Skip to main content

Sunday School: Phillies History Lesson 62

By
Arthur "Pinky" Whitney was a third baseman with the Phillies from 1928-1933, then again from 1936-1939. Whitney quickly stepped on the scene (crispy and clean) to make a big impact with the Phillies, as he batted .301, hit 10 homers and drove in 103 runs in his rookie season at age 23.

Whitney, who hailed from Texas, kept the solid production going and drove in over 100 runs in 4 of his first 5 seasons in the big leagues. 1929 marked the first of two consecutive seasons with 200 or more hits by Whitney.

Also a solid defender, Whitney led all National League third baseman in assists, total chances, putouts and double plays three times in his first four seasons with the Phillies.

In June 1933, Whitney was dealt to the Boston Braves with Hal Lee for Fritz Knothe, Wes Schulmerich and cash. Whitney's offensive production slowed down in Boston. In just under 3 years with the Braves, Whitney batted .258, hit 24 homers and drove in 194 runs in 358 games.

By the end of April 1936, Whitney was traded back to Philadelphia for utility infielder Mickey Haslin. The move agreed with Whitney, as he batted .294 in 110 games with the Phillies that season, and his average soared to .341 in 138 games in 1937. Whitney also became an all-star for the Phillies in 1936.

Whitney would soon be plagued by injuries and struggled on the field. His last season as an everyday player came in 1938. The following year, he would lose his playing time to another player with the same nickname. Merrill "Pinky" May, a Rule 5 draft selection from the Yankees the previous October, debuted with the Phillies and posted a .287 batting average and led the league in sacrifice hits, with 25, in 135 games played. Whitney was released by the Phillies following the 1939 season, and his days in Major League Baseball were over.

In his second season, 1940, the subsequent Pinky, May, was selected to the NL all-star team. May locked down his new gig with the Phillies because of his tremendous defense. He led all National League third basemen in fielding percentage three different times. While May's glove work was top notch, his offensive statistics would never match the exceptional numbers that Whitney posted. May's best season at the plate was his sophomore campaign in '40, when his batting average was .293, and he had 1 homer and 48 RBI in 136 games.

May, an Indiana native, played five full seasons for the Phillies before leaving professional baseball to serve in the navy during World War II. Upon his return, May was no longer a sharp Major League talent and he was released by the Phillies in 1946. He spent time playing for a semi-pro team in his home area that summer. The following year, May was hired to be a player/manager for the Double A Albany team, a Pittsburgh affiliate.

----------------------------------------




Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sunday School: Phillies History Lesson 73

By
Danny Ozark was the Phillies' manager from 1973-1979. During his tenure as the team's general, Ozark led Philadelphia to three straight division titles. In his playing days, Ozark was a first baseman, who was a career minor leaguer in the Dodgers system. When Ozark took over the team in 1973, the Phillies were fresh off 5 consecutive losing seasons and 3 straight last place finishes. During his first season in charge, the Phillies would again finish in last place, 20 games under .500, but as his core of young talent, like Mike Schmidt and Larry Bowa, developed, the Phillies' win totals rose. Within 2 years, the Phillies were above .500 and in the playoff hunt until late in the season and the most successful era of Phillies history was about to begin. By 1976, the Phillies were headed to the post-season for the first time since 1950. The Phils would enjoy a 10-game lead over their nearest division rival at the midway point of the season. Despite a lul, which saw their lead d...
2 comments
Read more

PhoulBallz Interview: First round pick Bryson Stott

By
Bryson Stott, image- Jay Floyd Shortstop Bryson Stott , the Phillies' first round draft selection this year, has enjoyed a successful initial pro campaign.  En route to being recognized as an All-Star for the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters the 21-year-old UNLV product has tallied a .295 average with six home runs and 25 RBI in 45 minor league contests. Last week I spoke with the lefty hitting Stott to discuss his transition to professional baseball, joining the Phillies organization and plenty more.  Read ahead for that interview.  -Obviously, your performance and the production on the field is going well, but how do you feel you have adapted to the pro life? It feels good.  You hear about the everyday grind, but you don't really believe it till you feel it. I would say that's the difference between college and the pros, is you're not practicing, you're playing games every day.  I would say that's the biggest difference.  But I...
Post a Comment
Read more

Velasquez shut down, Eflin on deck?

By
Eflin with Reading in 2015, image- Jay Floyd Following Vincent Velasquez leaving his start after just two pitches for the Phillies on Wednesday, righty prospect Zach Eflin was pulled from his start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley at Gwinnett. The 22-year-old sports a 5-1 record with a 3.14 ERA and a .210 batting average against in 10 starts for the IronPigs this season. He could take the place of Velasquez if he is required to miss any additional time. Initial word on Velasquez after he threw two fastballs that clocked in the 86-87 MPH range (considerably slower than the 94 MPH he averages) and was swiftly pulled from his outing, is that he has a biceps strain. He'll be further evaluated in the coming days. Prior to the regular season, Eflin got a taste of competing against big leaguers when he was charged with 12 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits while striking out two and walking one with a wild pitch in three innings of work in an intrasquad exhibition that pitted the Phils...
Post a Comment
Read more