Pete Meachini

Peter Meachini

• Bats Right, Throws Right

Pete Meachini broke into professional baseball in 1950 with the Emporia Nationals, hitting a solid .309/~.431/.361 with 113 runs, 101 walks and 46 steals. He had 22 more steals than the runner-up in the Virginia League, tied for second in runs and tied for fourth in walks. He led the VL's shortstops in assists (453), double plays (94) and fielding percentage (.953).

Meachini hit .246 for the 1951 Charlotte Hornets and improved to .277/~.461/.342. He drew a whopping 162 walks in 137 games, scoring 120 runs, legging out nine triples and swiping 17 bags. His .973 fielding led Tri-State League shortstops. He led the loop in bases on balls, runs scored and triples.

In 1953, Pete hit .263 for the Scranton Miners. The next year, he was at .273 for Charlotte and got limited time with the Chattanooga Lookouts (he had also played briefly for them in '53). He hit .200 in Charlotte in '55 and spent most of the season with the Rock Hill Chiefs. He batted .297 for Rock Hill.

Sources: 1951 and 1953 Baseball Guides, Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database

Personal Remembrance

Pete was a veteran shortstop on the 1955 Rock Hill Chiefs of the Class B Tri-State League. He had previously played for the Class A Charlotte Hornets, I believe. He was from New York City. Pete was a good dependable infielder defensively and a fair-to-good contact hitter, as I remember him. He seemed of about average height and weight, with reddish brown hair. He had good poise on the field, and handled himself like a professional. I am not certain if Pete continued his baseball career after Rock Hill.

--Submitted by Bill O'Donnell (User:Pitcher53)