Charlie Rabe
From BR Bullpen
Charles Henry Rabe
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.
[edit] Biographical Information
20 year old left-hander Charlie Rabe was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cincinnati Reds before the 1952 season. He would spend his initial season with the Lawton Reds of the class D Sooner State League, winning 13 games and losing 7 with a 2.24 ERA, and also making the All-Star team. This was a fine opening season for the young pitcher but he would spend the next two years (1953-54) in the United States Military Service during the Korean War.
Charlie would arrive back to baseball in time for the 1955 season, hook up with the Columbia Reds of the class A South Atlantic League and go 21-7 with a 2.01 ERA. His 21 wins along with 219 strikeouts plus his 2.01 ERA would lead the league and give Rabe a spot on the All-Star team. He would not fare so well in '56 going 5-18 with a 4.79 ERA. In 1957 Rabe would regain his poise and win 16 and lose 10 with a 3.37 ERA for the Seattle Rainiers of the PCL. Charlie would also get his first look at Crosley Field and the big league hitters, making two appearances and losing his only decision.
Rabe had high hopes in 1958 but he went 1-2 with the Seattle Rainiers with a 4.15 ERA. He also had his second and last chance at the major league level when he appeared in nine contests for the Redlegs, lose all three of his decisions, along with a 4.34 ERA and would see the last of Crosley Field during his career. He closed out major league wise with an 0-4 record and a 3.67 ERA. On June 23, 1958 Charlie was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a multi-player deal that put Rabe with the Montreal Royals for the remainder of the year and he produced a 6-8 record with a 3.37 ERA.
Charlie was only 27 years old and felt like he still had enough to pitch on the big league level. He would spend the next five seasons (1959-63) pitching in the high minors but never got another invite to the big show. He would wind up his ten year run (1952-63) in the minor leagues with the Macon Peaches of the AA South Atlantic League with a 15-12 record that helped his team win the league pennant and he was chosen for the ALL-Star team. Rabe ended his minor league career with 115 wins and 105 losses along with a fine 3.19 ERA.
Charlie was once quoted as saying that his greatest thrill in baseball was just being in the major leagues for a short time and giving up one of Hank Aaron's 755 home runs. The brother-in-law of 1958 Redleg teammate Bob Purkey, he was later a security chief for General Motors, and retired to Mesa, AZ.
[edit] Sources
Baseball Players of the 1950s
Minors Page
