David Whatley (baseball) should not be confused with David Whatley.
| Speed Whatley | |
| Position: | Outfielder |
| Birth Date: | November 10, 1914 |
| Birth Place: | Griffin, Georgia |
| Death Place: | Oakland, California |
| Bats: | Left |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | Negro league baseball |
| Debutyear: | 1937 |
| Debutteam: | Birmingham Black Barons |
| Finalyear: | 1944 |
| Finalteam: | New York Black Yankees |
| Teams: |
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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.
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. 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.
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