Dave Cole

David Bruce Cole

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Williamsport (MD) High School
• Debut September 9, 1950
• Final Game June 6, 1955
• Born August 29, 1930 in Williamsport, MD USA
• Died October 26, 2011 in Hagerstown, MD USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Before the 1948 season, hard-throwing right-hander Dave Cole signed with the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent and sent him to the Class B Pawtucket Slaters for his initial season, where he went 5-2 with a 3.34 ERA. 1949 saw him with the Class B Jackson Senators where he went 12-12, pitching 203 innings with a 4.21 ERA. In 1950, he got a late season call up to the Braves and appeared in four games, allowing just 7 hits and an earned run in 8 innings, going 0-1 with a 1.13 ERA. He had spent the first part of the season with the AAA Milwaukee Brewers, going 6-5 with a 4.18 ERA.

Cole was with the Braves in 1951 and 1952 getting into 45 games, pitching 112 innings and going 3-5 with a combined 4.14 ERA. His Achilles' heel was walks: in 112 1/3 innings, he issued a whopping 106 free passes. In 1953 the Braves moved to Milwaukee, but Dave did not see much action, appearing in ten games and going 0-1 with a 8.58 ERA. On March 20, 1954 he was traded, with cash, to the Chicago Cubs for Roy Smalley. Dave spent 1954 with Chicago, went 3-8, and was sold on March 19, 1955 to the Philadelphia Phillies. After this transaction, his reaction was: "They're the only team I can beat." He was right, as he lost all three of his decisions to close his career in the majors with a 6-18 record.

He spent the rest of 1955 with the AAA St. Paul Saints, where he went 3-7 with a 6.75 ERA. Dave spent the 1956 and 1957 seasons in the high minors, finishing 6-11 with a 6.15 ERA and left pro baseball. In the minors, he was 32-37 with a 5.13 ERA, pitching in 146 games. Dave went back to Hagerstown, MD, where he managed a Mack Truck outlet. He died there in 2011.

Sources

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

Related Sites

• Dave Cole at the SABR Bio Project