Chuck Coles

Charles Edward Coles

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 9", Weight 180 lb.
• School Waynesburg College
• High School Jefferson-Morgan High School
• Debut September 19, 1958
• Final Game September 28, 1958
• Born June 27, 1931 in Fredericktown, PA USA
• Died January 25, 1996 in Myrtle Beach, SC USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Before the 1950 season, outfielder Chuck Coles was signed as an amateur free agent by the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was a teammate of future major leaguer Dick Gray in both high school and college. The well-travelled and fleet-footed Coles was assigned to the Class D Valdosta Dodgers and went on to lead the Georgia-Florida League in hitting (.355), making the All-Star team in his debut. Chuck spent 1951 with the Newport News Dodgers, playing in 142 games and leading the Class B Piedmont League with 165 hits, hitting .299 and making another All-Star squad. His next stop was the AA Mobile Bears in 1952 and he played in 153 games, hitting .296 with 13 home runs. He again was picked for the Southern Association All-Star team, along with future major leaguers Frank Thomas and Dusty Rhodes. In the United States military in 1953 and 1954, he was back in 1955 with the Elmira Pioneers, batting .278 with 13 bombs. He appeared in 128 games for the Pueblo Dodgers in 1956 and hit .279.

Prior to the 1957 tilt, the Dodgers sent Chuck to the Albuquerque Dukes of the Western League and he responded by leading the Western League with 208 hits, including 26 home runs, while hitting .344. The Cincinnati Redlegs obtained him when they concluded a minor league working agreement with Albuquerque before the 1958 season. The Redlegs placed him with the AA Nashville Volunteers in 1958 and Chuck again responded by leading the Southern Association with 107 RBI along with 29 homers and a .307 average. The stocky left-handed hitter came up with Cincinnati that summer and picked up a pair of hits in eleven at bats (.182) in five games, his only shot in the majors. Coles played five more seasons in the minors, winding up his 12-year career with the Tidewater Tides of the Carolina League in 1963. Over the years, he appeared in 1,537 games, batting .293 (1,619-for-5,518) with 176 home runs.

Coles, who had been employed as a millwright in Jefferson, PA, died on January 25, 1996, at 64 in Myrtle Beach.

Sources

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