Virgil Richardson

Virgil Donald Richardson

• Bats Both, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
• Born December 25, 1919 in South Bend, NE USA
• Died December 21, 2014 in Fairbury, NE USA

BR Minors page

Biographical information

First baseman Virgil Richarson spent 13 seasons in the minor leagues, including eight in the high-offense West Texas-New Mexico League.

He began his career in 1939 as a 19-year-old, playing for the Mitchell Kernels of the Western League (118 G, 7 HR, .313 BA) and the Salina Millers of the Western Association (2 G, 0 HR, .000 BA), hitting a combined .308 with seven home runs in 120 games. He tied for second in the WL in games.

In 1940, he played for the WL's Worthington Cardinals (52 G, 4 HR, .305 BA), the Rayne Rice Birds and Opelousas Indians of the Evangeline League (41 G, 0 HR, .163 BA) and the Oklahoma City Indians of the Texas League (1 G, 0 HR, .000 BA), hitting a combined .231 with four home runs in 91 games. His game for Oklahoma City was his only appearance above the B level. In 1941, he joined the Topeka Owls of the Western Association, hitting .271 with six home runs in 131 games. He stuck with the Owls for 1942, hitting .277 with 11 home runs in 135 games.

Richardson did not play professionally from 1943 to 1945. He returned to professional baseball with a bang in 1946, hitting .339/.466/.603 with 41 doubles, 26 home runs, 118 walks, 149 runs and 132 RBI in 136 games with the Pampa Oilers of the WTNML. He was third in walks and 4th in runs and RBI. He was then drafted in the class-B phase of the 1946 Rule V Draft by the Montgomery Rebels of the Southeastern League. He split 1947 between Montgomery (43 G, 4 HR, .288 BA) and the Lubbock Hubbers (99 G, 29 HR, .337 BA), another WTNML squad, hitting a combined .323 with 33 home runs and 46 doubles in 142 games. He would spend the rest of his career in C ball.

He returned to Lubbock for 1948, hitting .397 with 38 home runs, 48 doubles, 201 hits and a .741 slugging percentage in 136 games. He finished second in the league in home runs and slugging percentage (behind Bob Crues, who hit 69 home runs that season).

From 1949 to 1951, Richardson played for the Pampa Oilers. In his first year back with the squad, he hit .305 with 19 home runs and 35 doubles in 138 games and the next year, he hit .330 with 33 home runs and 39 doubles in 143 games. In 1951, he hit .324 with 25 home runs and 46 doubles in 140 games, also managing the squad for part of the season. He tied for third in the league in games in 1949 and in 1950, he tied for third in the league in home runs. In 1951, he finished third in the league in doubles and he tied for third in the league in games.

He played the final three seasons of his career, 1952 to 1954, with the Clovis Pioneers, also of the WTNML. In 1952, he hit .295 with 21 home runs and 36 doubles in 140 games. The following year, he hit .330 with 27 home runs and 38 doubles in 139 games and in 1953, his final season, the 34-year-old hit .297 with 12 home runs and 35 doubles in 131 games. He finished third in the league in games in 1952.

Overall, Richardson played in 1,725 games, hitting .313 with 262 home runs, 442 doubles, 56 triples, 1,440 RBI, 1,415 runs and 1,929 hits. He slugged .530. He never led his league in any offensive department.

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1951	Pampa Oilers	West Texas-New Mexico League	40-54	6th	None		Replaced Grover Seitz (24-23)