Ray Dandridge biography
Ray Dandridge, in full Raymond Emmett Dandridge, bynames Dandy and Hooks, (born August 31, 1913, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.—died February 12, 1994, Palm Bay, Florida), American skilled baseball participant who spent most of his profession between 1933 and 1955 taking part in within the Negro leagues and on groups exterior the United States.
Dandridge was an impressive defensive third baseman. Although he had little energy, he usually posted batting averages of over .300. He started his profession with Negro league groups in Detroit and Nashville in 1933, however after one season he moved on to the Newark Dodgers (later referred to as the Eagles) of the Negro National League, the place he was a star participant for seven seasons in the course of the Thirties and ’40s. The best interval of his profession, nevertheless, was spent in Mexico. The color barrier within the United States and the lure of upper salaries in Mexico landed Dandridge on the Veracruz Blues, a group that featured different Negro League stars, together with Willie Wells, Josh Gibson, and Cool Papa Bell. Dandridge performed within the Mexican League for eight seasons—for each Veracruz and Mexico City—between 1940 and 1948, compiling a .347 cumulative batting common. Not solely did Dandridge earn more money than he would have taking part in within the Negro leagues, however he and the opposite black gamers from the United States have been handled with a respect that they have been unaccustomed to again at residence and have been usually extraordinarily standard with the Mexican followers. Dandridge was elected to the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in Monterrey in 1989.
Dandridge returned from Mexico in 1949 to handle and play for the New York Cubans. That 12 months he additionally was signed by the New York Giants, who assigned him to their minor league membership in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the place he was chosen because the American Association Rookie of the Year. At the time Dandridge was 36 years outdated, though he had informed the Giants he was 29. In 1950 he was chosen because the Most Valuable Player within the American Association after tallying 195 hits and posting a .311 batting common. He performed two extra seasons in Minneapolis, adopted by three years with numerous minor league groups earlier than retiring in 1955. Despite his success, Dandridge was by no means capable of fulfill his dream of taking part in within the main leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 1987.