Tag: Gee Walker

The Tuesday Fungo

Tim Corcoran – #25

Fifty years ago this June, the Tigers signed Tim Corcoran as an amateur free agent, and he started hitting as soon as he got to Lakeland (.270) and Bristol (.370).

In 1975, Corcoran was promoted to Double-A Montgomery and hit .245 with a .666 OPS, but in ’76 he hit 64 points higher with a solid OPS: .309 / .811.

  • Corcoran made his Tigers debut on May 18, 1977, against Gaylord Perry and the Rangers. As Ralph Houk’s DH, he walked in his first big-league at bat and scored, but went 0 for 3 in a 6-3 loss.
  • The left-handed hitter played parts of four seasons with the Tigers as an outfielder/DH/first baseman combo.
  • From 1977-80, Corcoran appeared in 273 games for Detroit, with a final line of:
AverageHitsHome RunsRBIOPS
.272164766.690
  • He spent most of the 1981 season in Evansville where all he did was hit: .298 average, an .826 OPS and 100 hits in 106 games. Still, it wasn’t enough to last in Detroit.
  • On Sept. 4, 1981, the Tigers sent him to the Twins as the player to be named later in the Aug. 23 trade for Ron Jackson.
  • After spending time with the Twins and getting decent playing time with the Phillies from 1983-85, Corcoran’s final major-league appearance came on June 6, 1986 with the Mets. In ’87 and ’88, he played for the Triple-A Maine Phillies.

Birthdays

Tim Corcoran, the late Gee Walker, Tex Covington and Billy Maharg*

*Check out Maharg’s career

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 352 9/9 — Rarity: 121

See you tomorrow.

Today’s Tiger: Gee Walker

Gee Walker

  • Born: March 19, 1908, in Gulfport, Miss.
  • Died: March 20, 1981, in Jackson, Miss.
  • Seasons in Detroit: 7 (1931-37)
  • Uniform Numbers: 6, 11
  • Awards: All-Star (1937)
  • Stats: .317 avg., 61 HR, 32 triples, 468 RBI, .820 OPS

Gee WalkerGerald Holmes “Gee” Walker debuted with the Tigers on April 14, 1931, and though he didn’t see a great deal of playing time as a rookie (59 games, 189 at bats) he made the most of his opportunities, hitting .296 with 27 doubles. The following year he was even better, hitting .323 with 32 doubles and 78 RBI. (Quick aside: Walker’s older brother, Hub, played alongside him with the Tigers in 1931 and ’35.)

Walker was a hitting machine for the Tigers as he matured, hitting under .300 only once after his rookie season. Near the end of his time in Detroit he began showing a power stroke and a knack for driving in runs.

His time in Detroit coincided with two World Series appearances, 1934 and ’35. Against the Cardinals in October ’34, he had one hit in three at bats. The following postseason, he went one for four in three Series games against the Cubs. Walker’s Tigers career ended on Dec. 2, 1937, when he was traded with Marv Owen and Mike Tresh to the White Sox for Vern Kennedy, Tony Piet and Dixie Walker. He played eight more seasons in the majors, two with the White Sox, four with the Reds, and a season with both the Senators and Indians. His major-league game was on Sept. 30, 1945. According to Walker’s Baseball-Reference page …

Baseball Digest from August 1976 states that Walker had arthritis during his later years in baseball and after his playing days he worked in real estate in Florida and Mississippi.

He died on March 20, 1981, in Whitfield, Miss., a day after his 73rd birthday.

Year Age Tm Lg G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BA OBP SLG OPS
1931 23 DET AL 59 189 56 17 2 1 28 .296 .345 .423 .768
1932 24 DET AL 127 480 155 32 6 8 78 .323 .345 .465 .809
1933 25 DET AL 127 483 135 29 7 9 64 .280 .304 .424 .728
1934 26 DET AL 98 347 104 19 2 6 39 .300 .340 .418 .758
1935 27 DET AL 98 362 109 22 6 7 53 .301 .329 .453 .782
1936 28 DET AL 134 550 194 55 5 12 93 .353 .387 .536 .924
1937 29 DET AL 151 635 213 42 4 18 113 .335 .380 .499 .880
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Today’s Tiger: Gee Walker

Gee Walker

  • Born: March 19, 1908 in Gulfport, Miss.
  • Died: March 20, 1981 in Jackson, MS
  • Seasons in Detroit: 7 (1931-37)
  • Uniform Numbers: 6, 11
  • Awards: All-Star (1937)
  • Stats: .317 avg., 61 HR, 32 triples, 468 RBI, .820 OPS

Gee_Walker.jpgGerald Holmes “Gee” Walker debuted with the Tigers on April 14, 1931, and though he didn’t see a great deal of playing time as a rookie (59 games, 189 at bats) he made the most of his opportunities, hitting .296 with 27 doubles. The following year he was even better, hitting .323 with 32 doubles and 78 RBI.

(Quick aside: Walker’s older brother, Hub, played alongside him with the Tigers in 1931 and ’35.)

As you can see, Walker was a hitting machine for the Tigers as he matured, only hitting under .300 once after his rookie season. Near the end of his time in Detroit he began showing a power stroke and a knack for driving in runs.

Year Age Tm Lg G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BA OBP SLG OPS
1931 23 DET AL 59 189 56 17 2 1 28 .296 .345 .423 .768
1932 24 DET AL 127 480 155 32 6 8 78 .323 .345 .465 .809
1933 25 DET AL 127 483 135 29 7 9 64 .280 .304 .424 .728
1934 26 DET AL 98 347 104 19 2 6 39 .300 .340 .418 .758
1935 27 DET AL 98 362 109 22 6 7 53 .301 .329 .453 .782
1936 28 DET AL 134 550 194 55 5 12 93 .353 .387 .536 .924
1937 29 DET AL 151 635 213 42 4 18 113 .335 .380 .499 .880
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/6/2011.

As Walker was making his mark as a hitter, he was leaving much to be desired in the field averaging 14 errors a year in the outfield.

His time in Detroit coincided with two World Series appearances, 1934 and ’35. Against the Cardinals in October ’34, he had one hit in three at bats. The following postseason, he went one for four in three Series games against the Cubs.

Walker’s Tigers career ended on Dec. 2, 1937, when he was traded with Marv Owen and Mike Tresh to the White Sox for Vern Kennedy,
Tony Piet and Dixie Walker.

He played eight more seasons in the majors, two with the White Sox, four with the Reds, and a season with both the Senators and Indians. His major-league game was on Sept. 30, 1945.

According to Walker’s Baseball-Reference page …

Baseball Digest from August 1976 states that Walker had arthritis during his later years in baseball and after his playing days he worked in real estate in Florida and Mississippi.

He died on March 20, 1981 in Whitfield, Miss., a day after his