Walt Dropo

Walter Dropo (January 30, 1923 - December 17, 2010) spent 13 seasons as a Major League Baseball first baseman for a variety of teams, most notably during the 1950s. Dropo was a star baseball, football, and basketball player at the University of Connecticut. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 4th round of the 1946 NFL Draft, and in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 1947 Basketball Association of America draft by Providence Steamrollers. However, “Moose” rejected both teams and in 1947 signed as an amateur free agent with the Boston Red Sox. His career with Boston (1949-1952) got off to a great start, and in 1950 was elected to his only All-Star Game and was named Rookie of the Year — the first BoSox player to earn that honor. He was also the American League’s RBI champion (144) and total bases leader (326), while batting .322 and hitting 34 home runs (second behind Al Rosen’s 37). His slugging percentage (.583) and extra bases (70) put him in second place that season behind future Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio. In 1951, Dropo fractured his right wrist; the first baseman never had another season that equaled his 1950 campaign, though in 1952 he tied an MLB record for consecutive at-bats with a hit (12). Moose went on to play for the Detroit Tigers (1952-1954), Chicago White Sox (1955-1958), Cincinnati Reds (1958-1959), and Baltimore Orioles (1959-1961), and ended his career with a .270 batting average, 152 total home runs, and 704 RBI.