Sam West

Samuel Filmore West

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 165 lb.
• High School Rule (TX) High School
• Debut April 17, 1927
• Final Game September 24, 1942
• Born October 5, 1904 in Longview, TX USA
• Died November 23, 1985 in Lubbock, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Sam West played in the first All-Star Game in 1933. After his playing career ended, he spent three years as a Washington Senators coach.

West began his professional career with the 1923 Roswell Giants. The 18-year-old hit .282 with 8 homers. He again went deep eight times, hitting .271, for the Sulphur Springs Saints the next year. In 1925, Sammy split his time between the Monroe Drillers (.341) and Birmingham Barons (.265 in brief time). In '26, West completed his minor league career by batting .340 with 16 homers for Birmingham. He tied Red Ostergard for second in the Southern Association in home runs, four behind Yam Yaryan.

West had a 16-year major league career as an outfielder, and was named to the All-Star team four times. Virtually all his career was spent with the Washington Senators and the St. Louis Browns, with his last season spent with the 1942 Chicago White Sox. West enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces on October 31, 1942, effectively ending his playing career.

He never once played on a pennant winner. Although he played 10 seasons for the Senators, from 1927 to 1932 and 1938 to 1941, they had traded him after the 1932 season to the Browns in a trade that brought Goose Goslin to Washington, so he missed the 1933 Washington Senators team that went to the 1933 World Series.

West's lifetime batting average was .299, and he had a .371 on-base percentage. In 1931, when he hit .333, he was 9th in the MVP voting.

The most similar player to West, according to the similarity scores method, is Augie Galan, although Galan had a lower batting average and a higher on-base percentage. Their slugging percentages were almost the same. Many of the other players on the similarity list are well known, including Joe Vosmik, Pete Fox, Phil Cavarretta, Dixie Walker, and Dom DiMaggio.

Notable Achievements

• 4-time AL All-Star (1933-1935 & 1937)

Related Sites

• Sam West at the SABR Bio Project