Thurman Tucker

Thurman Lowell Tucker
(Joe E.)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 170 lb.

• Debut April 14, 1942
• Final Game April 29, 1951
• Born September 26, 1917 in Gordon, TX USA
• Died May 7, 1993 in Oklahoma City, OK USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Eighteen-year-old Thurman Tucker started his pro baseball career in 1936 with the Siloam Springs Travelers of the class D Arkansas-Missouri League. The young outfielder came up with a .319 batting average with 8 homers in 117 games to help his team win the league pennant and the playoff title. Tucker spent seven seasons in the minors before the Chicago White Sox took a short look at him in 1942.

He had several good years on the way up, hitting .298 in 136 games for the Clarksdale Red Sox in the Cotton States League in 1939 and led that same league in hitting and base thefts in 1940 with a .390 average while stealing 36 bases. In 1941 with the Oklahoma City Indians of the Texas League he had another league-leading 40 stolen bases. He came back with the Fort Worth Cats of the same league in 1942 and hit for a .313 average while leading the league with 116 runs scored and 34 base thefts. He tied for the league lead with 10 triples.

Thurman was a .255 hitter in nine big league seasons with the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Indians from 1942 to 1951. An outstanding defensive outfielder with good speed, he had 29 stolen bases for the White Sox in 1943, his first full season in the majors. He hit for career highs .287 in 1944 and .288 in 1946 after spending the 1945 season in the United States Navy, during World War II.

Tucker was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Ralph Weigel on January 27, 1948 and was a part-time player for the Indians for three years, hitting .260 in 83 games for the 1948 World Champions. He played in only one game against the Boston Braves in the 1948 World Series, but contributed a walk and a base hit off Warren Spahn in the 6th- and 8th-inning rallies in the 4-3 Series-clinching victory. Thurman also made a pair of excellent defensive plays in the outfield, robbing pinch hitter Clint Conatser of extra bases as Boston's 8th-inning rally fell short.

Thurman remained with the Indians until 1951, giving him nine active seasons in the major leagues. He then finished out 1951 and 1952 with the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League and the Oklahoma City Indians of the Texas League. He then took on a player-manager role for four seasons (1955-1959), handling the Carlsbad Potashers (1955-1956) and the Hobbs Sports (1957 & 1959). Thurman wound up with 13 active years in the minor leagues with a career .299 batting average in 1280 games.

Tucker died May 7, 1993, at age 75 in Oklahoma City, OK, where before retirement he had been in the insurance business.

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (1944)
• Won a World Series with the Cleveland Indians in 1948

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1955	Carlsbad Potashers	Longhorn League	72-67	4th	none	Lost in 1st round
1956	Carlsbad Potashers	Southwestern League	70-74	7th	none
1957	Hobbs Sports	Southwestern League	73-52	1st	none	none League Champs
1959	Hobbs Cardinals	Sophomore League	70-54	3rd	St. Louis Cardinals	Lost in 1st round

Sources

Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: Third Edition
Baseball Players of the 1950s
BR Minors page