Woody English

Elwood George English (March 2, 1906 – September 26, 1997) was an American professional baseball shortstop and third baseman.[1] He played twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1927 and 1938 for the Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers. His uncle Paul Carpenter also played professional baseball.

Woody English
Shortstop / Third baseman
Born: (1906-03-02)March 2, 1906
Fredonia, Ohio
Died: September 26, 1997(1997-09-26) (aged 91)
Newark, Ohio
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 26, 1927, for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
July 1, 1938, for the Brooklyn Dodgers
MLB statistics
Batting average.286
Home runs32
Runs batted in422
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Early life

English was born on March 2, 1906, on a farm in Licking County, Ohio. He went to Newark High School, where he played second base on the baseball team. In English's senior season, the team went undefeated. After high school, English worked for Pure Oil and Firestone Rubber. During breaks, he would play baseball with Pure Oil's local team. In 1924, English played for the semi-pro Zanesville Greys. The league that the Greys played in had other Major League players, including Al Schweitzer.

Career

Minor leagues

In the following year of 1925, English signed a contract with the Toledo Mud Hens, a Double-A team apart of the American Association, for $300 a month.[2] Being the youngest player on his team, 18, English played 131 games at shortstop and batted .220 and a .946 fielding percentage.[3] The following year played a team-high 162 games and batted a .301 average, a team-high 15 triples and a .948 fielding percentage.[4]

Major leagues

After playing for the Mud Hens, English was purchased for $50,000 by the Chicago Cubs. He made his Major League debut on April 26, 1927, a 5-8 losing game against the Cincinnati Reds.[5] English went 0–2 with one strikeout. The Cubs finished fourth place, finishing 8.5 games from first place.

Career statistics

In 1261 games over 12 seasons, English posted a .286 batting average (1356-for-4746) with 801 runs, 236 doubles, 52 triples, 32 home runs, 422 RBI, 57 stolen bases, 571 bases on balls, .366 on-base percentage and .378 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .959 fielding percentage playing at shortstop, third and second base. In the 1929 and '32 World Series, he hit .184 (7-for-38) with 3 runs and 1 RBI.

Best season

Highlights

Post-baseball life

Following baseball, English decided to work for a factory in Chicago. During World War II, he worked on airplanes. He got married in 1948 to a woman named Katerine. English coached the Grand Rapids Chicks of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1952 until 1954 when the league folded. After coaching, he worked for State Farm Insurance until his retirement in 1971. On September 26, 1997, English died at Newark, Ohio, at the age of 91 and is buried in Fredonia Cemetery in Fredonia, Ohio.

References
  1. "Woody English". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  2. "1925–1926 Toledo Mud Hens". The Woody English Web Site. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  3. "1925 Toledo Mud Hens Statistics -- Minor Leagues". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  4. "1926 Toledo Mud Hens Statistics -- Minor Leagues". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  5. "April 26, 1927 Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2011.

Notes
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