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Vern Stephens

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Batting average
  
.286

Role
  
Baseball player

Name
  
Vern Stephens


Runs batted in
  
1,174

Home runs
  
247

Vern Stephens VERN STEPHENS


Died
  
November 3, 1968, Long Beach, California, United States

Education
  
Long Beach City College

Vernon Decatur Stephens (October 23, 1920 – November 3, 1968) was an American shortstop in professional baseball who played 15 seasons in the American League for four different teams. A native of McAlister, New Mexico, Stephens batted and threw right-handed. He was also nicknamed "Pop-up Stephens", "Junior", and "Buster".

Contents

Vern Stephens Vern Stephens St Louis Browns Digital Museum

Career

Vern Stephens Long Beach City College

One of the strongest-hitting shortstops in major league history, Stephens compiled a .286 batting average with 247 home runs and 1174 RBI in 1720 games. Breaking with American Major League baseball, Stephens signed a five-year contract with the Mexican League in 1946. He had been in Mexico only a few days when his father, a minor league umpire, and the Browns scout Jack Fournier drove down and brought him back to the United States.

Vern Stephens VERN STEPHENS

Vern Stephens died of a heart attack in Long Beach, California at 48 years of age.

Vern Stephens New Mexicos Best Baseball Players The Starting Nine

In August 2008, he was named as one of the ten former players who began their careers before 1943 to be considered by the Veterans Committee for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.

Highlights

Vern Stephens Vern Stephens Bio Facts Family Famous Birthdays

  • 8-time All-Star (1943–44, 1945 [non-official game], 1946, 1948–51)
  • Six times in the Top 10 in MVP voting (1942–45, 1948–49)
  • Led the American League in home runs during 1945
  • Three times led the American League in RBI (1944, 1949–50)
  • Collected 440 RBI within three consecutive seasons (1948–50)
  • Three times in the Top 10 in batting average (1942–43, 1946)
  • Twice led the American League in games played (1948–49)
  • Was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006
  • Only man to play for 1944 American League Champion St. Louis Browns and the Baltimore Orioles, the team the Browns franchise became after it moved to Baltimore in 1954
  • Holds the MLB record for RBI in a season by a shortstop, with 159 in 1949.
  • Attended Polytechnic High School, Long Beach, California (also attended by Tony Gwynn, Chase Utley, Milton Bradley, etc.)
  • References

    Vern Stephens Wikipedia


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