Roy Dietzel

Leroy Louis Dietzel

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.

• Debut September 2, 1954
• Final Game September 24, 1954
• Born January 9, 1931 in Baltimore, MD USA
• Died February 3, 2018 in Charlotte, NC USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Before the 1950 season, Roy Dietzel was signed as an amateur free agent by the Washington Senators. The 19-year-old infielder was assigned to the class D Emporia Nationals, where he appeared in 121 games, hit .303 and hammered 11 home runs. Roy spent three more seasons in the minors (1951-1953), and it is probably a good bet that the young man holds the record for broken legs in the minor leagues with three times in three years.

Roy hobbled around with the AA Chattanooga Lookouts, class A Scranton Miners and with the Charlotte Hornets but in September of 1954 the Senators infield prospect got the call to Washington and he enjoyed a 2-for-4 day at the plate against Ned Garver and the Detroit Tigers in his big league debut. He hit .238 in nine games in his only time in the majors, then spent the rest of his playing days in the minors with the Chattanooga Lookouts, Richmond Virginians and finished his pro baseball career with the Charlotte Hornets in 1956.

Dietzel, with all his bad breaks, did wind up with seven active seasons of play from 1950 through 1956, appearing in 568 games, most of those in three seasons, and wound up with a .286 career minor league batting average.

Roy stayed in Charlotte, NC when his career ended in 1956 and was in the insurance business there for many years before his retirement in 1993. Also, during the 1970s and 1980s he was very active in coaching and serving as president of local Little League and Pony League baseball programs.

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page