Roy Jarvis

Leroy Gilbert Jarvis

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 160 lb.
• Debut April 30, 1944
• Final Game September 14, 1947
• Born June 7, 1926 in Shawnee, OK USA
• Died January 13, 1990 in Oklahoma City, OK USA

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Biographical Information

Roy Jarvis was a catcher who had three cups of coffee with the Dodgers and Pirates in 1944, 1946, and 1947, the last when he was 21 years old.

When he first broke in at age 17, he was one of the youngest players in the majors. He only played one game with the Brooklyn Dodgers, spending the year primarily with the Trenton Packers (.277/~.350/.388) and the Newport News Dodgers, where his 15 errors led the Piedmont League's catchers even though he only played 36 games there. He hit .307/~.386/.471 for Newport News.

Jarvis served in the US Navy during World War II in 1945, then returned to baseball with the 1946 Pirates. Most of his major league at-bats (45 ouf of 50) were with the 1947 Pittsburgh Pirates. He spent most of '47 with the Indianapolis Indians and hit .231 for that AAA club with 7 homers, one shy of his career high.

In 1948, LeRoy moved to the Albany Senators and batted .289. The next season, Jarvis split catching duties for the San Francisco Seals with Roy Partee, batting .276/~.338/.357; he also played some outfield that year. In '50, Roy hit .239/~.327/.283 for San Fran and .267/~.378/.390 for the Kansas City Blues, spending most of the season there. In 1951, Jarvis hit .275 for the Atlanta Crackers, remaining in the high minors, though dropping a level.

At age 26, the veteran catcher put up a .270/~.329/.388 campaign for the Tulsa Oilers as the backup to Hobie Landrith. His best season in terms of raw statistics might have been 1953, when he batted .308 with eight homers back in Atlanta. In '54, Jarvis hit .250 for the Richmond Virginians and .286 for Atlanta and the Nashville Volunteers. He concluded his career in 1955 by hitting .242 with seven homers for '56 Nashville.

After baseball, he was a salesman.

He died at his home at age 63 and is buried at Lofland Cemetery in Wyandotte, OK.

Sources: 1945, 1951 and 1953 Baseball Guides, Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database, 1949 Pacific Coast League season for Diamond Mind Baseball by Stephen Davis