Toby Atwell

Maurice Dailey Atwell

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9½", Weight 185 lb.
• School Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
• High School Leesburg (VA) High School
• Debut April 15, 1952
• Final Game September 28, 1956
• Born March 8, 1924 in Leesburg, VA USA
• Died January 23, 2003 in Purcellville, VA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"My greatest thrill was being named back-up catcher for the National League for the All-Star Game in Philadlephia in 1952, my rookie year. But the game was stopped by rain after five innings before I had a chance to play in it." - Toby Atwell

After attending Virginia Tech, Toby Atwell served three years in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He then started out in pro ball in the Brooklyn Dodgers organization. In 1946, he hit .328 for the Danville Dodgers in the Three-I League and in 1947 hit .337 for the Fort Worth Cats in the Texas League. He hit .345 for the 1948 St. Paul Saints in the American Association, before being traded to the Chicago Cubs for Carmen Mauro in 1951.

The 28-year-old rookie had a solid 1952 season in the majors with the Cubs, hitting .290 in 107 games and earning the trip to his lone All-Star Game. In June the following year, he was part of the multi-player trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates in which Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner went to Chicago. Atwell had another good year at the plate for the Bucs in 1954, hitting .289 in 96 games while posting a career-high 102 OPS+. On April 27th, he and outfielder Jerry Lynch hit back-to-back home runs twice in the same game, a feat accomplished only seven times previously in big league history. No Pirate tandem would copy them until Neil Walker and Gaby Sanchez in 2014. A .260 career hitter in five major league seasons, he finished his career with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956.

After his baseball playing days were over, Toby became an independent contractor in the building of new homes. He later was the head of the mill work for the Boise Cascade Company in Springfield, VA. He retired to his home in Purcellville, VA, where he died on January 25, 2003, at the age of 78.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (1952)

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com
Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: Third Edition
SABR MILB Database:page