Lamar North

Marion Lamar North

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.

• Born May 20, 1929 in Georgia, USA
• Died January 20, 2011 in Rossville, GA USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Catcher Lamar North spent 13 seasons in the minor leagues.

He debuted in 1948 with the Eastman Dodgers, hitting .271/?/.330. In 1949, he batted .322 and slugged .420 for Eastman. He was among the Georgia State League's top 10 in batting average. North moved up to the Portsmouth Cubs in 1950 and hit .262/~.333/.310. He missed 1951-1952, presumably due to military service.

North returned to Portsmouth in 1953 and batted .216/~.342/.269, showing rust. He did lead all catchers in the Piedmont League with 73 assists. In 1954, Lamar hit .249/?/.361 for Portsmouth, followed by .258/?/.356 in 1955.

In 1956, the veteran backstop batted .256/?/.342 for the Binghamton Triplets. With Binghamton in '57, he hit .260/.347/.345. He hit .256 with a career-high 18 homers, slugging .424, for the 1958 New Orleans Pelicans and played one game at AAA.

Lamar hit .247/?/.325 in 60 games for Binghamton in 1959 and also spent time with the Houston Buffs (7 for 47) and Richmond Virginians (4 for 20), getting his longest looks at AAA. He batted .235/.314/.350 for two Texas League clubs in 1960. He was 6 for 33 for the '62 Fort Lauderdale Yankees and 0 for 1 for the 1963 Richmond club to end his playing career.

He managed the Harlan Smokies (1962), Johnson City Yankees (1964), Greensboro Yankees (1965) and Fort Lauderdale Yankees (1966 and 1970). He later scouted for the New York Yankees (1968-1971), Los Angeles Dodgers (1973-1975), and Baltimore Orioles (1977-?), signing Ken Gerhart, Gregg Olson and Nick Markakis among others.