Clarence Pickrel

Clarence Douglas Pickrel

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.
• Debut April 22, 1933
• Final Game June 12, 1934
• Born March 28, 1911 in Gretna, VA USA
• Died November 4, 1983 in Rocky Mount, VA USA

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Biographical Information

Clarence Pickrel played two seasons in the majors and eleven in the minors, much of it in the PCL. He won at least 72 games in the minors.

Clarence was born in Gretna, VA, in southern Virginia, two hundred miles from Washington, DC. He pitched for minor league teams in the South in 1931-32 and came to the majors in April of 1933 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He also pitched at least 17 games in the minors that year.

With the Phillies, he was 22 years old, the youngest pitcher on a staff that averaged 29.3 years of age. His 3.95 ERA was better than the team's 4.34 ERA although his WHIP was not quite as good as the team average. His one victory was against the 1934 Pirates, which had four future Hall of Famers in the lineup that day, although Pickrel faced only the 7-8-9 batters in the lineup in his one-inning stint in the ninth.

Much of 1934 was spent with the Syracuse Chiefs, but he was in the big leagues again for 10 games with the 1934 Boston Braves. Most of his appearances were against either the 1934 Dodgers or the 1934 Giants. When he faced the Giants on June 5, he pitched 2.2 innings, facing, among others, future Hall of Famers Bill Terry, Mel Ott and Travis Jackson. He got Terry and Ott out, but, facing Jackson twice, the second time Jackson hit a double off him.

From 1935-40 he was mostly in the PCL, and mostly with the Seattle Indians, although when he was not in the PCL he had parts of two seasons with the Tulsa Oilers. He finished up with the Petersburg Rebels in 1941, for whom he was player-manager.

Clarence Pickrel began the 1941 season as manager of the Petersburg Rebels in the Virginia League. Possum Whitted took over the managerial duties during the season and guided the team to a first place finish.