David Whatley (baseball)

Speed Whatley
Speed Whatley
	Outfielder
	Born: November 10, 1914; Griffin, Georgia, U.S.
	Died: March 13, 1961 (aged 46); Oakland, California, U.S.
	Batted: Left Threw: Right
Negro league baseball debut
	1937, for the Birmingham Black Barons
Last appearance
	1944, for the New York Black Yankees
Negro leagues statistics
Batting average	.330
Home runs	12
Runs batted in	105
Teams
	Birmingham Black Barons (1937–1938); Memphis Red Sox (1938); Cleveland Bears (1939); Homestead Grays (1939–1942, 1944); New York Black Yankees (1944);
Career highlights and awards
	Negro American League batting champion (1938);

David Samuel Whatley (November 10, 1914 – March 13, 1961), nicknamed "Speed" and "Hammer Man", was an American Negro league outfielder in the 1930s and 1940s.

A native of Griffin, Georgia, Whatley made his Negro leagues debut with the Birmingham Black Barons in 1937. He batted .396 and led the Negro American League in batting average in his second season in 1938.^[2] He played for the Homestead Grays from 1939 to 1942, being on the roster for three consecutive Negro National League II pennants.^[3] He then served in the United States Army during World War II.^[4]^[5] He returned to the Grays during their 1944 Negro World Series championship season, but finished the season with the New York Black Yankees.^[6] Whatley died in Oakland, California in 1961 at age 46.

References

^ "MLB officially designates the Negro Leagues as 'Major League'". MLB.com. December 16, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NAL/1938.shtml
^ "David Whatley". seamheads.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
^ "Negro Leaguers Who Served With The Armed Forces in WWII". baseballinwartime.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
^ Gary Ashwill (July 25, 2017). "The Hammer Man". Agate Type. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
^ "1944 Homestead Grays". seamheads.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.

^ On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball declared that seven Negro leagues, from the span of 1920–1948, were to be recognized as major leagues.^[1] Whatley's statistics reflect his time in the Negro leagues.

External links

Career statistics from Baseball Reference and Seamheads

This Negro league baseball outfielder article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "MLB officially designates the Negro Leagues as 'Major League'". MLB.com. December 16, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[3] ttps://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NAL/1938.shtml

[4] "David Whatley". seamheads.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.

[5] "Negro Leaguers Who Served With The Armed Forces in WWII". baseballinwartime.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.

[6] Gary Ashwill (July 25, 2017). "The Hammer Man". Agate Type. Retrieved August 4, 2020.

[7] "1944 Homestead Grays". seamheads.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.

[2] On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball declared that seven Negro leagues, from the span of 1920–1948, were to be recognized as major leagues.^[1] Whatley's statistics reflect his time in the Negro leagues.

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