- Earl Rapp
Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=darkblue
bgcolor2=maroon
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Earl Rapp
position=Outfielder
bats=Left
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date|1921|5|20|mf=y
deathdate=death date and age|1992|2|13|1921|5|20
debutdate=April 28
debutyear=by|1949
debutteam=Detroit Tigers
finaldate=September 23
finalyear=by|1952
finalteam=Washington Senators
stat1label=Batting Average
stat1value=.262
stat2label=Home Runs
stat2value=2
stat3label=RBI
stat3value=39
teams=
*Detroit Tigers (1949)
*Chicago White Sox (1949)
*New York Giants (1951)
*St. Louis Browns (1951-1952)
*Washington Senators (1952)
highlights=
*noneEarl Wellington "Rappy" Rapp (
May 20 ,1921 inCorunna, Michigan -February 13 ,1992 inSwedesboro ,New Jersey ) was a 6'2", 185 poundMajor League Baseball outfielder who played in 1949 and from 1951 to 1952 for theDetroit Tigers ,Chicago White Sox , New York Giants,St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators.Rapp, whose father was a plant inspector, went to high school in Swedesboro, New Jersey, where he lettered in baseball, basketball, football and track.
He was signed as a free agent by the
Philadelphia Phillies in 1940. Before the 1941 season, he was sent to theBoston Red Sox in an unknown transaction. In June of that year, the Red Sox sent him to the Tigers in another unknown transaction. He then spent many years in the minor leagues, missing 1943 to 1945 due to military service.In 1948, Rapp hit .298 with 17 home runs and 96 RBI for the
Seattle Rainiers . Prior to getting the call up to the majors in 1949, he hit .340 with 15 home runs and 86 RBI for the Oakland Oaks.On
April 28 , 1949, he made his major league debut. He had one at-bat, drawing a walk. OnMay 7 , 1949, he was traded to the White Sox forDon Kolloway . With the White Sox, he hit .259 in 19 games. He was sent to the Oakland Oaks onJune 11 of that season to complete an earlier trade made onJune 2 . The deal went like this: the White Sox sent a player to be named later (Rapp),Jerry Scala and cash for a player to be named later andCatfish Metkovich . The White Sox sent Scala to complete the trade, and the Oaks sent Rapp.In 1950, he hit .347 with 24 home runs and 145 RBI for Oakland.
On
July 1 , 1951, Rapp was sent by the Oaks to the Giants forSpider Jorgensen andRed Hardy . He played in 13 games for the Giants, collecting 1 hit in 11 at-bats for a .091 batting average. He was selected off waivers by the Browns onSeptember 1 of that year, and in 98 at-bats with them he hit .327 with two home runs and 15 RBI. Overall, he hit .303 in 109 at-bats that season. With the Oaks that year, he hit .322 with 10 homers and 74 RBI.Despite having a solid run with the Browns in 1951, Brown did not perform well for them in 1952. In fact, he hit only .143 in 49 at-bats, prompting them to trade him to the Senators for
Fred Marsh onJune 10 . He wrapped up his career with the Senators, hitting .284 in 67 at-bats with them. Overall, he hit .224 with 13 RBI in 116 at-bats that season. He played his final game onSeptember 23 .In 1953, Rapp hit .311 with 24 home runs and 108 RBI for the San Diego Padres of the
Pacific Coast League . In 1954, he hit .337 with 24 homers and 111 RBI. In 1955, he hit .302 with 30 home runs and 133 RBI for them. In 1956, he hit .300 with nine home runs and 65 RBI. For the Padres andPortland Beavers in 1957, he hit .278 with three home runs and 19 RBI.Overall, Rapp hit .262 in 279 big league at-bats. He hit two home runs and drove 39 runs in. He played for 12 different minor league clubs from 1940 to 1959, and in 12 years at Triple-A he hit .313.
Rapp served as a scout from 1960 to 1989. He was responsible for the signing of
Mark Gubicza . At the time of his death, he was a consultant to theToronto Blue Jays .Following his death, he was interred at St. Joseph Cemetery in Swedesboro.
References
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rappea01.shtml Baseball Reference]
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