Cliff Mapes

Clifford Franklin Mapes (born March 13, 1922, in Sutherland, Nebraska, died December 5, 1996) was a professional baseball player who played five seasons for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.^[1]

Professional career

Mapes, a 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m), 205 lb (93 kg) outfielder, was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Cleveland Indians prior to the 1940 season.^[1] He never played for the Indians, and was later drafted by the New York Yankees in the 1946 Rule 5 Draft. After a season in the minors, Mapes was recalled to the Major League level, where he saw limited time as a backup to an outfield that contained Joe DiMaggio, Tommy Henrich, and Johnny Lindell.^[2] Mapes hit .250, with 12 runs batted in, and his first career home run.^[1] In his second season, Mapes saw regular time as a starter. He hit .247 with seven home runs and 38 runs batted in, but also led the team in strikeouts in helping the Yankees claim the American League pennant.^[3] He was the team's starting right fielder against the Brooklyn Dodgers, and he helped the team win the 1949 World Series,^[4][5][6][7] the team's first World Series en route to five consecutive world championships.^[8] In 1950, Mapes led the team in strikeouts for the second consecutive season.^[9] His playing time remained the same, but his power numbers improved from a year earlier. Mapes hit batted .247 with 12 home runs and 61 runs batted in, but also grounded into a team-high 14 double plays.^[9] The Yankees finished the season with the American League pennant once again, but Mapes saw little time in the postseason; Mapes only appeared in one game as the Yankees won the 1950 World Series in a four-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies.^[10] As Mapes' numbers started to decrease in 1951, including a batting average which fell to .216, the Yankees decided to cut ties with him. He was purchased by the St. Louis Browns on July 31, 1951.^[1] After a moderate season with the Browns, he was traded with Matt Batts, Dick Littlefield, and Ben Taylor to the Detroit Tigers for Gene Bearden, Bob Cain, and Dick Kryhoski.^[1] In 1952, for the Tigers, Mapes hit a career-low .197, and was traded back to the Browns, with Neil Berry and cash, for Jake Crawford.^[1] However, instead of choosing to play for the team that had traded him a year earlier, Mapes decided to end his professional baseball career. He played his final game on September 28, 1952.^[1] On December 5, 1996, Mapes died in Pryor, Oklahoma, at the age of 74.^[1]

See also

• Baltimore Orioles all-time roster
• Detroit Tigers all-time roster
• New York Yankees all-time roster

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference