Paul Burris

From BR Bullpen

Paul Robert Burris

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.

Debut October 2, 1948
Final Game June 4, 1953
Born July 21, 1923 in Hickory, NC USA
Died October 3, 1999 in Charlotte, NC USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Before the 1942 season, Paul Burris was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent. The 19-year-old rookie spent 1942 with the class D Hickory Rebels and the class B Durham Bulls. He appeared in a combined 77 games and hit a very mild .187. Paul spent the next three years in the United States Military Service during World War II.

When Paul left for the service he was an outfielder; when he returned he was a catcher. In 1946 he caught 74 games for the Thomasville Dodgers, hitting .198. The Danville Dodgers had him in 1947; he hit at a .287 clip, which would be his best ever in pro ball. The Boston Braves drafted Burris from Brooklyn in the 1947 minor league draft.

He spent most of 1948 with the AAA Milwaukee Brewers where he hit .247 before going 2 for 4 in a late promotion to the 1948 Braves. He was with the Brewers again in 1949, hitting .263.

Burris would appear in 10 major league games for the 1950 Braves and spend the rest of the year with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1951, he was with the Brewers for the season, hitting .256. Paul would spend 1952 with the Braves, appearing in 55 games and hitting at a .220 clip. He stayed with the 1953 Milwaukee Braves after the franchise shift, getting into only two games with no record and this ending his major league cycle.

Paul would play from 1954 through 1956 with several class A and AAA teams at about his same pace before deciding it was time to finish his baseball career.

Burris had twelve active seasons from 1942 through 1956 and his major league numbers show four partial years of play in 69 games with 196 at-bats with 43 base hits for a .219 batting average. Paul appeared in 787 minor league games and had 2,407 at bats with 583 base hits for a career .242 batting average.

After baseball, Burris returned to his native North Carolina and was employed with Douglas Aircraft in Charlotte, NC, where he died October 3, 1999, at age 76.