete.

While a freshman at Normal, Hogg won the frosh tennis, golf and ping-pong championships. In 1929 and 1939 he captured the municipal horseshoe pitching crowns. He’s a fine skater, having won the junior championship in the 1930 Winter Sports Day at Belle Isle…

He is 21 years old and stands five-eleven and weighs about 160 pounds. He is a stocky fellow and appears to be much heavier.

The pinch-running appearance was on June 1. The next day, also in Boston, he replaced Joe Stripp at third base in the middle of the sixth inning with the Dodgers down 12-3. He flied out to right to end the seventh, then didn’t bat again, being on deck when the game ended in a 16-6 Brooklyn loss. He had no chances in the field.

On June 10 the Dodgers signed veteran pitcher Tom Zachary, released by the Braves, and to make room on the roster optioned Sonny to the Richmond Colts of the Class B Piedmont League. The Richmond Times Dispatch reported on the 13^th: “The new second baseman, Wilbert Hogg, sent here by the Brooklyn Dodgers, displayed a perfect knowledge of his position, handling eight chances without a bobble.” He started out batting first or second in the order for Richmond, but eventually moved down to eighth. In August Sonny missed some time due to ptomaine poisoning, and when he returned he was moved to shortstop while the team tried out a new second baseman. He hit just .221 for the Colts in 77 games, but was well-regarded in Richmond; on October 13 the Times Dispatch had this to say:

Wilbert “Sonny” Hogg, who is so nice looking and such a youngster that most of the women fans would like to “mother” him, will be back, too. He played a brilliant game when moved over to shortstop toward the close of the season—and he’ll be kept in that spot.

By then the Dodgers had declined to take up their option on Sonny and he had reverted to the Richmond reserve list.

In February 1935 Sonny, all four of his siblings, and their father as well, were entered in events at Detroit’s Gold and Silver Skates Derby. By spring training the Colts had signed some new infielders and he was squeezed out of a regular job, though he made the team as a utility player. 

In May he made some starts in left field, but on the 16^th he was optioned to the Reidsville (NC) Luckies of the Class D Bi-State League. From the June 7 Greensboro Daily News:

SONNY HOGG RAPID DIAMOND RISE FROM DETROIT’S LOTS

Present Member of Reidsville Luckies Began Career At Age of 10 Years.

IS EXCELLENT CLOUTER

(Special to Daily News.)

Reidsville, June 6.—Infielder Wilbert (Sunday) [sic] Hogg, of the Reidsville Luckies, was ruled off his grade school team in Detroit at the tender age of 10, because they said he was too young to play. But his father, one of the foremost independent players in the motor city, went to bat with the board of education and had his offspring reinstated. He knew Sonny could hold his own with older boys…

In 1932 Sonny made the Detroit team which represented the Grotto to oppose the Shrine in a game at Cleveland, and was a teammate of Tris Speaker in the contest…

Hogg can play either second, third or short and is remarkably fast. He is 22 years old and yet has time to beat back to faster company. A consistent hitting stride, such as he showed in Detroit independent ranks, will get him there in short order.

For Reidsville Sonny hit .253/.317/.390 in 387 at-bats in 97 games, hitting 11 homers to beat his previous best by ten. In the only Reidsville box score I found he was playing shortstop and batting sixth. Apparently he rejoined Richmond after the Bi-State season ended, as there was a mention in the Times Dispatch of September 13 of his being one of four “rookies” not being taken on the trip to Asheville for the championship series. He played in 18 games for the Colts for the year, hitting .258 in 62 at-bats. He was on the Richmond reserve list over the off-season.

In January 1936 Colts owner Eddie Mooers announced his intention to send Sonny to Savannah of the Sally League, which would be a lateral move, saying that he didn’t have room for him. But it didn’t happen, and Sonny went to spring training with Richmond, where he played a lot of second base. 

On April 7 it was his turn to be the focus of the Times Dispatch’s “Know Your Colts” series:

Sonny Hogg, the Colts’ rookie [?] second baseman, has won over 100 medals for speed skating…Sonny’s father teaches figure skating and is rated as one of the best teachers in Detroit…Attended Southeastern High School, which is one of the largest schools in the Motor City…Played basketball and baseball…Was a forward in basketball and played any position in the infield…Sonny also was a member of the school’s speed skating team and still holds the Detroit interscholastic speed skating record for 220 and 440 yards…Sonny has an older sister…Hazel…and he says the two of them are planning to go into vaudeville this winter…Hazel is a good figure skater and Sonny says they should go a long ways…The pair use a slick mat to skate on on the stage…Sonny says it’s just as slick as ice, but after a few performances on it you have to take an iron and press out the dents…[I realize it’s impossible to tell which ellipses are where I’ve left something out and which are simply part of the original article.]

Sonny made the team as a utility infielder, but in May he was placed on the suspended list to get the roster below the limit, and again there was talk of sending him to Savannah. 

However, in early June he was seeing time in right field; then, later in the month, he was left behind on a road trip to the Carolinas. On June 30 he was optioned to Augusta, not Savannah, of the Sally League, where he played right field until being switched to third. On July 18 Richmond owner Mooers announced that he had released Sonny after Augusta announced their intention to return him to the Colts; however, he kept playing third base and batting second for Augusta. On the 26^th he finally made his way to Savannah, being traded by Augusta along with Carl Hubbell’s little brother Merritt for three players. One of the terms of the deal was that after the season Jake Hines, one of the three players, and Sonny would revert to their original teams—which makes sense, given that Augusta didn’t actually own Sonny’s contract, Richmond did.

With Savannah Sonny became the regular third baseman, hitting sixth in the order initially, then later first or second. His final Sally League hitting numbers were .252/.334/.391 with seven homers in 266 at-bats in 68 games—19 with Augusta and 49 with Savannah. While with Richmond he had hit .229/.357/.257 in 35 at-bats in 16 games. After the season Savannah purchased his contract rather than send him back to Augusta (or Richmond).

Over the winter Sonny played for the Friendship team in the Detroit Basketball Federation (not to be confused with the Detroit Baseball Federation). In March 1937 there was a report that he would be back at third base for Savannah, but somehow it didn’t happen, and his pro career was over. He ended up playing for Friendship in the Detroit Baseball Federation (not to be confused with the Detroit Basketball Federation). I didn’t find any information about what happened to him at spring training with Savannah, or if he even made it there.

In 1938 Sonny switched teams, playing third base for Altes in the DBF. He had a big month in September, as on the 18^th Altes won the National Amateur Baseball Federation championship in Pittsburgh, while on the 7^th he had gotten married, in LaGrange, Indiana, to Helen Irene Sinift.

In 1939 Sonny returned to Altes, where he led the DBF’s Class A in hitting at .509, and the team became the first ever to win back-to-back national championships. 

In April 1940 he agreed to leave Altes and play for another DBF Class A club, Paris; that same month his family was counted in the census. Sonny, Helen, and two-month-old George were living in a rented house at 12022 Littlefield Avenue in Detroit; Sonny had worked 37 hours the previous week as a draftsman for the city, and had worked 52 weeks, supposedly, in 1939, earning $2100. On October 16, still just 27 years old, he filled out his draft registration card, which listed the Littlefield Avenue address, the “person who will always know your address” as his uncle Ira Klibbe, his employer as the City of Detroit Police Department (new job), and his appearance as 5-11 165, blue eyes, brown hair, and ruddy complexion.

In 1941 Sonny started appearing in the bowling league results in the Detroit Times, and he returned to third base with Paris in the DBF. I didn’t find his name in any baseball news in 1942, but on December 26 of that year this article appeared in the Times:

POLICE SHOOT PURSE THIEF THIS WEEK

Woman Identifies Purse, Youth As Guilty Person

An 18-year-old youth was taken to Receiving hospital suffering from a bullet wound to the right arm after he had been shot by a policeman, several minutes after police had heard a woman scream, it was disclosed this week.

Louis Crump of 52 East Forest avenue was treated for a compound fracture of the right arm. No statements were taken as he was rushed to the operating room at the hospital.

Police say they were cruising on Ledyard street and saw two men enter Cass Park and a short time later heard a woman scream. A man was then seen leaving the scene by Patrolmen Wilbur Hogg and Joseph Neirynck who fired the several shots at the suspect.

Louis Crump fell and police found a woman’s red purse near him in the alley.

Doris Edmondson arrived and identified the purse as belonging to her, and Crump as the alleged purse snatcher.

Police say Crump has a record of three arrests.

In 1943 Sonny was mentioned as playing baseball for the Detroit Police team in the Detroit Times Servicemen’s League. On January 28, 1945, he and Gladys Nelbock finished second in the “14-step” event in figure skating at the Times Derby at Belle Isle. On April 23 of that year he again got mention in the Times for his police work:

Illicit Liquor Sales Bared

Milwaukee Man Held; 2 Bars Are Involved

A warrant charging Peter J. Weaver, 48 years old, of Milwaukee, Wis., with selling illegal liquor to two Detroit night clubs and official of a war plant was recommended today by Prosecutor Gerald K. O’Brien…

The complaint was signed by Patrolman Wilbert Hogg, of Central Station, who with Patrolman Edward Ward arrested Charles B. Brennan, 2621 Ash street, at 3:15 a.m. Saturday for a traffic violation and found 10 cases of whisky in the back seat of his car…

Sonny then disappears from the newspapers until February 4, 1950, in the Detroit Tribune:

ESTRANGED HUBBY SHOT

An estranged husband rests in Receiving Hospital this week suffering a bullet wound of the upper right leg, as a result of a struggle with his wife and attempt to get a revolver from his right coat pocket.

James Denham, 28, of 87 [?] E. Canfield, was shot by Patrolman Wilbur Hogg who responded to a call of domestic trouble on report of Denham’s wife, Christie last Saturday.

Denham was shot by the patrolman as he scuffled with his wife on a roof over an extension of the Denham home.

Both policemen reported that they went to the Denham residence and was [sic] told by Mrs. Denham that her husband had thrown her down the stairs of the two-story flat, when she refused to allow him to take one of their children out for a second time last Saturday.

Denham, according to police, had a nickel plated revolver in his possession when arrested and had fired one shot, which they heard as they arrived on the scene. Denham is held for investigation of felonious assault.

Detroit Times, same year, March 12:

Baseball Group To Hold School

A free baseball school for young players will be offered this year by the Young and Old Baseball Players Association. Johnny Maiullo is president and Bert Pankratz vice president of the new organization.

Sonny Hogg, former Detroit sandlot star who once played with the Brooklyn Dodgers, will supervise the school. The first meeting will be held Monday at 8 p.m. at the Barlum Hotel.

Judge John D. Watts, Roy Cullenbine, Joe Gentile, Tony Dugray and others will attend…

In 1954 an 18-year-old Detroit sandlot pitcher named Dick Hogg was signed by the Cleveland Indians. The article in the Detroit Times announcing the signing said that he was Sonny’s nephew, but it’s more likely they were cousins; Dick’s father seems to have been named Forrest and I can’t make any direct connection between him and Sonny.

Sonny next turns up in the Detroit Times on September 25, 1956:

Drunk on Duty, Forfeits Leave

Patrolman Wilbert G. Hogg, 43, was charged with drinking on duty in uniform last week and using a scout car to visit bars, was found guilty by a police trial board today and directed to forfeit 26 leave days.

Commissioner Piggins, after hearing testimony about Hogg’s drinking escapades last Wednesday, said:

“One of the most degrading things is to see a policeman in uniform in an intoxicated condition. It is just fortunate that no one was hurt or that the consequences were not more serious.”

Hogg, of 10726 Marne, is attached to Central Precinct and has been a policeman 14 years.

Hogg’s divorce became final today, his wife being awarded custody of their two children.

Hogg met a friend downtown Sept. 19 and together they went to three bars while Hogg’s partner, Patrolman Stanley Belasky, stayed outside in the scout car.

Because of an argument over the price of their drinks in a downtown hotel bar, police headquarters were called and Hogg’s scout car was ordered to report to the station. Belasky drove in, and Hogg, a passenger, was then found in no condition for duty.

The article mentions two children; sometime after George was born in 1940 Sonny and Helen had a daughter, Carol, but I don’t know when. Also, at some point after his divorce from Helen Sonny married a woman named Ruth.

Detroit Times, October 2, 1959:

5 Cheat Death as Wire Falls

Four Conner station policemen and an injured motorist narrowly escaped electrocution early today when a power line fell on the injured man’s car at Gratiot and Georgia.

The policemen were working to remove William A. Dye, 30, of 13515 Greiner from his car when the wire fell. John Puma, 36, of 8917 Clarion, saw the wire about to fall, shouted a warning and the officers jumped away from the car.

Dye, who was stretched out on the front seat, was not touching any of the car’s metal so was unhurt when the wire dropped on the car with an electrical flash and then slid off onto the ground.

Dye, who suffered serious head and back injuries in the crash, was removed to Saratoga General Hospital.

Police said the was driving north on Gratiot at 3:35 a.m. when his car went from the center of the street over the right curb, knocking down a utility pole.

The officers who had the narrow escape were Patrolmen Joseph Joabar, Robert Martz, Wilbert Hogg and Don Hern.

Police could not question Dye to determine the cause of the accident.

A few weeks later came the last mention of Sonny that I found in the bowling league scores in the newspaper—in fact, that was the last mention of him that I found, period. He passed away at age 60 on November 5, 1973, in Detroit. Surviving him were Ruth, George, and Carol.

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/Phoggb103.htm

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hoggbe01.shtml

Reggie Baldwin

 

Reggie Baldwin was a catcher for the Houston Astros in 1978-79.

Reginald Conrad Baldwin was born August 19, 1954, in River Rouge, Michigan, adjacent to Detroit. He attended Southwestern High School in Detroit, where, according to a 1976 article, he hit .500 as a junior catcher and .532 as a senior (1972), leading the state both years, and being named the city’s MVP both years as well. He was also a star quarterback. He got baseball scholarship offers from Arizona State, Grambling, and Wayne State, and chose Grambling.

In 1973 Reggie hit .342 as a freshman and was named to the All-Southwestern Athletic Conference team. In 1974, he hit .385 with seven homers and was named to the NAIA District 30 All-Star first team, and was named Grambling’s MVP.

In 1975 he missed time to a knee injury but hit .444; over the summer he played with the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in Alaska’s summer league for college players. In his senior year he hit .393, was the team’s MVP again, and was named the catcher on the All-American second team. From the Ruston Daily Leader, May 12, 1976:

Tigers’ Baldwin: Big League Next?

By Andrew Harris

Grambling Assistant SID

GRAMBLING—Grambling catcher Reggie Baldwin grew up in the shadows of Detroit’s Tiger Stadium and his fondest dream is to return there as a player—either with the Detroit Tigers, or if worst comes to worst, with another major league team.

Baldwin, Grambling’s team leader for the past four seasons, appears to be a lead pipe cinch to make the grade in professional baseball but whether he returns to the Motor City will be left to a number of things, number one of which will be the upcoming major league draft of college and free agent players.

Baseball experts rate Baldwin among the nation’s top prospects and many believe that he will be a number one draft pick.

Baldwin has all of the tools and figures to impress major league talent scouts…

A line drive hitter, Baldwin feels that his main strength is in his defensive abilities behind the plate. He has a bazooka-like arm and according to his coaches can handle pitchers with the aplomb of a seasoned veteran.

If Baldwin has a weakness it is in his tendency to be inselective at the plate.

“I hit both the fastball and breaking pitches well but I have to develop the patience to wait for my pitch and to hit pitches in the strike zone better. Patience is the key to the whole thing,” he says…

Everywhere Grambling plays Reggie is watched avidly by a corps of scouts from practically every team in the major leagues.

Grambling coach Dr. R.W.E. Jones, who has been at the helm of Tiger baseball for a number of years, says that Baldwin’s chances of making the grade in pro baseball are excellent. He rates him on a par with Ralph Garr and Tommie Agee, past Grambling performers who played in the big leagues.

“Baldwin is a very knowledgeable ballplayer and his greatest asset is his attitude. He is very coachable and keeps his head in the game at all times. He rates among the alltime best here and I feel certain that he will make somebody a great ballplayer,” Dr. Jones says.

Tiger assistant coach Wilbert Ellis is equally impressed with Baldwin saying that the most overlooked thing about the big catcher is his leadership ability.

Reginald Baldwin is also a great student in the classroom. In four years at Grambling he has a cumulative average of 3.4 on a 4.0 system. He is an accounting major.

His knowledge of numbers could come in handy if he becomes a first round draft choice later this spring.

In the June 9 draft Reggie was the first player taken in the third round, by the Astros. He quickly signed a contract and was assigned to the Covington Astros of the Rookie class Appalachian League. He played in 63 of the team’s 70 games, catching 51, and hit .286/.309/.457; he tied for second in the league in RBI with 54. He was named to the league’s all-star team, and Topps selected him as the catcher on their Short-Season A/Rookie League all-star team.

From the February 19, 1977, Sporting News:

[Bob] Watson is among several veteran Astros predicting future greatness for young catcher Reggie Baldwin, a Grambling University prospect who was a high draft choice last year. He has been working out in the Astrodome this winter.

By this time Reggie had been ordained as a Baptist minister, a fact that I first found reference to in the March 25 Lubbock Avalanche Journal. This was the same day that he was reassigned from Houston’s major league spring training camp, to which he had been invited, to the minor league camp; among the others sent down at the same time were Terry Puhl, Bruce Bochy, Luis Pujols, and Dave Smith. He ended up with the Columbus (Georgia) Astros of the Class AA Southern League, skipping over Class A entirely. On June 4 the Sporting News ran a feature on him:

‘Rev.’ Mixes Preaching and Playing

By Allan Morris

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—Reggie Baldwin doesn’t see any conflict between being a minister and a professional baseball player.

“In fact,” said the Columbus (Southern) catcher, “I get to reach a lot more people and talk with them in my baseball travels.” Just as he did here when Columbus came to Chattanooga for a series.

Baldwin, whose nickname among the players is “Rev,” is a minister of the Mayflower Institution Missionary Baptist Church of Detroit. He was ordained last January…

He plans to continue his baseball career from March through September, with the hope of eventually reaching the major leagues. In the meantime, he will serve in the pulpit during the fall and winter before devoting himself fully to the ministry after his baseball days are over.

But even during the season, he finds time for preaching. He gave the invocation at opening-day ceremonies in Columbus and also at Montgomery, when the Astros opened the season there.

“During spring training, I was able to hold services for the players—major and minor leaguers—and there was real participation,” he said. “And usually, I can take part at a Baptist church on Sunday evenings, both at home and on the road.

“I know there is usually profanity on the bench and in the clubhouse, but I’ve been in sports all my life and I can turn that off,” he added. “I think my teammates respect me and my religious beliefs—and I’ve been associated with a great bunch of guys always.”

On July 7 Reggie was on the Southern League all-star team that played a game against the Atlanta Braves at Chattanooga. He ended the season hitting .282/.306/.417 in 348 at-bats in 101 games; he struck out just 25 times but walked only five, his OBP being helped a little by eight hit-by-pitches. At the end of the Southern League season he was called up to AAA Charleston, where he had four singles in 11 at-bats in three games. He then went back to Columbus and helped them win the league championship series in four straight games.

In 1978 Reggie went to spring training with Houston again, and again he was sent to Columbus. On May 21, though, he was recalled by Houston when Wilbur Howard was placed on the disabled list. On the 25^th he made his major league debut in San Francisco, replacing Joe Ferguson at catcher in the middle of the seventh inning with the Astros down 5-1 in a game they ended up losing 9-1. He batted once, making the final out of the game against Ed Halicki on a popup to shortstop Vic Harris.

On the 28^th he came in at catcher for the final inning, after Denny Walling pinch-hit for starter Ed Herrmann, but didn’t bat. On the 29^th he pinch-hit for Joe Niekro, again against Ed Halicki of the Giants, and grounded out to short. On the 30^th and 31^st he got his first two starts, due to Ferguson having been injured in a home plate collision with Darrell Evans, but was held hitless by Bob Knepper and Vida Blue. On June 3 he started again, at home against the Cardinals, and got his first two major league hits, a single off Pete Falcone and a double off John Urrea.

Reggie was the Astros’ primary catcher for a while after that, backed up by Herrmann, as Ferguson remained on the bench. On June 12 against the Pirates he was flattened at home plate by Dave Parker and had to leave the game, though he returned the next day.

From a UPI story from the 14^th, as it appeared in the Tyrone (Pennsylvania) Daily Herald:

Rookie Catcher Sparks 2-1 Astros Win Over Bucs

By Gary Taylor

HOUSTON (UPI)—Reggie Baldwin, a Class AA player until three weeks ago, is on the verge of taking the Houston Astros starting catcher’s job away from Joe Ferguson.

Ferguson, officially, is sidelined with a jammed right shoulder. But he was used in Monday’s game after Baldwin was knocked unconscious on a play at the plate.

“Ferguson could be playing,” a team source said.

Sentiment is high on the team for leaving the hustling rookie catcher in the lineup. He has hit only .214 in 14 games and has not thrown well since being called up from Columbus late last month. But he has struck out only twice in 42 at-bats and has displayed both toughness and power the past two nights.

His first major league home run off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jim Bibby in Tuesday’s Astros victory tied the score and Houston eventually took a 2-1 win on Cesar Cedeno’s runscoring triple in the eighth inning.

More impressive than the home run, however, was Baldwin’s ability to bounce back from his collision with the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Dave Parker Monday night. Baldwin, 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, tried to block the plate as Parker, running full speed, dove into him.

“I’ve never been hit that hard and I played football in high school,” Baldwin said after Houston’s second straight win over the Pirates. “I don’t remember anything about it.”

Baldwin was unconscious for two minutes, but when revived he wanted to stay in the game. It was when he tried to place his chest protector on his left leg that he was led to the lockerroom.

Baldwin Tuesday said he felt no aftereffects and he showed it by starting.

Astros rookie Dennis Walling, who contributed two hits and two stolen bases Tuesday, said, “Reggie is a tough man. He comes back tonight and goes deep on them after getting knocked out.”

Baldwin downplayed his role.

“I was surprised I was called up and I’m just happy that I’ve had the chance to play,” he said. “Joe Ferguson is the number one catcher.”

Reggie did have some complications from the collision, and only started two of the next 13 games, Ferguson starting the others. On June 29 Luis Pujols was called up and immediately installed as the regular. On July 1 Ferguson was traded back to the Dodgers for two players to be named later; since Herrmann had already been traded to the Angels this left just Reggie and Pujols to do the catching. But essentially it was just Pujols, as Reggie made a late-inning appearance behind the plate on July 3 and then was limited to just pinch-hitting. On July 17 he was sent down to Columbus and Bruce Bochy was called up; the Corpus Christi Times reported:

Baldwin has been hampered by a strained tendon in his right shoulder and has been able to hit but not catch. He will be used as a designated hitter in Columbus until he is able to catch, at which time he likely will be recalled to Houston.

On August 16 Reggie was recalled to Houston, when Bob Watson was placed on the DL. He stayed with the Astros the rest of the season, but was used exclusively as a pinch-hitter. His season numbers with Houston were .254/.286/.373 in 67 at-bats in 38 games; with Columbus he was .323/.328/.444 in 133 at-bats in 36 games, with, amazingly, just one walk. On November 14 he underwent surgery to remove loose cartilage fragments from his shoulder.

In February 1979 Reggie signed a new contract with the Astros, and went to spring training to compete for a backup role behind the newly acquired Alan Ashby. He lost out to Bochy, though, and was sent to AAA Charleston, where he backed up Pujols but was mostly used as DH—apparently there were still shoulder issues. On April 24, after he won a game against the Syracuse Chiefs with a three-run homer with two out in the ninth, an article in the Syracuse Herald Journal claimed that he was a Moonie, a follower of Reverend Sun Myung Moon. This did not go over well with Reggie; from the same paper, the next day:

Baldwin has ripped the Chiefs for three HRs and 10 RBI this year and prior to the contest, the ordained Baptist minister from Detroit reaffirmed his faith in God (and Jesus Christ) and denied having any association whatsoever with any religious cult group. “I’ve dedicated my life to serving God,” commented the soft-spoken Baldwin. “I play baseball for God and don’t want to have anything to do with any cult.”

On June 18 (at which point he was hitting .272/.290/.422 in 180 at-bats in 49 games) Reggie was called up to Houston to fill a roster spot created when Bob Watson was traded to the Red Sox. He was used mostly as a pinch-hitter, making three late-inning catching appearances and getting one start at first base. On August 11 he was sent down to AA Columbus when Alan Knicely was brought up; in 22 games, 12 as catcher, he hit .293/.333/.413 in 75 at-bats. After DHing for Columbus in their league championship series loss to Nashville, he was brought back up to Houston, where he pinch-hit in two games. Overall he got into 14 games for the Astros and had four hits in 20 at-bats. After the season the Houston players voted him a ¼ share of their second-place share of the World Series money, which amounted to $463.95; the Sporting News called him “another good prospect if he overcomes a shoulder problem.”

In January 1980 Reggie was invited to spring training with Houston as a non-roster player, but in February he was traded to the Mets for AA third baseman Keith Bodie. He was sent to AAA Tidewater, where he played in 96 games: 35 at catcher, 21 at first base, and the remainder as a DH and pinch-hitter. He hit .273/.314/.386 in 311 at-bats, with a career-high 15 walks. This was the end of his professional baseball career; from the website of Antioch International Ministries:

In January of 1981, God spoke to Apostle Baldwin and told him to leave his baseball career, and to focus his time to study and ministry. In January of 1990 he co-founded Antioch International Ministries with his wife Prophetess Franett Baldwin.

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B/Pbaldr102.htm

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/baldwre01.shtml