Al Evans

Alfred Hubert Evans

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 190 lb.
• High School Oak Ridge Military Academy
• Debut September 13, 1939
• Final Game August 5, 1951
• Born September 28, 1916 in Kenly, NC USA
• Died April 6, 1979 in Wilson, NC USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Before the 1937 season, catcher Al Evans signed with the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent. The 20-year-old was assigned to the New Bern Bears of the class D Coastal Plain League and appeared in only 33 games, hitting .221. He then spent 1938 and 1939 with the class B Charlotte Hornets, hitting .302 and .298 respectively and got a late-season call-up with the Senators in 1939. Al appeared in seven games and hit .333; he would remain a fixture with the Washington club through 1950.

His only absence from the Senators during this long stretch was the time he spent with the United States Navy in World War II from November of 1942 until May of 1944. The wartime layoff did not hurt his game as in 1945 he hit at a .260 pace with a .339 OBP.

Evans was a light-hitting but stellar defensive catcher. He shared the Senators' receiving duties with fellow North Carolina native Jake Early during the 1940s. Evans had his best season late in his career in 1949 when he led all American League catchers in fielding while playing in over 100 games for the only time. Al concluded his major league playing time with the Boston Red Sox in 1951 with a .250 lifetime mark.

Evans played four more years in the high minors (1952-1955), ending an 18-year playing career with the Norfolk Tars in 1955. Spread out through the years, his minor league stats show that he appeared in 510 contests, had 1607 at-bats with 447 base hits for a .274 batting average.

After his playing days were over, he managed for eight years - one stint of five seasons from 1955-1959 and a three-year term from 1963-1965. After his managing days, he became a scout for the Senators, Minnesota Twins and San Francisco Giants.

Evans's death came on April 6, 1979, at age 62 in Wilson, NC.

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1955	Norfolk Tars	Piedmont League	11-14	--	New York Yankees	--	replaced by Alton Brown (2-1) on May 25
	Seminole Oilers	Sooner State League			Kansas City A's		replaced Charles Hopkins June 6
1956	Abilene Blue Sox	Big State League	73-67	5th	Kansas City A's
1957	Little Rock Travelers	Southern Association	64-88	7th	Kansas City A's
1958	Albany Senators	Eastern League	57-70	7th	Kansas City A's
1959	Albany Senators	Eastern League	54-85	8th	Kansas City A's
1963	Charlotte Hornets	South Atlantic League	58-82	7th	Minnesota Twins
1964	Charlotte Hornets	Southern League	73-67	4th	Minnesota Twins	none
1965	Charlotte Hornets	Southern League	72-68	5th	Minnesota Twins	none

Related Sites

• Al Evans at the SABR Bio Project

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