Ben Taylor (taylobe02)
From BR Bullpen
Benjamin Eugene Taylor
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
- Debut July 29, 1951
- Final Game September 21, 1955
- Born September 30, 1924 in Metropolis, IL USA
- Died May 11, 1999 in Alma, AR USA
[edit] Biographical Information
First baseman Ben Taylor was the uncle of Hawk Taylor, who would arrive in the big leagues later on in the decade. Ben was signed as an amateur free agent by the Brooklyn Dodgers before the 1944 season. Ben was born in Metropolis, Illinois and although no "Superman" he did hit over .300 and drive in over 100 runs in two of his early seasons in pro baseball - for the 1945 Olean Oilers of the Pony League and the 1947 Santa Barbara Dodgers of the California League.
Taylor would have three more average seasons in the minors before being traded by the Brooklyn Dodgers to the St. Louis Browns on July 24, 1951 for Johnny Bero, Joe Lutz and cash. Ben had a short flight with the 1951 St. Louis Browns, hitting .258 in 33 games. Before the 1952 season, the Browns traded Ben along with Matt Batts, Dick Littlefield and Cliff Mapes to the Detroit Tigers for Gene Bearden, Bob Cain and Dick Kryhoski.
Ben would be with the 1952 Tigers long enough to appear in seven games and hit at a .167 clip. He would spend the rest of the season in the minors with three different teams, hitting at a .249 clip. Taylor was traded late in the year to the Cleveland Indians for Hal Erickson. Ben spent 1953 and 1954 in the minors with the Dallas Eagles and the Beaumont Exporters, both of the Texas League, having two decent seasons. Taylor would get one more look-see in the majors when he was traded to the Milwaukee Braves before the 1955 season. Ben would appear in 12 games for the Braves, hitting an even .100 and this marked the end of his time in the show. He finished with a .231 hitting average while appearing in 52 games.
Taylor went back to the minors and played out his 13-season run, not doing anything spectacular. He finished his active playing career in 1957 with the Austin Senators and the Little Rock Travelers with a minor league hitting average of .275 in 1,382 games that included 136 home runs. Taylor took over the manager's duties of the Johnson City Phillies in 1957, leading them to a second-place finish with a 46-23 record, two games behind the Appalachian League winners.
Taylor, who was later employed with Anheuser Busch in Houston, TX, died May 11, 1999, at age 72 in Alma, AR.
