Don Leppert (second baseman) explained

Don Leppert
Position:Second baseman
Bats:Left
Throws:Right
Birth Date:20 November 1930
Birth Place:Memphis, Tennessee
Death Place:Olive Branch, Mississippi
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:April 11
Debutyear:1955
Debutteam:Baltimore Orioles
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:September 25
Finalyear:1955
Finalteam:Baltimore Orioles
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.114
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:0
Stat3label:Runs batted in
Stat3value:2
Teams:

Donald Eugene Leppert (November 20, 1930 – January 5, 2021) was an American professional baseball second baseman. Nicknamed "Tiger", Leppert stood 5inchesft8inchesin (ftin) tall, weighed 175lb, 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.[1] (The swap featured 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.

Leppert died on January 5, 2021, at the age of 90.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Baseball's Biggest Trade: A Revisionist's Recounting . Jim . Wright . sabr.org . . January 15, 2021.
  2. Web site: Donald Eugene Leppert Sr. . legacy.com . January 11, 2021 . January 15, 2021.