Ken Wood (baseball player)
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Lanier Wood was an American
right
and left fielder
in Major League Baseball
who played for the St. Louis Browns
(1948–1951), Boston Red Sox
(1952) and Washington Senators
(1952–1953). He batted and threw right-handed.
Wood was born in Lincolnton, North Carolina
. A reserve outfielder with a strong arm, he debuted with the St. Louis Browns in 1948. He never batted
higher than .237 in a season. Yet in 1950 he hit 13 home run
s and posted career numbers with 42 runs
, 24 doubles
, 62 runs batted in
and 128 games played
, and in 1951 hit a career-high 15 home runs with 40 runs and 44 RBI in 109 games. He also appeared in part of two seasons with the Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators and played his final game in 1953.
In a six-season career, Wood was a .224 hitter with 34 home runs and 143 RBI in 342 games.
Wood died at age 83 in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
. According to his obituary, after his baseball career he worked for 28 years for Prudential Insurance Company
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
right
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
and left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder 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 Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played for the St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(1948–1951), Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(1952) and Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
(1952–1953). He batted and threw right-handed.
Wood was born in Lincolnton, North Carolina
Lincolnton, North Carolina
Lincolnton is a city in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States, within the Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 10,683 at the 2010 census. Lincolnton is located northwest of Charlotte, on the South Fork of the Catawba River, and near the junction of State Highway 27 and U.S. Route...
. A reserve outfielder with a strong arm, he debuted with the St. Louis Browns in 1948. He never batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
higher than .237 in a season. Yet in 1950 he hit 13 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and posted career numbers with 42 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
, 24 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 62 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
and 128 games played
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
, and in 1951 hit a career-high 15 home runs with 40 runs and 44 RBI in 109 games. He also appeared in part of two seasons with the Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators and played his final game in 1953.
In a six-season career, Wood was a .224 hitter with 34 home runs and 143 RBI in 342 games.
Wood died at age 83 in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
North Myrtle Beach is a coastal resort city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was created in 1968 from four existing municipalities north of Myrtle Beach, and serves as one of the primary tourist towns along the Grand Strand...
. According to his obituary, after his baseball career he worked for 28 years for Prudential Insurance Company
Prudential Financial
The Prudential Insurance Company of America , also known as Prudential Financial, Inc., is a Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 500 company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services to both retail and institutional customers throughout the...
.