- Walt Dixon
Walter Edward Dixon (
November 25 ,1920 -September 25 ,2003 ) was an Americanpitcher ,outfielder ,first baseman and manager inminor league baseball . He threw and batted right-handed, stood 6'1½" (187 cm) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg). He was a native ofChatham County, North Carolina .Dixon attended the
College of William and Mary before signing with theBoston Red Sox farm system in by|1940 as a right-handed pitcher. Despite losing theee seasons (1943-45) to military service duringWorld War II , Dixon progressed as far as theScranton Red Sox of the Class A Eastern League before his release by the Red Sox at the end of the by|1946 campaign. When he returned to the game in by|1947 he pitched for unaffiliated clubs in the mid-minors until he became predominantly an outfielder and first baseman in by|1949. That season -- also his first as a manager -- Dixon batted .368 for theShelby Farmers of the Class D Western Carolina League. His best minor league season, however, would come in by|1953 when, as the manager and first baseman of theNorton Braves of the Class DMountain States League , he led the loop inhome runs (37) andhits (194), while batting .415 and driving home 162 RBI. Incredibly, Dixon did not lead the MSL in RBI or batting, finishing behindWillie Kirkland (164 RBI) andLeo "Muscle" Shoals (.427).In by|1956, Dixon began a 20-year-long tenure with the
Chicago Cubs as a manager in their farm system. Apart from three separate stints in the Double ATexas League , Dixon usually managed in the lower minor leagues. He compiled a 27-year managing record of 1,484 wins and 1,521 defeats (.484).As a minor league hitter, however, Dixon's numbers were far more formidable: a career batting average of .324 in 1,237 games, with 1,273 hits and 208 home runs, even though he was a full-time position player for only 10½ seasons.
Dixon died in
Florence, South Carolina , at the age of 82.References
* Johnson, Lloyd, ed., "The Minor League Register." Durham, N.C.:
Baseball America , 1994.
* Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., "The Minor League Encylclopedia," 3rd edition. Durham, N.C.:Baseball America , 2007.
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