Wally Moses
Encyclopedia
Wallace Moses was a right fielder
in Major League Baseball
. From 1935 through 1951, he played for the Philadelphia Athletics
(1935–1941, 1949–1951), Chicago White Sox
(1942–1946) and Boston Red Sox
(1946–1948). Moses batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Uvalda, Georgia
.
, where he batted .316 in 1934. He debuted with the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1935 season. He batted over .300 each of his seven years with them, with a career-best .346 in his sophomore year.
Moses had by far his most productive season in 1937, when he hit career-highs in home run
s (25), RBI
(86), runs
(113), hits
(208) and doubles
(48), batting .320 with 13 triples
. In 1939
, he missed a World Series
opportunity when his trade to the Detroit Tigers
for Benny McCoy
was nullified by Baseball Commissioner
K.M. Landis
. The verdict made several Tigers free agent
s.
Through years of last place finishes with Philadelphia, Moses had little chance to display his speed on the basepaths. But in 1943, with the Chicago White Sox, he posted a career-high 56 stolen bases and co-led the American League
in triples (12). A strong-armed right fielder, he led the AL in putout
s (329) in 1945.
In the 1946 World Series
with the Boston Red Sox
, Moses hit .417 (5-for-12) and tied a WS record with four hits in a game. He finished his career with the Athletics in 1951.
In a 17-season career, Moses hit .291 with 89 home runs and 679 RBI in 2012 games played
. He added 1,124 runs, 2,138 hits, 435 doubles, 110 triples and 174 stolen bases. A patient hitter with a good eye, Moses collected a 1.80 walk-to-strikeout ratio
(821-to-457). He also made the American League All-Star team in 1937 and 1945.
Following his playing career, Moses was a coach
for the Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies
, Cincinnati Reds
, New York Yankees
and Detroit Tigers
from 1952 through 1970. He was known as one of the foremost batting instructors of the time.
Moses died in Vidalia, Georgia
, just two days after his 80th birthday.
Moses was the last 20th century Athletics player with a 200-hit season. He had 208 in 1937. Sixty-five years later, Miguel Tejada
collected 204 (October 5). The reason Wally never excelled in his career beyond the 1937 season was because of an injury that Connie Mack refused to have corrected. At the end of the 1937 season it became clear that Wally was one of the best offensive weapon in major league baseball. He went to Mack requesting a $2500. a year raise. Mack waited. Moses was finally offered a 2 year contract three days before the season began. He received $37,500 a year which was near the top of baseball. Mack made him play a game against a minor league team at this time. He hit a ball into the gap and while sliding into second the shortstop came down on his collarbone trying to take the throw. Wally's collarbone was broken, he laid in the hospital for 3–4 days before Mack O.K.ed the operation to set the bone. Wally had to have the collarbone broken and reset by the doctors and from that time on he did not have the ability to bring his arm to his body normally. Talk to any Hall of Fame hitter from the 1060s to the Late 1970s and they will all tell you that they could not wait to talk to Wally if they were in a funk. That only happened when they were on their way out of town after the last game of the stand. Wally coached Mantle and Maris in 1961 aand 1962 their most productive years. H was hitting coach for Detroit in 1968. He has more hits then games played and probably belongs in the Hall of Fame when his playing and coaching accomplishments are really looked at closely.
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...
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...
. From 1935 through 1951, he played for the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
(1935–1941, 1949–1951), Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
(1942–1946) and 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"...
(1946–1948). Moses batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Uvalda, Georgia
Uvalda, Georgia
Uvalda is a city in Montgomery County, Georgia, United States. The population was 530 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Vidalia Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Uvalda is located at ....
.
Baseball career
Moses started his professional career with Galveston of the Texas LeagueTexas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
, where he batted .316 in 1934. He debuted with the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1935 season. He batted over .300 each of his seven years with them, with a career-best .346 in his sophomore year.
Moses had by far his most productive season in 1937, when he hit career-highs in 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 (25), RBI
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...
(86), 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...
(113), hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
(208) and 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....
(48), batting .320 with 13 triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
. In 1939
1939 World Series
The 1939 World Series featured the three-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Cincinnati Reds, who were making their first Series appearance since the scandal-tainted 1919 World Series. The Yankees swept the Series in four games for the second time in a row, winning their record...
, he missed a World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
opportunity when his trade to the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
for Benny McCoy
Benny McCoy
Benjamin Jenison McCoy was a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics . Listed at 5' 9". 170 lb., he batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
was nullified by Baseball Commissioner
Baseball Commissioner
The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive of Major League Baseball and its associated minor leagues. Under the direction of the Commissioner, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts...
K.M. Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis was an American jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and as the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death...
. The verdict made several Tigers free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
s.
Through years of last place finishes with Philadelphia, Moses had little chance to display his speed on the basepaths. But in 1943, with the Chicago White Sox, he posted a career-high 56 stolen bases and co-led the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
in triples (12). A strong-armed right fielder, he led the AL in putout
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
s (329) in 1945.
In the 1946 World Series
1946 World Series
-Game 1:Sunday, October 6, 1946 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, MissouriThe Red Sox won Game 1 when Rudy York hit a home run into the left field bleachers.-Game 2:Monday, October 7, 1946 at Sportsman's Park in St...
with the 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"...
, Moses hit .417 (5-for-12) and tied a WS record with four hits in a game. He finished his career with the Athletics in 1951.
In a 17-season career, Moses hit .291 with 89 home runs and 679 RBI in 2012 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,...
. He added 1,124 runs, 2,138 hits, 435 doubles, 110 triples and 174 stolen bases. A patient hitter with a good eye, Moses collected a 1.80 walk-to-strikeout ratio
Walk-to-strikeout ratio
In baseball statistics, walk-to-strikeout ratio is a measure of a hitter's plate discipline and knowledge of the strike zone. Generally, a hitter with a good walk-to-strikeout ratio must exhibit enough patience at the plate to refrain from swinging at bad pitches and take a base on balls, but he...
(821-to-457). He also made the American League All-Star team in 1937 and 1945.
Following his playing career, Moses was a coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
for the Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
from 1952 through 1970. He was known as one of the foremost batting instructors of the time.
Moses died in Vidalia, Georgia
Vidalia, Georgia
Vidalia, is a city in Toombs and very slightly into Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,491. It is the largest city in Toombs, but is not the county seat...
, just two days after his 80th birthday.
Moses was the last 20th century Athletics player with a 200-hit season. He had 208 in 1937. Sixty-five years later, Miguel Tejada
Miguel Tejada
Miguel Odalis Tejada was a Major League Baseball infielder who has played for the San Francisco Giants, the San Diego Padres, the Houston Astros, the Baltimore Orioles and the Oakland Athletics...
collected 204 (October 5). The reason Wally never excelled in his career beyond the 1937 season was because of an injury that Connie Mack refused to have corrected. At the end of the 1937 season it became clear that Wally was one of the best offensive weapon in major league baseball. He went to Mack requesting a $2500. a year raise. Mack waited. Moses was finally offered a 2 year contract three days before the season began. He received $37,500 a year which was near the top of baseball. Mack made him play a game against a minor league team at this time. He hit a ball into the gap and while sliding into second the shortstop came down on his collarbone trying to take the throw. Wally's collarbone was broken, he laid in the hospital for 3–4 days before Mack O.K.ed the operation to set the bone. Wally had to have the collarbone broken and reset by the doctors and from that time on he did not have the ability to bring his arm to his body normally. Talk to any Hall of Fame hitter from the 1060s to the Late 1970s and they will all tell you that they could not wait to talk to Wally if they were in a funk. That only happened when they were on their way out of town after the last game of the stand. Wally coached Mantle and Maris in 1961 aand 1962 their most productive years. H was hitting coach for Detroit in 1968. He has more hits then games played and probably belongs in the Hall of Fame when his playing and coaching accomplishments are really looked at closely.
See also
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- MLB all-time leaders in doubles
- List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
- List of athletes on Wheaties boxes
- List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases