Hugh Alexander (baseball)
| Hugh Alexander | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder | |
| Born: July 10, 1917 Buffalo, Missouri, U.S. | |
| Died: November 25, 2000 (aged 83) Bethany, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 15, 1937, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 22, 1937, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .091 |
| Hits | 1 |
| Teams | |
| |
Hugh Alexander (July 10, 1917 – November 25, 2000) was an American
player and scout. He was an outfielder during his brief playing career, but after he suffered a career-ending injury at the age of 20 he became one of baseball's most celebrated scouts.[1]
Born in
at bats (.091) and striking out five times.[2][3] He returned to the Indians for a single game in September as a pinch runner.[3] That offseason, while working his family's oil fields in Oklahoma, he lost his left hand in a drilling accident, ending his playing career.[2][3] Alexander then began a very short career as a bartender.[3]
In the aftermath of the accident, Alexander was immediately named a scout for the Indians; at 20, he was unusually young for the assignment and scouting jobs were at a premium during the height of
The Great Depression.[1] But the first two players he signed for Cleveland became big-league All-Stars — pitcher Allie Reynolds and outfielder Dale Mitchell.[1] Sportswriter Allen Barra praised him as a "superb judge of talent."[5] During a 64-year scouting career, working for the Indians, Chicago White Sox, Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, Alexander earned the nickname "Uncle Hughie"[6] and would sign other stars, including Steve Garvey, Frank Howard, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell and Don Sutton for the Dodgers alone.[2]
In 1984 Alexander co-founded the "Scout of the Year Program", which recognised the best scouts in the country each year. Alexander was awarded "Scout of the Year" in 1996.[7] He retired in 1998, and died on November 25, 2000.[3]
References
- ^ a b c Hugh Alexander, 83, a scout for the next stars of baseball Archived 2016-04-01 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, November 29, 2000.
- ^ ISBN 0-8108-5858-4
- ^ a b c d e f Bona, Marc (December 27, 2017). "After tragic accident, former Cleveland Indian Hugh Alexander became prolific scout". cleveland.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- Baseball Reference
- ISBN 978-0-307-71648-4.
- ^ "The St. Petersburg Times, November 29, 2000". Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ISBN 9780595318070.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference