1949 Yankee Outfielders of the Past

TOMMY HOLMES (Yankee Prospect of the Past)

"Meet the top hitter on last year's pennant-winning club. Tommy hit .325, including 35 doubles, and scored 85 runs. He hit only .183 in the World Series against Cleveland, but scored twice and drove in a run.

Tommy plays the Boston sun field (right) very capably. He was once property of the Yankees."

-1949 Leaf No. 133

HANK SAUER (Yankee Prospect of the Past)

"One of the best sluggers in the National League. Hank has his sights on Babe Ruth's home run record.

He was with the Reds briefly in 1941 but was sent back to the minors. With Syracuse of the International League in 1947, Hank batted .336 and led in runs batted in with 141; most hits, 182; most runs, 130; most total bases, 362, and hit 50 homers. The climax came when he was voted the IL's Most Valuable Player.

Last season Hank hit .260, hit 35 homers and batted in 97 runs."

-1949 Bowman No. 5

"Hank set a terrific home run pace for the first half of the 1948 season, finally winding up with 35 round toppers and a .260 average. He drove in 97 runs. He placed eighth in the National League in slugging.

Hank is a dependable fielder who is equipped with a good throwing arm."

-1949 Leaf No. 20

HAL PECK

"Hal made the major leagues despite hunting accident injuries. Except for a pinch-hitting role for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943, he didn't appear in the majors until the next season, although he had been in organized baseball since 1938. 

He spent two and a half seasons with the Athletics and then was traded to the Yankees, who in turn sent him to Cleveland. Hal hit .286 in 45 games in 1948."

-1949 Bowman No. 182

BOB SEEDS

STRAY SHEEPISH

"Bob Seeds, the one-time Cleveland Indian who now operates the Amarillo club in the West Texas-New Mexico League, says the present Tribesmen may steal second with the bases loaded, sacrifice with two out of pull any other of the classic boners, but he'll still claim the Cleveland championship for sheer embarrassment.

'We were playing the Yankees at League Park,' Bob recalled recently. 'Between innings, I was dying for a smoke. I didn't figure to bat that inning, so I went into the runway off the dugout to have a couple of drags.

'I really was relaxed when Charlie Jamieson stuck his head into the runway and yelled, 'Come on, Bob, we're out.' I stamped out the cigarette and started for left field with my head down, a bad habit I had formed early in my career.

'I was past the pitcher's box when umpire George Moriarty called time and grabbed me.

''What's the idea?' he asked.

'I stopped and looked around. We were still at bat with the bases filled, and that silly Jamieson was laughing so hard I thought he'd bust. Believe me, that walk back to the dugout was a thousand miles.'"

-Ed McAuley in the Cleveland News (Baseball Digest, November 1949)