Possum Whitted
George Bostic Whitted
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 8½", Weight 168 lb.
- Debut September 16, 1912
- Final Game April 23, 1922
- Born February 4, 1890 in Durham, NC USA
- Died October 15, 1962 in Wilmington, NC USA
Biographical Information[edit]
George "Possum" Whitted played 11 seasons in the big leagues, all in the National League. While mostly a left fielder, he played significant numbers of games at every position except pitcher and catcher.
Sporting Life called him "George", not "Possum".
Whitted appeared in the 1914 World Series and the 1915 World Series. He was part of the Miracle Braves team in 1914 and batted clean-up in the Series.
In 1922-23 he was player-manager for Toledo while in 1927-32 he managed Durham (and also played for the team during most of those years).
He coached Duke University from 1926 to 1928.
Whitted wrote an article appearing in the March 1918 issue of Baseball Magazine titled "Making Good in the Majors: How a Ball Player May Improve Himself by Hard Work and Perseverance". It is full of details about his career. He acknowledged not playing well for St. Louis, and was at first not happy about being traded to the Braves. Later, when the Braves traded him, he wasn't happy about that either. He had trouble hitting the curve ball when he first arrived at the majors. He didn't see a future as a major league infielder so he practiced playing outfield ("I chased miles and miles after fly-balls.").
Notable Achievement[edit]
- Won a World Series with the Boston Braves in 1914
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | Toledo Mud Hens | American Association | 47-77 | 7th | none | replaced Al Wickland (15-3) on May 26 | |
| 1923 | Toledo Mud Hens | American Association | 33-63 | -- | -- | replaced by Bill Terry (21-51) on July 31 | |
| 1927 | Durham Bulls | Piedmont League | 13-47 | 6th | replaced Barney Cleveland (10-17) on July 16 | ||
| 1928 | Durham Bulls | Piedmont League | 40-91 | 6th | |||
| 1929 | Durham Bulls | Piedmont League | 85-51 | 1st | Lost League Finals | ||
| 1930 | Durham Bulls | Piedmont League | 71-68 | 2nd | League Champs | ||
| 1931 | Durham Bulls | Piedmont League | 56-72 | 5th | |||
| 1932 | Durham Bulls | Piedmont League | 56-77 | 6th | |||
| 1934 | Asheville Tourists | Piedmont League | 21-31 | 5th | Boston Red Sox | replaced Bill Laval (34-47) on July 17 | |
| 1936 | Macon Peaches | South Atlantic League | 25-35 | -- | Cincinnati Reds | -- | replaced by Milt Stock on June 27 |
| 1937 | Zanesville Grays | Middle Atlantic League | 33-88 | 8th | Boston Bees | ||
| 1941 | Petersburg Rebels | Virginia League | 1st | none | Lost in 1st round | replaced Clarence Pickrel |
Further Reading[edit]
- Craig Hardee: "George 'Possum' Whitted", in Bill Nowlin, ed.: The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston's Original Worst-to-First World Series Champions, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2014, pp. 184-186. ISBN 978-1-933599-69-4
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