David Whatley (baseball)

David Samuel Whatley (November 10, 1914 – March 13, 1961), nicknamed "Speed" and "Hammer Man", was an American Negro league outfielder in the 1930s and 1940s.

Speed Whatley
Outfielder
Born: (1914-11-10)November 10, 1914
Griffin, Georgia
Died: March 13, 1961(1961-03-13) (aged 46)
Oakland, California
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Negro league baseball debut
1937, for the Birmingham Black Barons
Last appearance
1944, for the New York Black Yankees
Teams

A native of Griffin, Georgia, Whatley made his Negro leagues debut with the Birmingham Black Barons in 1937, leading the Negro American League in batting average with a .428 mark.[citation needed] He played for the Homestead Grays from 1939 to 1942,[1] then served in the United States Army during World War II.[2][3] He returned to the Grays during their 1944 Negro World Series championship season, but finished the season with the New York Black Yankees.[4] Whatley died in Oakland, California in 1961 at age 46.

References

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  1. ^ "David Whatley". seamheads.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  2. ^ "Negro Leaguers Who Served With The Armed Forces in WWII". baseballinwartime.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  3. ^ Gary Ashwill (July 25, 2017). "The Hammer Man". Agate Type. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  4. ^ "1944 Homestead Grays". seamheads.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
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