Al Wingo

Al Wingo
Left fielder
Born: (1898-05-06)May 6, 1898 Norcross, Georgia
Died: October 9, 1964(1964-10-09) (aged 66) Lincoln Park, Michigan
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 9, 1919, for the Philadelphia Athletics
Last MLB appearance
September 28, 1928, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Batting average	.308
Home runs	9
Runs batted in	191
Teams
Philadelphia Athletics (1919) Detroit Tigers (1924–1928)

Absalom Holbrook Wingo (May 6, 1898 – October 9, 1964), commonly known by the nickname "Red",^[1] was an American baseball player.

A native of Norcross, Georgia, his older brother Ivey Wingo played 17 years in Major League Baseball starting in 1911. Al "Red" Wingo began playing baseball at Oglethorpe University and played professional baseball, primarily as an outfielder, for 15 years from 1918 to 1932. He followed his older brother to the major leagues in 1919 as an outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics.

He played for the

Wingo began playing professional baseball with the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association in 1918. The following year, he played for the Greenville Spinners in the South Atlantic League, compiling a .319 batting average in 360 at bats.^[6]

Philadelphia Athletics

Wingo was acquired by the Philadelphia Athletics late in the 1919 season and made his major league debut on September 9, 1919. He appeared in 15 games for the 1919 Athletics, compiling a .305 batting average in 59 at bats.^[2] Despite his strong batting average, Wingo returned to the minor leagues, playing for the Atlanta Crackers in 1920 and 1921 and for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he set a new International League record with 34 home runs.^[7] He followed up with a .352 batting average and 20 home runs in 1923.^[6]

Detroit Tigers

On August 20, 1923, the Toronto club sold Wingo to the Detroit Tigers for $50,000 with the caveat that he need not report to the Tigers until Toronto's season was over.^[7] In 1924, he appeared in 78 games for the Tigers, mostly as a pinch hitter but also in 30 games as a starter in the outfield.^[2]

In 1925, Wingo took over from

In 1926, Wingo appeared in 108 games for the Tigers, but lost his job as the team's regular left fielder, starting 57 games in left field and 11 in right field, as his batting average dropped by 88 points to .282.[2] His playing time declined to 75 games in 1927 as his batting average dropped further to .234. In his final year in the major leagues, he appeared in 87 games for the 1928 Tigers and compiled a .285 batting average.^[2]

In six major league seasons, Wingo appeared in 493 games, scored 224 runs, collected 409 hits (including 115

In January 1934, Wingo returned to Detroit and played for the Tivoli club in the Detroit Baseball Federation.[11] After retiring from baseball, he remained in Detroit and worked as a driver and safety inspector for Ford Motor Company.^[12] In October 1964, Wingo was involved in a traffic accident in Allen Park, Michigan, in which his truck was struck from behind by a driver who had been drinking. Wingo was thrown from the cab of his truck and dragged under the truck until it hit a fence. He was taken to Outer Park Hospital in Lincoln Park, Michigan, where he died at age 66.^[1][12]

References