“He was just about the strongest man I’ve ever known,” said Ewell Blackwell. Enos Slaughter called him “one of the best behind the plate,” adding, “He was a great guy…very good-natured.” Walker Cooper was a 6’3″ 210-lb heavy hitter and practical joker who was named to every NL All-Star squad 1942-50 (there was no game in 1945). After three World Series with St. Louis (where he was older brother Mort’s batterymate), Walker was sold to the Giants in 1945. The Giants paid the then-princely sum of $175,000 while Cooper was still in the Navy. His best year was with the 1947 Giants, batting .305 with 122 RBI and contributing 35 of the club’s 221 homers, a NL record.
