Don Leppert (second baseman)
Encyclopedia
Don Eugene Leppert is an American
former professional baseball
second baseman
. Nicknamed "Tiger," Leppert stood 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall, weighed 175 pounds (79 kg), batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Leppert attended Christian Brothers High School
in Memphis and signed his first pro contract with the New York Yankees
. He played in the Yankee farm system for five seasons. After 1954, a season during which Leppert batted
.313 with ten home runs and 170 hits
for the Double-A Birmingham Barons
of the Southern Association
, Leppert was shipped to the Baltimore Orioles
in a 17-player trade, one of the largest deals in Major League Baseball
history. (The swap included Bob Turley
, Don Larsen
and Gus Triandos
, who would go on to stardom in the majors). He then appeared in 40 games for the 1955 Orioles, mustering only eight hits in 70 at bats for a .114 career MLB batting average. He had one extra-base hit, a triple
, during that time.
Leppert finished his playing career in minor league baseball
with Birmingham in 1956. He hit .291 in 789 minor-league games.
He is sometimes confused with Donald George Leppert
, a catcher
who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates
and Washington Senators
during the 1960s, and later a longtime coach for several MLB teams.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
. Nicknamed "Tiger," Leppert stood 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall, weighed 175 pounds (79 kg), batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Leppert attended Christian Brothers High School
Christian Brothers High School (Memphis, Tennessee)
Christian Brothers High School ' is located in Memphis, Tennessee, at 5900 Walnut Grove Rd. It is an all-male college preparatory school and Catholic school that has a strong Lasallian tradition that can be traced back to John Baptist de La Salle...
in Memphis and signed his first pro contract with the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. He played in the Yankee farm system for five seasons. After 1954, a season during which Leppert batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.313 with ten home runs and 170 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
for the Double-A Birmingham Barons
Birmingham Barons
The Birmingham Barons are a minor league baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox major-league club....
of the Southern Association
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...
, Leppert was shipped to the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in a 17-player trade, one of the largest deals in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
history. (The swap included Bob Turley
Bob Turley
Robert Lee Turley was a Major League Baseball pitcher.Turley was signed as an amateur free agent by the St. Louis Browns in . He played his first game on September 29, 1951 for the Browns and moved with them to Baltimore in...
, Don Larsen
Don Larsen
Donald James Larsen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1953-67 for seven different teams. Larsen is best known for pitching the sixth perfect game in baseball history, doing so in game 5 of the 1956 World Series...
and Gus Triandos
Gus Triandos
Gus Triandos is a Greek-American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball mostly as a catcher but also played as a first baseman for the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers of the American League and the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros...
, who would go on to stardom in the majors). He then appeared in 40 games for the 1955 Orioles, mustering only eight hits in 70 at bats for a .114 career MLB batting average. He had one extra-base hit, a triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, during that time.
Leppert finished his playing career in minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
with Birmingham in 1956. He hit .291 in 789 minor-league games.
He is sometimes confused with Donald George Leppert
Don Leppert
Donald George Leppert , is a former professional baseball player who played catcher in the Major Leagues from 1961-1964. He would play for the Washington Senators and Pittsburgh Pirates. After his playing career ended, Leppert was a coach for the Pirates , Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros...
, a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and Washington Senators
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
during the 1960s, and later a longtime coach for several MLB teams.
External links
- Major and minor league career statistics from Baseball Reference