Rocco Ippolito

Rocco Ippolito
(Ray)

• Bats Right, Throws unknown
• Height 6' 1", Weight 200 lb.

• Born 1928 in Bayonne, NJ USA
• Died May 7, 1995

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Rocco Ippolito was a minor league pitcher and outfielder who was active from 1947 to 1956. He missed the 1951 and 1952 seasons due to military service at the time of the Korean War.

He was signed to his first professional contract by the Philadelphia Athletics. In his first two seasons, he was a true two-way player. In 1947, he went 6-10, 3.81 for the Nyack Rocklands of the North Atlantic League while hitting .297 with 20 doubles and 10 triples in 98 games as an outfielder. In 1948, he was 8-6, 2.81 in 14 games for the Moultrie A's of the Georgia-Florida League and hit .370 with 28 doubles and 21 homers in 124 games. he concentrated on his hitting starting in 1949 and batted 310 in 134 games for the Lincoln A's of the Western League, also hitting 25 doubles and 20 homers, scoring 111 runs and driving in 110.

On December 13, 1949, he was included in a major league trade, being sent by the Athletics to the St. Louis Browns alongside infielders Frankie Gustine and Billy DeMars and OF Ray Coleman in return for 3B Bob Dillinger and OF Paul Lehner. He spent the 1950 season with the San Antonio Missions of the Texas League but slumped to .235 with 24 homers in 128 games in the higher-level circuit. He then missed the following two seasons due to military duties, then returned to San Antonio in 1953 but hit .234 in 147 games, with 25 homers. In 1954, with the Denver Bears, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he led the Class A Western League with 131 RBIs while hitting .289 in 149 games, with 31 doubles and 20 homers. 1955 found him in the Milwaukee Braves system, with the Atlanta Crackers of the AA Southern Association and the Richmond Virginians of the AAA International League. Playing at his highest level yet, he hit a combined .264 in 130 games with 14 homers and 64 RBIs - decent numbers but at age 27 he was no longer considered a prospect.

In his final season, 1956, he was with the Victoria Eagles of the Big State League, the Austin Senators of the Texas League and the Monterrey Sultans in the Mexican League. Full statistics are unavailable, but he hit a combined .249 between the three teams and his power was mostly gone.

After baseball, he settled in Kansas and became a mail carrier.