Merle Keagle
| Merle Keagle | |||
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Born: March 21, 1923 Tolleson, Arizona |
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Died: November 12, 1960 (aged 37) Tolleson, Arizona |
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Merle Patricia Keagle (March 21, 1923 – November 12, 1960) was a center fielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between the 1944 and 1948 seasons. Listed at 5' 2", 144 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
For most of her brief career, Merle Keagle was considered a five-tool player for her offensive and defensive skills. An All-Star and a member of a championship team, Keagle hit for average and moved along runners as an occasional slugger. She also had base stealing speed abilities and excelled on defense in center field. Owner of a strong throwing arm, she had speed and range, being able to catch fly balls from her left and right field teammates, making everything look easy, as she managed to throw from just any position on the field. Eventually, she covered third base and served as an occasional starting pitcher. In addition, Keagle captured a home run title, posted several season records, and averaged more than 100 stolen bases in each of her three seasons in the league. Unfortunately, her promising career was truncated by health and family issues. Besides her talents, she was a favorite of the fanatics due to her field antics and by arguing heatedly with the umpires.
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League operated between 1943 and 1954 and started with four teams: the Racine Belles and the Kenosha Comets, both from Wisconsin; the Rockford Peaches from Illinois, and the South Bend Blue Sox from Indiana. Originally, the game was a combination of baseball and softball. Differences were only in the distances between the bases, the distance from the pitching mound to home plate, the size of the ball, and pitching styles through the 12 years of existence of the circuit.
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