Moose Clabaugh
From BR Bullpen
John William Clabaugh
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
- Debut August 30, 1926
- Final Game September 25, 1926
- Born November 13, 1901 in Albany, MO USA
- Died July 11, 1984 in Tucson, AZ USA
[edit] Biographical Information
"Portland had an outfielder named Moose Clabaugh, and Ted (Williams) would oooh and ahhh and say he wished he had muscles so he could hit a ball like Clabaugh." - from the book Hitter: The Life and Turmoils of Ted Williams
Moose Clabaugh was up only briefly in the major leagues with the 1926 Brooklyn Robins but was a long-time slugger and batting champ in the minors.
Clabaugh earned his sole major league callup following a 62 home run season in 1926 for Tyler of the East Texas League -- a low minor league at the time. Although he didn't stick in the majors, Clabaugh ended his career with five minor league batting titles, and a career .339 minor league batting average.
- HR Titles
- 1926 East Texas League 62
- 1930 Three-I League 30
- 1931 Southern Association 23
- Batting Titles
- 1926 East Texas League .376
- 1927 Piedmont League .363
- 1928 Southeastern League .366
- 1931 Southern Association .378
- 1932 Southern Association .382
- Also led league in : Runs - 1926 East Texas League 106; Hits - 1927 Piedmont League 187; RBI - 1930 Three-I League 154; 2B 1935 Pacific Coast League 56
Clabaugh's major drawbacks were an extremely weak throwing arm, horrific baserunning skills and an inability to hit curveballs. This colorful character was known throughout the minor leagues for his terrific barnyard animal impressions.
