James Dickey (minors01)

James Shelton Dickey

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 184 lb.
• Born April 21, 1927 in Bolton, GA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

First baseman James Dickey played in the minor leagues in 1944, from 1948 to 1952 and in 1954, beginning his career at 17 years old. He spent most of his career in the St. Louis Cardinals system.

In his first season, he slashed .253/.306/.343 with 2 home runs, 36 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 97 games for the Lynchburg Cardinals. He spent time on the National Defense Service, or NDS, list from 1945 to 1947, and didn't play professionally in that time. He returned with a bang in 1948, hitting .341 with 22 home runs and 12 triples in 108 games for the Johnson City Cardinals; he also spent some time with Lynchburg. Between three clubs the next year, he slashed .342/.500/.592 with 17 home runs, 76 RBI, 30 stolen bases, 11 triples, 124 runs, 128 walks (77 Ks) and 140 hits in 126 games. His average slipped to .257 in 1950, but he hit 20 home runs, 11 doubles and 10 triples, and he followed that with 20 home runs, 19 doubles and 13 triples in 1951.

In 1952, he had another odd distribution of extra base hits, with 13 home runs, 14 triples and 19 doubles in 137 games between three clubs. On March 24th of that year, while taking Spring Training batting practice, he hit a line drive that struck pitcher Bobby Slaybaugh in the skull, forcing the hurler to lose an eye. Incredibly, Slaybaugh returned to the mound later that summer. Dickey played two games with the Triple A Rochester Red Wings that year (going 0-for-1). That was his only Triple A experience. He retired prior to the 1953 season, but returned for one more campaign, this time in the Chicago Cubs system, in 1954, hitting .284/.414/.539 with 28 home runs, 104 RBI and 107 walks in 138 games for the Macon Peaches.

He hit around .292 with about 122 home runs in his seven-year career.