Bert Whaling

Albert James Whaling

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut April 22, 1913
• Final Game October 7, 1915
• Born June 22, 1888 in Los Angeles, CA USA
• Died January 21, 1965 in Los Angeles, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

In 1913, Bert Whaling shared starting catching duties with Bill Rariden on the Boston Braves. The next two years he was the backup catcher for Hank Gowdy. On October 13, 1915, he was traded with Herbie Moran to the Pacific Coast League's Venice Tigers for Joe Wilhoit. He was the first rookie catcher in big league history to win a fielding title.

He also spent twelve seasons in the minor leagues, hitting .245 in 793 games. In 1912 with the Seattle Giants, he hit a career-high 10 home runs. In his final minor league season, 1926, he hit .333 (albeit he played in only 37 games). In the 1922-23 Winter season, he managed and caught for the Rose Room Dancers in the Southern California Winter League.

Following his death, he was interred at Los Angeles National Cemetery.

Notable Achievement

• Won a World Series with the Boston Braves in 1914 (he did not play in the World Series)

Further Reading

• Charles F. Faber: "Bert Whaling", in Bill Nowlin, ed.: The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston's Original Worst-to-First World Series Champions, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2014, pp. 180-183. ISBN 978-1-933599-69-4

Related Sites

• Bert Whaling at the SABR Bio Project
• Find-A-Grave Memorial for Bert Whaling