Gene Woodling

Eugene Richard Woodling (August 16, 1922 - June 2, 2001) won four minor league batting titles and was, in Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel’s opinion, the best left fielder he had ever managed. Gene signed with the Cleveland Indians in 1943, spent two years in the United States Navy during World War II, then returned to play one more season (1946) with the Indians. He played 22 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947, and found a home in the New York Yankees lineup in 1949, platooning with left fielder Hank Bauer. Woodling played 17 seasons in MLB with the Indians (1943, 1946, 1955-1957), the Pirates (1947), the Yankees (1949-1954), the Baltimore Orioles (1955, 1958-1960), the Washington Senators (1961-1962) and the New York Mets (1962). Woodling was relatively successful in wherever he played, but enjoyed his primary success in New York and was a key component in the Yankees 1949-1953 World Series championship runs. Gene was also a key figure in a blockbuster 17-player trade between the Yankees and Orioles in 1954, and then played only 47 games in Baltimore. He topped the .300-mark five times, had more than 100 hits ten times and drove in 40 or more RBI 13 times, including 60 or more seven times, in his career. He was named to the 1959 MLB All-Star Game. As Stengel suggested, Woodling was a skilled left fielder and posted a .989 fielding percentage with 2,924 putouts in 3.052 chances. Gene Woodling finished his career with a .284 batting average, 1,585 hits including 257 doubles and 147 home runs, 830 runs and 830 runs batted in.