Bob Van Eman

Robert Alvie Van Eman

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.
• High School McKeesport Technical High School
• Born October 19, 1923 in New Castle, PA USA
• Died March 30, 2013

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Bob Van Eman spent 11 seasons in the minor leagues, including parts of two in the Pacific Coast League. His career spanned from 1946 to 1956. He won two batting titles.

Van Eman served in the Navy during World War II, giving him a late start to his baseball career. Signed by the Boston Red Sox, he hit .361/.443/.561 for the Lynn Red Sox. Had he qualified, he would have beaten Mo Mozzali for the New England League batting title by .005. In 1947, batted .327/?/.434 for the Oneonta Red Sox, third in the Canadian-American League in average, .029 behind leader Bunny Mick. He batted .283/?/.400 for the 1948 Roanoke Red Sox. Back with Roanoke in 1949, he hit .278 with 13 triples, 17 home runs and a .481 slugging percentage. He was third in the Piedmont League in slugging (behind Charlie Maxwell and Pete Daley), first in triples and tied with Daley for second in homers (behind Maxwell).

Bob split 1950 between the Salt Lake City Bees (.368/.468/.567, 86 RBI in 86 G) and Scranton Miners (.276/.382/.448 in 25 G). He won the Pioneer League batting title by .001 over Lilio Marcucci. In 1951, he played for the Portsmouth Cubs (.299/?/.439 in 123 G) and Birmingham Barons (.222/?/.333 in 19 G). He finished in the top 10 in the Piedmont League in average, slugging and home runs. The next year, he hit .387/.456/.639 with 33 doubles, 20 home runs, 85 runs and 86 RBI in 93 games for the Wichita Falls Spudders and .280/.357/.360 in 12 games for the Toledo Mud Hens/Charleston Senators. He led the Big State League in average, but did not make the top 10 in home runs or doubles in a high-power league.

Van Eman bounced around in 1953, playing for the San Diego Padres (.208/.304/.277 in 43 G), Beaumont Exporters (.318/.370/.464 in 30 G) and Charleston (.220/.319/.244 in 13 G). It was one of only two seasons in which he did not play below AA at some point. He continued to move around in 1954 with stints with San Diego (2 for 7), the Shreveport Sports (.311/.424/.432 in 80 G) and Dublin Irish. He split 1955 between Shreveport and the Tulsa Drillers, batting a combined .286/.381/.416 in 89 games. In his final season, 1956, he played for the Columbus Foxes (.303/?/.424 in 25 G) and Mobile Bears (.302/?/.453 in 15 G).

Overall, Van Eman hit around .312 with at least 1,047 hits, 178 doubles, 40 triples and 92 home runs in his 11-year career.

After baseball, he worked for the Glassport Foundry/Bucyrus Erie.

Sources

• Obituary from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
• 1947, 1951, 1953-1956 Baseball Guides