Harold Langford Leathers (December 2, 1898 – April 12, 1977) was a professional baseball middle infielder who played in nine games for the 1920 Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). Listed at 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) and 152 pounds (69 kg), he batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
| Hal Leathers | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Leathers in the minor leagues, 1923 | |
| Shortstop / Second baseman | |
| Born: December 2, 1898 Selma, California, US | |
| Died: April 12, 1977 (aged 78) Modesto, California, US | |
Batted: Left[a] Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 13, 1920, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 2, 1920, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .304 |
| Home runs | 1 |
| Runs batted in | 0[b] |
| Teams | |
Biography edit
Leathers' minor league baseball career spanned 1918 to 1924, plus a final season in 1926.[2] He appeared in 778 minor league games, compiling a .253 batting average.[2] Defensively, he played 480 games as a shortstop and 142 games as a second baseman.[2]
From mid-September to early October 1920, Leathers appeared in nine major league games with the Chicago Cubs.[3] He registered a .304 batting average (7-for-23) with one home run,[3][b] which was hit off of Joe Oeschger of the Boston Braves.[5][6] Defensively, Leathers made six appearances at shortstop (four starts) and three appearances at second base, recording an .837 fielding percentage.[7] He committed three errors in his first major league start at shortstop,[8] one of which led to an unearned run, the difference in a 1–0 Cubs loss to the Brooklyn Robins.[9][10]
Leathers was born in 1898 in Selma, California.[3][11] As of February 1942, he was living in Los Angeles and was self-employed as a gardener.[11] He died in 1977 in Modesto, California, and was interred in Hughson, California.[3]
Notes edit
- ^ Leathers was listed as a switch hitter in the Cubs' 1921 pre-season roster.[1]
- ^ a b Somehow, official baseball records of the era do not credit him with a run batted in (RBI) for his home run,[3] creating a discrepancy in his MLB career record.[4] For an overview of discrepancies in historical baseball records, see this discussion at Retrosheet.
References edit
- ^ "Chicago Cubs' Roster for 1921". Brooklyn Standard Union. March 23, 1921. p. 13. Retrieved August 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Hal Leathers Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Hal Leathers". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ "Discrepancy File for Hal Leathers". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ "Boston Braves 4, Chicago Cubs 2". Retrosheet. September 21, 1920. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ O'Leary, James C. (September 22, 1920). "Braves Beat Cubs in Last of Series". The Boston Globe. p. 11. Retrieved August 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hal Leathers Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ "The 1920 CHI N Regular Season Fielding Log for Hal Leathers". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ "Thanks to Harold Leathers". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 16, 1920. p. 22. Retrieved August 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Brooklyn Robins 1, Chicago Cubs 0". Retrosheet. September 15, 1920. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ a b "Draft Registration Card". Selective Service System. February 1942. Retrieved August 6, 2020 – via fold3.com.
External links edit
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet