Smoky Burgess
| Smoky Burgess | |||
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Burgess in about 1953.
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| Catcher | |||
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Born: February 6, 1927 Caroleen, North Carolina |
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Died: September 15, 1991 (aged 64) Asheville, North Carolina |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 19, 1949, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 1, 1967, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .295 | ||
| Home runs | 126 | ||
| Run batted in | 673 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess (February 6, 1927 – September 15, 1991) was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1949 to 1967. Later in his career, he became known for his ability as a pinch hitter, setting the major league career record for career pinch-hits with 145. In his playing days, he stood 5'8" (173 cm), weighed 188 pounds (85 kg), batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Born in Caroleen, North Carolina, Burgess was signed as an amateur free agent by the Chicago Cubs in 1944. In 1947, he led the Tri-State League with a .387 batting average. He followed that by leading the Southern Association with a .386 average in 1948. Burgess made his major league debut at the age of 22 with the Chicago Cubs on April 19, 1949. In October 1951, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, who promptly traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher Andy Seminick before the start of the 1952 season. With the Phillies, he platooned alongside the right-hand hitting Stan Lopata. He had his best season in 1954, when he had a .368 batting average in 108 games for the Phillies, earning his first All-Star Game selection.
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