Billy Moran

William Nelson Moran

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 185 lb.
• School Georgia Institute of Technology
• High School Russell County High School
• Debut April 15, 1958
• Final Game September 28, 1965
• Born November 27, 1933 in Montgomery, AL USA
• Died October 21, 2021 in Fort Myers, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Infielder Billy Moran was signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before the 1952 season. The eighteen-year-old was assigned to the Green Bay Bluejays of the class D Wisconsin State League. The young shortstop appeared in 63 games and hit .277 his first year in the pros. Billy got into 88 games with the Tri-State League pennant-winning Spartanburg Peaches in 1953, hitting at a .285 clip with 8 home runs. He moved up to the class A Reading Indians of the Eastern League in 1954, played 133 games and hit for a .242 average. The next two years (1955-1956) Moran was with the United States military during the Korean War.

Back from military service in 1957, Billy played second base for the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League and appeared in 158 games but hit only .211. The Indians gave Moran his first look at the major league style of play in 1958 and he hit .226 in 115 games as a rookie, taking over at second base for Bobby Avila, who moved to third. Billy returned to the minor leagues for three more years before flourishing during the 1962 and 1963 seasons with the expansion Los Angeles Angels after the Angels had obtained him in a trade with the minor league Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1961 season. In 1962 he led all American League second sackers in assists while hitting .282 with 17 home runs to help lead the second-year team to a surprising first division finish. He was also a starter for the American League in both All-Star Games played that summer.

Moran was traded back to Cleveland midway through the 1964 season and was gone from the major leagues a year later with a seven-year .263 career average. Billy finished up his pro baseball in the minors with the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League in 1965. He closed out an eight-year run with a .252 average and 37 home runs. Billy, who attended Georgia Tech, earned a degree in industrial management, and became the owner of an insurance agency in Atlanta, GA. He is now retired in Tyrone, Georgia.

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (1962)

Sources

• Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• Billy Moran at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Minors page