Don Taussig

Donald Franklin Taussig

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
• School Rutgers University, Hofstra University, Columbia University
• High School Long Beach (NY) High School
• Debut April 23, 1958
• Final Game August 11, 1962
• Born February 19, 1932 in New York, NY USA

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Biographical Information

Don Taussig was a New York City-born outfielder who was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before the 1950 season. He appeared in a couple of class D leagues in 1950, hitting .195 in 56 games and the Yankees promptly sent him to the New York Giants before the 1951 season. Taussig worked his way up through the Giants system and after three years (1955-1957) with the Dallas Eagles of the AA Texas League he first made it to the major leagues when the Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958.

Don appeared in 39 outings with the Giants hitting at a .200 pace, with 1 home run, and spent the rest of the season with the Phoenix Giants of the Pacific Coast League where he hit .212 with 6 homers in 70 games. After two average seasons in 1959 and 1960 The St. Louis Cardinals obtained Don from the Portland Beavers of the PCL as part of a minor league working agreement.

In his second shot at the majors Don appeared in 98 games for the Cardinals in 1961, hitting for a solid .287 average but he then injured his knee and lost his center field position to Curt Flood. On October 10th he was drafted by the Houston Colt .45's in the 1961 expansion draft. Don appeared in only 16 games for the Houston club in 1962, hitting an even .200 for a career .262 in the major leagues. This would be his last trip uptown. He was then drafted in the AA phase of the 1962 Rule V Draft by the Austin Senators from the Durham Bulls.

Taussig went back to the minors in 1963 and he played with four different teams, the Binghamton Triplets, Albuquerque Dukes, Denver Bears and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was able to carry only a .227 batting average in a combined 112 games. He gave it one more shot in 1964 with the Dallas Rangers, hitting .242, and after 13 seasons of active pro baseball he opted out at the age of 32 and retired with a minor league career average of .253 and a 144 four-baggers.

Taussig, who attended Rutgers, Hofstra, and Columbia Universities in the off seasons, was a New York City stockbroker for several years before becoming the owner and manager of a squash complex called "Squash One" in Mamaroneck, NY.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• BR Minors page