Wally Moses

Moses was a swift young outfielder in the Palmetto League when approached by a Giants scout under orders to find a Jewish player. “But I’m Irish, Scotch, and English,” Moses told him. The scout didn’t sign him. Moses debuted with the A’s in 1935, batted over .300 each of his seven years with them, and then never did so again. In 1937 he had by far his most productive season, hitting 25 home runs (his next best total was nine) with 86 RBI (20 above his next best mark). He missed a World Series chance when his 1939 trade to Detroit for Benny McCoy was nullified by Commissioner Landis, who made McCoy and 96 other Tigers free agents. Through years of second-division finishes in Philadelphia, Moses had little chance to display his speed on the basepaths. But with the 1943 White Sox, who led the league in stolen bases, he had 56, and a league-high 12 triples. In the field, he had a strong arm but was weak on ground balls. He led the AL in putouts (329) in 1945. With the Red Sox in 1946, he tied a World Series record with four hits in a game (the 23rd player to do so). He finished with the A’s, and later coached for them.