Carmen Mauro
Encyclopedia
Carmen Louis Mauro was a professional baseball
outfielder
. He played all or part of four seasons in Major League Baseball
between 1948 and 1953.
Seventeen-year-old Mauro was signed as an amateur free agent by the Chicago Cubs
before the 1944 season. The young outfielder was farmed out to the Lockport Cubs of the class D PONY League, where he appeared in 89 games and hit .294. Carmen spent his first five seasons in the minors, hitting over .300 twice - the first came in 1945 when he had a split season with the class B Hagerstown Owls and the Portsmouth Cubs, hitting .305 with 6 homers and the second came in 1947 when he hit .308 for the Des Moines Bruins
of the class A Western League
.
Mauro got about as late a season call-up as a man could get when the parent Chicago Cubs brought him to Wrigley Field on October 1, 1948 and he appeared in three games, picking up two base hits in five at-bats, his first big league hit being an inside-the-park homer off Murry Dickson
of the St. Louis Cardinals
. He would have two more stints with the Cubs in 1950, hitting .227, and in 1951, when he fell to .172. The Cubbies traded him to the Brooklyn Dodgers
for Toby Atwell
in December. They would send the 25-year-old Mauro to the International League
where he had his career year, hitting .327 with eleven homers in 140 games for the Montreal Royals
in 1952.
Carmen's balloon more or less busted in 1953, starting out with the Dodgers for eight games, but come May he was selected off waivers by the Washington Senators
from the Dodgers and then in June the Philadelphia Athletics
took him off waivers from the Senators. In between train rides, Carmen managed to hit .255 but this was his last season in the bigs and he finished a four-year big league career with a .231 average and two home runs in 456 plate appearances.
Carmen spent five more years in the minors, just about all in the Pacific Coast League
with the Seattle Rainiers
, winding up a 14-year minor league tour in 1958 with a .295 average and 84 home runs. At the end of his playing days, he entered the University of Washington
and earned a bachelor's and master's degrees in education.
Mauro also became the head baseball coach at the University of Washington from 1961 to 1963. From 1964 until retiring in 1986 he was a teacher, a director of student services and baseball coach at Cuesta Junior College in San Luis Obispo, CA. An accomplished piano, organ and accordion player, the Carmen Mauro Music Scholarship at Cuesta Junior College was established in 1990. Carmen died on December 19, 2003 in Carmichael, CA, at the age of 77.
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. He played all or part of four seasons 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...
between 1948 and 1953.
Seventeen-year-old Mauro was signed as an amateur free agent by the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
before the 1944 season. The young outfielder was farmed out to the Lockport Cubs of the class D PONY League, where he appeared in 89 games and hit .294. Carmen spent his first five seasons in the minors, hitting over .300 twice - the first came in 1945 when he had a split season with the class B Hagerstown Owls and the Portsmouth Cubs, hitting .305 with 6 homers and the second came in 1947 when he hit .308 for the Des Moines Bruins
Des Moines Bruins
Based in Des Moines, Iowa, the Des Moines Bruins were a minor league baseball team that played in the Western League from 1947 to 1958. Their home ballpark was Sec Taylor Stadium, and they were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers .-Year-by-year record:...
of the class A Western League
Western League (defunct minor league)
The Western League is a name given to several circuits in American minor league baseball. Its earliest progenitor, which existed from 1885 to 1899, was the predecessor of the American League...
.
Mauro got about as late a season call-up as a man could get when the parent Chicago Cubs brought him to Wrigley Field on October 1, 1948 and he appeared in three games, picking up two base hits in five at-bats, his first big league hit being an inside-the-park homer off Murry Dickson
Murry Dickson
Murry Monroe Dickson was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball during the 1940s and 1950s...
of the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. He would have two more stints with the Cubs in 1950, hitting .227, and in 1951, when he fell to .172. The Cubbies traded him to the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
for Toby Atwell
Toby Atwell
Maurice Dailey "Toby" Atwell was a catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs , Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Braves . Atwell batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
in December. They would send the 25-year-old Mauro to the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
where he had his career year, hitting .327 with eleven homers in 140 games for the Montreal Royals
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897–1917 and from 1928–60 as a member of the International League and its progenitor, the original Eastern League...
in 1952.
Carmen's balloon more or less busted in 1953, starting out with the Dodgers for eight games, but come May he was selected off waivers by the 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...
from the Dodgers and then in June 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....
took him off waivers from the Senators. In between train rides, Carmen managed to hit .255 but this was his last season in the bigs and he finished a four-year big league career with a .231 average and two home runs in 456 plate appearances.
Carmen spent five more years in the minors, just about all in the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
with the Seattle Rainiers
Seattle Rainiers
The Seattle Rainiers, originally named the Seattle Indians and also known as the Seattle Angels, were a minor league baseball team in Seattle, Washington, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903-06 and 1919-68...
, winding up a 14-year minor league tour in 1958 with a .295 average and 84 home runs. At the end of his playing days, he entered the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
and earned a bachelor's and master's degrees in education.
Mauro also became the head baseball coach at the University of Washington from 1961 to 1963. From 1964 until retiring in 1986 he was a teacher, a director of student services and baseball coach at Cuesta Junior College in San Luis Obispo, CA. An accomplished piano, organ and accordion player, the Carmen Mauro Music Scholarship at Cuesta Junior College was established in 1990. Carmen died on December 19, 2003 in Carmichael, CA, at the age of 77.