Earl Battey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Earl Battey |
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Battey in 1961.
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| Catcher | |||
| Born: January 5, 1935 Los Angeles, California |
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| Died: November 15, 2003 (aged 68) Ocala, Florida |
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| debut | |||
| September 10, 1955, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 27, 1967, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .270 | ||
| Home runs | 104 | ||
| Runs batted in | 449 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Earl Jesse Battey, Jr. (born January 5, 1935 – died November 15, 2003) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). Earl played for the Chicago White Sox from 1955 to 1959. He then joined the Washington Senators, who later became the Minnesota Twins, from 1960 to 1967. In the early 1960s, Earl was one of the best catchers in the American League. He won three Gold Glove Awards in a row from 1960 to 1962.
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Earl's Baseball Journey
Starting with the White Sox
Earl Battey was born in Los Angeles, California. He went to Jordan High School in the Watts area. The Chicago White Sox signed him to play baseball in 1953. He started his career in the minor leagues.
Earl worked hard to improve his skills. In 1955, he played for the Triple-A Charleston Senators. He hit well, with a .269 batting average. This earned him a chance to play in the major leagues. He made his MLB debut with the White Sox on September 10, 1955, when he was 20 years old.
For the next few years, Earl learned from the White Sox's main catcher, Sherm Lollar. Earl played as a backup catcher. In 1958, he hit 8 home runs. The White Sox finished second in their league that year. In 1959, the White Sox won the American League pennant. This meant they were the best team in the American League. However, Earl did not play in the 1959 World Series. The White Sox lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Moving to the Senators and Twins
In 1960, Earl Battey was traded to the Washington Senators. This trade was a big turning point for his career. He became the starting catcher for the Senators. Earl quickly showed how good he was at defense. He led the American League in assists and putouts for four years in a row (1960-1963).
But Earl also started to hit much better. In 1960, he played in 137 games. He hit .270 with 15 home runs and 60 RBIs. He also won his first Gold Glove Award. This award is given to the best defensive player at each position. Earl finished eighth in the voting for the American League Most Valuable Player Award.
In 1961, the Washington Senators team moved. They became the Minnesota Twins. Earl joined a strong team with future Hall of Famers like Harmon Killebrew. Earl had an amazing year in 1961. He finished with a .302 batting average, which was the sixth best in the American League. He also won his second Gold Glove Award.
Earl was chosen to be the starting catcher for the American League in the 1962 All-Star Games. This showed he was one of the top catchers in all of baseball. He played in a career-high 148 games that year. His .280 batting average was the best among all major league catchers. He also set a record by picking off 15 base runners. He won his third Gold Glove Award in a row. The Twins finished second in the American League, which was a big improvement for the team.
In 1963, Earl had his best hitting season. He hit .285 and set new personal records. He hit 26 home runs and had 84 RBIs. He was also chosen for his second All-Star team. He finished seventh in the American League Most Valuable Player Award voting. The Twins again had a strong season, winning 91 games.
Earl continued to be a key player for the Twins. In 1965, he was hitting close to .300 at the middle of the season. He received the most All-Star votes from any American League player for the 1965 All-Star Game. This game was played in the Twins' home stadium. Earl was a big part of the Twins team that won the American League pennant in 1965. They were the best team in the American League. Earl hit .297 that year. He played in every game of the 1965 World Series. However, the Twins lost the series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.
In 1966, Earl was chosen for his fourth and final All-Star game. His last season was in 1967. He played in fewer games because of a thyroid condition. He retired after the 1967 season.
Career Highlights
In his 13 years in Major League Baseball, Earl Battey played in 1,141 games. He had 969 hits and a career batting average of .270. He hit 104 home runs and had 449 RBIs.
Earl was known for his excellent defense. He led the American League four times in assists and putouts. He also led the league three times in runners caught stealing. His career fielding percentage was .990, which is very high for a catcher. He threw out 43.44% of runners who tried to steal a base on him. This is one of the best percentages in baseball history. In 1961, Luis Aparicio, who was the best base stealer in the American League, said Earl Battey was the hardest catcher to steal a base against.
Earl played more games as a catcher than any other player in Minnesota Twins history (831 games). He was named to the Twins' 40th anniversary team in 2000. Earl was also one of the first MLB players to wear an earflap on his batting helmet. He started wearing it in 1961 after breaking his cheekbones twice from being hit by pitches.
Life After Baseball
After he stopped playing baseball, Earl Battey worked as a recreation specialist in New York City. He helped young boys who were having difficulties.
Later, Earl went back to college. He enrolled at Bethune-Cookman University in 1980. He studied very hard and finished his degree in Education in just two and a half years. He also coached the men's basketball team. He graduated with high honors. After college, he became a high school teacher and baseball coach in Ocala, Florida.
Earl also helped with a charity program. This program gave free tickets to New York Yankee games to children. Earl would talk to the kids about baseball and be a "big brother" to them.
Earl Battey passed away from cancer in Ocala, Florida, in 2003, at the age of 68.
In 2004, Earl Battey was chosen for the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame. In 2010, the Twins celebrated their 50th season. Earl was voted as one of the 50 Greatest Twins Players.
Earl's grandson, Evan Battey, plays basketball for the University of Colorado.
Images for kids
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Battey in 1961.
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Earl Battey, around 1965
