Tommy Tatum
From BR Bullpen
V T Tatum
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
- Debut August 1, 1941
- Final Game September 24, 1947
- Born July 16, 1919 in Decatur, TX USA
- Died November 7, 1989 in Oklahoma City, OK USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Tommy Tatum was born in Texas but grew up in Oklahoma. He hit over .300 with the Nashville Vols in 1940. He was hitting .341 in 1941 when the Dodgers purchased him. He got into 8 games with them in 1941. Most of his appearances in the field were in center field, owned at the time by Pete Reiser. The 1941 Dodgers won 100 games under manager Leo Durocher.
World War II interrupted his career and he served in the Army. He played some baseball in the army but also suffered an arm injury.
In 1946 he came back to the Dodger system, playing in Montreal and hitting .319. The following year he played briefly with the Dodgers before being traded to the 1947 Cincinnati Reds, where he got most of his major league at-bats. The young Ted Kluszewski made his major league debut with the Reds as well that year.
With the Reds, Tommy was one of four players who got a lot of playing time in center field. The others were Bert Haas, Clyde Vollmer, and Frank Baumholtz (who was the regular right fielder but played some games in center also).
After his playing days Tommy managed the Oklahoma City Indians for several years.
He died in Oklahoma City at the age of 70.
He was the first of four players (through 2006) with the last name "Tatum" to play in the majors.
One key source: Biography of Tommy Tatum
