Jack Feller

Jack Leland Feller

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10½", Weight 185 lb.
• School Adrian College
• High School Onsted High School
• Debut September 13, 1958
• Final Game September 13, 1958
• Born December 10, 1936 in Adrian, MI USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Before the 1955 season, Jack Feller was signed as an amateur free agent by the Detroit Tigers. He was assigned to the Panama City Fliers where the 19-year-old catcher appeared in 115 games and hit for a .329 average his first year in the pros. In 1956 he appeared with two teams, hitting .235 for the class D Hazlehurst-Baxley Tigers in 42 games and appearing with the class B Terre Haute Tigers for another 42 games, this time hitting for a .246 average.

Jack was with the class B Durham Bulls in 1957, appearing in 95 games and he managed 81 base hits for a .264 average. In 1958, he played well for the class A Augusta Tigers, hitting for a .261 average for the Southern Association champions. He got a late-season look by the parent club Detroit Tigers. On August 21st, Feller appeared in his only major league contest, with no record at bat and one putout in the field; he caught one half inning with future Hall of Famer Jim Bunning on the mound. That would be it for Jack in the majors.

He split 1959 between the class B Fox Cities Foxes (where hit .267 in 54 appearances) and the class A Knoxville Smokies where he fell off to .147 in 26 games. He had been a receiver in the Detroit Tigers minor league system for five seasons before leaving baseball to pursue his degree in physical education at Adrian College in Michigan.

Jack was a longtime teacher and coach of the Quincy High School football, basketball and baseball teams before retiring to Lakeland, FL in 1991.

Sources

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

Related Sites

• Jack Feller at the SABR Bio Project