A graceful, lefthanded first baseman, Torgeson was an immediate hit with the Braves as a rookie in 1947, batting .281 with 16 homers. In the 1948 World Series, he led all hitters with a .389 batting average (7-for-18). He hurt his left shoulder trying to break up a double play in mid-May 1949 and was sidelined for the remainder of the season. Although the injury hampered him throughout his career, he returned in 1950 to lead the NL with 120 runs scored and in 1951 had career highs of 24 HR and 92 RBI. After he dropped to .230 in 1952, he was sent to the Phillies in a four-team trade, and never had another big season. He appeared with the White Sox in the 1959 WS, was released in 1961, and signed with the Yankees as a player-coach for the final month of the season, and his career. Like Hall of Famer Earl Averill, Torgeson was a native of Snohomish, WA, and inherited Averill’s nickname, The Earl of Snohomish.
