Carl Powis

Carl Edgar Powis
(Jug)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
• School Murray State College
• Debut April 15, 1957
• Final Game May 27, 1957
• Born January 11, 1928 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died May 10, 1999 in Houston, TX USA

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Biographical Information

Though he played just 15 games in the major leagues, Carl Powis was a professional baseball player for 12 years, appearing for 14 different teams as a fine fielding outfielder with some offensive skills. He broke in in 1948 with the Mayfield Clothiers of the Kitty League. He hit .318 and was fourth in the league with 13 home runs. The next year he hit .319 for the Wichita Falls Spudders in the Big State League, then split 1950 between Wichita Falls and the Wichita Indians of the Western League; between the two circuits he connected for 19 home runs.

He returned to class A in 1951, this time with the Dayton Indians of the Central League and went deep 16 times. After a brief glance at AA that season, Powis had a setback in 1952 when he was sent down to class B, with the Anderson Rebels. He hit .300 with 24 HR and 116 RBI, leading the Tri-State League in runs batted in. At 24, he was still a marginal prospect. His career then stalled for a year as he was in military service in 1953 and 1954, part of which was spent playing with Vinegar Bend Mizell at the Fort McPherson military base in Atlanta, GA.

Powis didn't return to regular playing time till 1955, which he split between AA (the San Antonio Missions) and the Pacific Coast League with the Portland Beavers. In 1956, he spent the whole year with San Antonio. He had one of his best offensive seasons, hitting .330 with 22 homers and 94 RBI. He finished 4th in the league in batting (Albie Pearson led at .371). In his final at-bat of the year, he singled to win a bet with teammate Bill Diemer that he would hit .330.

That performance prompted Powis to earn a shot at the majors at age 29, with the Baltimore Orioles in 1957, but he only was up for a month and a half before heading back to the PCL. He bounced between AA and AAA for the next two years. From 1957 to 1959 he played for Vancouver, Atlanta, Victoria, Dallas and New Orleans in addition to big league Orioes. His production fell rapidly those last three years.

Powis is recalled by teammate Dave L. Roberts as being somewhat narcissistic, making sure he looked just right.

Sources: A Baseball Odyssey by Roberts and Tony Salin, The Professional Baseball Player Database by Patrick Doyle