Morrie Aderholt
From BR Bullpen
Morris Woodroe Aderholt
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 188 lb.
- School Wake Forest University
- Debut September 13, 1939
- Final Game September 30, 1945
- Born September 13, 1915 in Mount Olive, NC USA
- Died March 18, 1955 in Sarasota, FL USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Morrie Aderholt played five seasons in the majors. Most of his major league at-bats occurred in 1945, split between two teams, when he also reached his major league high batting average of .290.
Aderholt was born in 1915 in Mount Olive, NC, in the southeastern portion of the state. He attended Wake Forest University in the same state from 1935-38 (Tommy Byrne was also there in 1938) and began in the minors in 1939 with Charlotte, for whom he played second base and hit 21 home runs with a .297 batting average.
On September 13, 1939, he made his major league debut, appearing in 7 games that season with the 1939 Senators.
In 1940 he had one game with the Senators and in 1941 he was up for 11 more. Mostly, though, he was in the minors in 1940-41 with Springfield. He started playing third base in 1941. In 1942 he was back with Charlotte, and in 1943 he played with Chattanooga/Montgomery, hitting .319. In 1944 he was with Montreal, for whom he hit 20 home runs. The Montreal team that year also featured the 17-year-old Duke Snider, the 18-year-old Ralph Branca and the 18-year-old Gene Mauch.
He came up to the majors for 17 games with the 1944 Dodgers, hitting .271 with three triples.
1945 was his big year in the majors, as he appeared in 39 games with the 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers, and then after being selected off waivers, another 31 games with the 1945 Boston Braves. Although he hit poorly with Brooklyn, with Boston he was great, putting up a batting average of .333. He played mostly outfield during his time in the majors in 1944-45 although he had been primarily a second baseman during his big-league days in 1939-41.
Morrie had made a number of errors while at second base and third base in the majors, so when he came up in 1944 he played outfield. Even so, his major league fielding average (at all positions) during his career was .915.
From 1946-51 he continued to play in the minors. During a 12-season minor-league career, he hit .304. From 1948-53 he managed.
Morrie's obituary says that he died of a heart attack at age 39. He had had a chronic heart condition. He was a Washington scout at the time.
Primarily wore number 19.
Aderholt scouted for the Washington Senators from 1954 until his passing.
[edit] Year-by-Year Managerial Record
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Emporia Nationals | Virginia League | 63-74 | 5th | Washington Senators | |
| 1949 | Emporia Nationals | Virginia League | 67-55 | 3rd | Washington Senators | Lost in 1st round |
| 1950 | Emporia Nationals | Virginia League | 71-57 | 1st | Washington Senators | League Champs |
| 1951 | Roanoke Rapids Jays | Coastal Plain League | 59-66 | 5th | Washington Senators | |
| 1952 | Danville Leafs | Carolina League | 65-74 | 6th | Washington Senators | |
| 1953 | Scranton Miners | Eastern League | 51-100 | 8th | Washington Senators |

