Ray Hamrick
Encyclopedia
Raymond Bernard Hamrick [Handsome Ray] (August 1, 1921 - June 9, 2009) was an infielder
in Major League Baseball
who played from through for the Philadelphia Phillies
of the National League
. Listed at 5' 11", 165 lb., Hamrick batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee
.
Fast and steady, Hamrick was one of many ballplayers who interrupted their careers to serve during World War II
. Hamrick started his professional baseball career as a shortstop
and pitcher
in 1939, playing for the Nashville
, Charleston
and Americus
Minor league
teams. During his stay at Americus, he made the All-Star team in 1941 and batted over a .300 batting average
for most of the year. His most productive season came in 1943, when he hit 145 in 460 at-bats with Nashville for a .310 average.
Hamrick joined the Philadelphia Blue Jays in 1943. The following season, he began spring training
with the team in Wilmington, Delaware
, because the war kept the teams out of Florida
for camp due to the submarine threat. Hamrick left spring training as Philadelphia’s starting shortstop, but he left for the military service after appearing in 74 games. With the end of the war, Hamrick rejoined the team (by then the Phillies) in 1946, but the competition for a roster spot was now overwhelming as Skeeter Newsome
became the everyday shortstop.
In a two-season majors career, Hamrick was a .204 hitter (92-for-452) in 118 games, including 34 runs
, 32 RBI
, 13 doubles
, two triples
, one home run
and one stolen base
. He made 74 appearances at shortstop (86) and second base (31), and posted a collective .946 fielding percentage
.
After that, Hamrick hit .266 (92-for-346) for the Oakland Oaks
of the Pacific Coast League
in 1946, his last professional baseball season.
Hamrick died in his homeland of Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 87.
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
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 from through for the 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...
of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
. Listed at 5' 11", 165 lb., Hamrick batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Fast and steady, Hamrick was one of many ballplayers who interrupted their careers to serve during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Hamrick started his professional baseball career as a shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
and pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in 1939, playing for the Nashville
Nashville Sounds
The Nashville Sounds are a minor league baseball team of the Pacific Coast League , and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music industry...
, Charleston
Charleston RiverDogs
The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Charleston, South Carolina. They play in the class A South Atlantic League and are an affiliate of the New York Yankees. Their home stadium is at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park...
and Americus
Americus Cardinals
The Americus Cardinals were a minor league baseball team that operated in the Georgia-Florida League from 1935-1938. They had affiliation agreements with the St. Louis Cardinals , Brooklyn Dodgers and Washington Senators...
Minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
teams. During his stay at Americus, he made the All-Star team in 1941 and batted over a .300 batting average
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 :...
for most of the year. His most productive season came in 1943, when he hit 145 in 460 at-bats with Nashville for a .310 average.
Hamrick joined the Philadelphia Blue Jays in 1943. The following season, he began spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
with the team in Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, because the war kept the teams out of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
for camp due to the submarine threat. Hamrick left spring training as Philadelphia’s starting shortstop, but he left for the military service after appearing in 74 games. With the end of the war, Hamrick rejoined the team (by then the Phillies) in 1946, but the competition for a roster spot was now overwhelming as Skeeter Newsome
Skeeter Newsome
Lamar Ashby "Skeeter" Newsome was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Athletics , Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies ....
became the everyday shortstop.
In a two-season majors career, Hamrick was a .204 hitter (92-for-452) in 118 games, including 34 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...
, 32 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...
, 13 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....
, two 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....
, one 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...
and one stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
. He made 74 appearances at shortstop (86) and second base (31), and posted a collective .946 fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
.
After that, Hamrick hit .266 (92-for-346) for the Oakland Oaks
Oakland Oaks (PCL)
The Oakland Oaks were a minor league baseball team in Oakland, California that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 through 1955, after which the club transferred to Vancouver, British Columbia...
of 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...
in 1946, his last professional baseball season.
Hamrick died in his homeland of Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 87.