Joe Fortin

Joseph Leo Fortin

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 215 lb.

• Born June 20, 1923 in Highland Park, MI USA
• Died June 5, 2000 in Gray County, TX USA

BR Minors page

Biographical information

Joe Fortin was a minor league outfielder who played in 1942 and from 1946 to 1956.

He began his career playing for the Lockport White Sox of the PONY League, hitting .239 in 34 games. From 1943 to 1945, he did not play due to World War II, though he returned in 1946 and played for the Pampa Oilers and Lamesa Lobos of the West Texas-New Mexico League, hitting a combined .318 with seven home runs in 131 games. With Pampa in 1947, he hit .375 with three home runs in 41 games. The following year, he hit .379 with 34 home runs, 52 doubles and 216 hits in 138 games for Pampa. He ranked fifth in the league in home runs that year.

Playing for the Piedmont League's Richmond Colts in the New York Giants system in 1949, his average fell to .278, though he still hit 15 home runs and 34 doubles in 140 games. He returned to the high-average, high-offense West Texas-New Mexico League in 1950, hitting .401 with 28 home runs, 50 doubles and 236 hits for the Oilers. He split the 1951 season between the Oilers, Albuquerque Dukes and Augusta Tigers (of the South Atlantic League, hitting a combined .300 with 19 home runs in 122 games.

Fortin returned to Lamesa for the 1952 season, hitting .349 with 32 home runs in 139 games. He played for the Artesia Drillers of the Longhorn League (86 games) and the Grand Forks Chiefs of the Northern League (34 games) in 1953, hitting a combined .318 with 22 home runs. He split 1954 between the Oilers, Plainview Ponies and Amarillo Gold Sox, hitting .361 with four home runs in 21 total games. In 1955, he hit .367 with 41 home runs in 137 games for Pampa, finishing third in the league in home runs (behind Lincoln Boyd [44] and Curtis Hardaway [43]). The Oilers moved to the Southwestern League in 1956, and Fortin hit .337 with 14 home runs in 46 games. His career was over following that season.

Overall, Fortin hit .340 with 219 home runs, 334 doubles and 47 triples in his 12-year minor league career. He played in 1,214 games, collecting 1,612 hits in 4,748 at-bats.

He served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. His year of birth has also been listed as 1925.[1]