Tom Ragland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tom Ragland |
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| Second baseman | |||
| Born: June 16, 1946 Talladega, Alabama, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 5, 1971, for the Washington Senators | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 29, 1973, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .231 | ||
| Home runs | 0 | ||
| Runs batted in | 14 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Thomas "Tom" Ragland is a former American baseball player. He was born on June 16, 1946. Tom played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for three seasons. He was mostly a second baseman. He played for the Washington Senators, Texas Rangers, and Cleveland Indians.
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Tom Ragland's Early Life and Start in Baseball
Tom Ragland was born in Talladega, Alabama. He grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He went to Northern High School there.
Tom started his professional baseball journey in 1965. He was chosen by the Washington Senators. This happened in the first-ever amateur draft. He was picked in the 15th round.
Reaching the Major Leagues
It took a few years for Tom to reach the big leagues. He played for several minor league teams first. In 1971, he finally joined the Washington Senators. This was the team's last year playing in Washington.
Playing for the Senators and Rangers
Tom Ragland played his first MLB games in 1971. He had chances to play at the start and end of that season. In 1972, the team moved. They became the Texas Rangers.
Tom spent the first part of 1972 in Triple-A with the Denver Bears. Triple-A is a high level of minor league baseball. He was called up to the Rangers in July. He played in 25 games that year. He got ten hits. In November 1972, he was traded. He went to the Cleveland Indians.
Time with the Cleveland Indians
Tom Ragland played the whole 1973 season with the Cleveland Indians. He played in 67 games. He started 50 of them as the team's second baseman. He had a good batting average of .257. This means he got a hit in about 25.7% of his turns at bat. He collected 47 hits that season.
After the 1973 season, his contract was sold. He went to the Houston Astros team. However, he did not play for the Astros in the MLB. He played the entire year back in Triple-A for the Denver Bears. After that season, he retired from playing baseball.
Tom Ragland's Career Numbers
In his 102 games in Major League Baseball, Tom Ragland had 61 total hits. He hit nine doubles. A double is when a batter hits the ball and reaches second base safely. He also hit one triple. A triple is when a batter reaches third base safely. He was also credited with 14 runs batted in (RBIs). An RBI means a player's hit caused a teammate to score a run. His lifetime batting average was .231.
After Baseball
After retiring from playing, Tom Ragland returned to the Detroit area. He worked at a local milk-processing plant. He also worked as a scout for the Texas Rangers. A scout helps find new talented players. Tom is also a member of the Detroit High School Hall of Fame.
