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Zack Wheat

Zack Wheat
Zack Wheat by Conlon, 1912.jpg
Left fielder
Born: (1888-05-23)May 23, 1888
Hamilton, Missouri
Died: May 11, 1972(1972-05-11) (aged 83)
Sedalia, Missouri
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 11, 1909, for the Brooklyn Superbas
Last MLB appearance
September 21, 1927, for the Philadelphia Athletics
MLB statistics
Batting average .317
Hits 2,884
Home runs 132
Runs batted in 1,248
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the National
Empty Star.svgEmpty Star.svgEmpty Star.svgBaseball Hall of Fame Empty Star.svgEmpty Star.svgEmpty Star.svg
Inducted 1959
Election Method Veteran's Committee

Zachariah Davis "Zack" Wheat (May 23, 1888 – March 11, 1972), nicknamed "Buck", was a Major League Baseball left fielder for Brooklyn in the National League. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1959.

A consistent hitter throughout his 19-year career, he still holds many Dodger franchise records. His brother McKinley "Mack" Wheat also played in the major leagues, and the two were teammates in Brooklyn for five seasons.

Born in Hamilton, Missouri, he was the son of Basil and Julia Wheat. His father was of English descent and his mother was full-blooded Cherokee. Wheat began his professional baseball career in 1906 for Enterprise in the Kansas League, followed by Wichita in 1907, Shreveport Pirates of the Texas League in 1908, and finally, to round out his minor league career, he played for the Mobile Sea Gulls of the Southern Association in 1909. It was during that 1909 season that the Brooklyn Superbas of the National League purchased Wheat for $1200, and he made his Major League debut in September. He batted with a corkscrew type of swing, and held his hands down near the end of the bat, unlike most hitters during his time, a time noted as the "Dead Ball Era". Even with his consistent high levels of hitting, he was also noted for his graceful and stylish defense.

What Lajoie was to infielders, Zach Wheat is to outfielders, the finest mechanical craftsman of them all... Wheat is the easiest, most graceful of outfielders with no close rivals.


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Wikipedia

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