Don Griffin

George Donald Griffin

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.

• Born January 7, 1922 in Margaretville, NY USA
• Died September 12, 2009 in Chiefland, FL USA

BR minors page

Biographical information

Don Griffin was a minor league baseball catcher who played from 1946 to 1959 in the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox farm systems.

He began his career as a 24-year old in 1946, playing for the Oneonta Red Sox. That season, he hit .335 in 59 games. He spent 1947 with the Lynn Red Sox, hitting .294 with nine home runs in 100 games. In 1948, he hit .263 in 94 games for the Scranton Red Sox.

1949 to 1951, would be his first stint in the Tigers system. He played for the Lynn Tigers and Williamsport Tigers in 1949, hitting a combined .316 in 108 games. With Williamsport in 1950, he hit .317 in 96 games. In 1951, he struggled mightily for Williamsport and the Toledo Mud Hens, hitting .236 in 105 games.

1952 was his first year in the White Sox organization. He played for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox and the Memphis Chickasaws that year, hitting a combined .285 in 105 games. The next year, he played for the Charleston Senators, hitting .290 in 82 games. He played for the unaffiliated Toronto Maple Leafs in 1954 and 1955, hitting .266 in the former season and .259 in the latter. He also played for the Maple Leafs in part of 1956, although he spent most of the season with the Chickasaws. That year, he hit .275 in 105 combined games. Furthermore, he also managed the Chickasaws from August 26 until the end of the season, replacing Jack Cassini.

On December 6, 1956, he was traded from the Maple Leafs with Archie Wilson to the Tigers for Jim Robertson and Bobby Tiefenauer. He spent 1957 with the Charleston Senators, hitting .277 in 90 games, also was the interim manager for 2 days in July. In 1958, he struggled with the Birmingham Barons, hitting only .231 in 42 games. He spent his final professional season, 1959, with the Chickasaws, hitting .281 in 95 games.

Overall, he hit .282 in 14 minor league seasons.

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1956	Memphis Chicks	Southern Association	8-6	2nd	Chicago White Sox	Lost League Finals	Replaced Jack Cassini (74-66)
1957	Charleston Senators	American Association	1-2	--	Detroit Tigers	--	Replaced Frank Skaff (34-46), replaced by Bill Norman (32-39)