Ray Poat

Raymond Willis Poat

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 200 lb.
• School University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• High School Lindblom High School
• Debut April 15, 1942
• Final Game September 21, 1949
• Born December 19, 1917 in Chicago, IL USA
• Died April 29, 1990 in Oak Lawn, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

A Chicago native, pitcher Ray Poat went to Lindblom High School and then attended the University of Illinois, where he was a teammate of Lou Boudreau. While in college, he went 10-0 in 1936 and was named Big Ten Conference Most Valuable Player in 1937.

Poat made his pro debut with the Leaksville-Spray-Draper Triplets of the Bi-State League in 1939 and went 15-4. After spending the next two years with the Cedar Rapids Raiders (and posting a 29-14 mark), he played for the Indianapolis Indians in 1942, going 15-8. He also made his big league debut that year with the Cleveland Indians, where his manager was his former college teammate Boudreau. After spending the next two years with the Tribe, he retired from baseball temporarily in 1945 to remain with his war job. After the war, he returned to the majors and spent two and a half seasons with the New York Giants. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1949, but an elbow injury ended his career after only a handful of games with the Bucs.

Following his baseball career, Poat took a job as a chemist, a position he held for almost 30 years. He died in 1990 at age 72.

Related Sites

• Ray Poat at the SABR Bio Project