Dick Aylward
From BR Bullpen
Richard John Aylward (Dandy, Arm)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
- Debut May 1, 1953
- Final Game May 20, 1953
- Born June 4, 1925 in Baltimore, MD USA
- Died June 11, 1983 in Spring Valley, CA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Dick Aylward was a career minor league catcher from 1943 to 1958 with the exception of being in the United States Army in the European Theater of Operations in 1944 and 1945. He also was gone from the minors for a brief four-game stay with the Cleveland Indians in 1953 in which he went hitless in three at bats.
He was voted the most outstanding catcher in the Texas League in 1952 after hitting .285 for the Dallas Eagles and spent several years in the 1950s as a receiver in the Pacific Coast League with the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Rainiers.
Dick had one distinction in that during his playing days he had the unusual habit of wearing his chest protector underneath his uniform jersey when he was behind the plate. Aylward was an excellent defensive receiver who had a 1.000 fielding percentage for the 1954 Pacific Coast League champion Padres; he was known as the "Arm" for his exceptionally strong throwing arm.
A truck driver for Coast Distributors after baseball, Dick died June 11, 1983, at age 58 in Spring Valley, CA
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