Newt Parker, listed as William Parker on BR, was a big, big-hitting first baseman in the low minors of the South from 1939 to 1953. Most of his seasons were good but not great - nothing you'd remember eighty years later. But his 1941 season looks like a misprint.
Known as Newton "Gashouse" Parker in college, Newt played baseball and basketball for the Middle Georgia College (MGC) Wolverines from 1937 to 1939. He played third base on the diamond and center on the hardwood, and won the junior college basketball title of Georgia with MGC in 1939.
 |
| Newt is second from the left, back row. Macon Telegraph, 1939-2-23, p.8 |
He spent the summer of 1939 playing for the Callaway Cubs of the Middle Georgia Textile League. The only game report I found that mentioned him was the game of June 24, in which he hit a 410-foot homer, a double, and a single, leading Callaway to a 28-2 win over Dixie.
 |
| Atlanta Constitution, 1939-6-25, p.18 |
The star pitcher of the Calloway Cubs was Royce Mills, who would win 89 games and lose 67 in the low minors from 1940 to 1952.
Newt Parker made his entrance into pro baseball late in 1939, playing 14 games for the Kannapolis Towelers of the class D North Carolina State League. His batting average was only .255 but he made his hits count, slugging three homers and three doubles in his 47 at-bats.
Newt spent 1940 with the Jackson Generals of the class D Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League. Its friends called it Kitty.
He batted .291 and tied his teammate, outfielder Joe Polcha, for second place in home runs with 27 in 118 games. (1940 was Joe Polcha's only year in pro ball.) He finished 2nd in RBIs with 108, 47 shy of the 155 driven in by former major leaguer Mike Powers. He also struck out 128 times, 26 times more than anyone else in the league.
He was considered to be the league's top fielding first sacker. His large size - 225 pounds - would have been a liability at any other position, but provided some much-needed margin for error for the throws of his infielders. "Parker was made of rubber, could stretch a mile, and furnished an excellent target for the infielders." - Jackson Sun, 1941-6-01, p. 11.
It was an impressive season, and during the winter meetings the Tulsa Oilers of the Texas League bought his contract. He went to spring training with the Oilers but was optioned back to Jackson at the start of the season, subject to twenty-four hour recall.
The Jackson Generals' season opened May 11. Parker hit a two-run homer, a double, and a single, driving in three of the General's four runs in a 4-2 defeat of the Union City Greyhounds. With that, Newt Parker began one of the most remarkable months of power-hitting in baseball history.
Over the next eight games, from May 12 to May 20, Parker hit a home run in every other game. He scored at least one run in every game but one, the only exception being May 15, in which the entire General team was shutout by Union City Greyhounds' pitcher Donald Bakkelund. As of May 20, he had a .355 batting average (11 for 31), five home runs, and three doubles, for a slugging percentage of .935.
He cooled down a little after that. He didn't hit a single homer in a two game series vs. the Mayfield Browns May 21-22. On May 23, he had a homer, a double, and three runs scored against the Hopkinsville Hoppers, but the next day was just 1-for-4 with a single.
That's when he really got going.
On May 25 he went 4-for-4 with a homer against the Hoppers, and hit at least one home run in each of the following six games. He hit one in each game of a two game series against the Fulton Tigers, May 26-27. Next came a four game series against the Bowling Green Barons. He hit two in the first game, one in the second, and in a doubleheader on May 30, hit two in each game - seven home runs in the four game series. All told, he hit ten home runs in seven games over six days, with a home run in every game.
And then the Tulsa Oilers recalled him and sent him to play with the Hutchinson Pirates of the Western Association.
He wasn't happy to go. The Jackson Sun of 1941-6-01, p. 11, quoted him as saying: "I hate to leave here hitting like I am. I want a shot at the home run record in the Kitty."
His final stats for Jackson were eye-popping: A .405 batting average, 16 home runs, 37 RBIs, 30 runs scored, 30 hits, 7 doubles, and 14 walks in 20 games. His slugging percentage was 1.149.
The final stats of the Kitty League saw him finish 8th overall in home runs, with 16 - the league leader hit 30 - despite playing in less than a sixth of the season.
Newt spent 1940 with the Jackson Generals of the class D Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League. Its friends called it Kitty.
He batted .291 and tied his teammate, outfielder Joe Polcha, for second place in home runs with 27 in 118 games. (1940 was Joe Polcha's only year in pro ball.) He finished 2nd in RBIs with 108, 47 shy of the 155 driven in by former major leaguer Mike Powers. He also struck out 128 times, 26 times more than anyone else in the league.
He was considered to be the league's top fielding first sacker. His large size - 225 pounds - would have been a liability at any other position, but provided some much-needed margin for error for the throws of his infielders. "Parker was made of rubber, could stretch a mile, and furnished an excellent target for the infielders." - Jackson Sun, 1941-6-01, p. 11.
It was an impressive season, and during the winter meetings the Tulsa Oilers of the Texas League bought his contract. He went to spring training with the Oilers but was optioned back to Jackson at the start of the season, subject to twenty-four hour recall.
The Jackson Generals' season opened May 11. Parker hit a two-run homer, a double, and a single, driving in three of the General's four runs in a 4-2 defeat of the Union City Greyhounds. With that, Newt Parker began one of the most remarkable months of power-hitting in baseball history.
Over the next eight games, from May 12 to May 20, Parker hit a home run in every other game. He scored at least one run in every game but one, the only exception being May 15, in which the entire General team was shutout by Union City Greyhounds' pitcher Donald Bakkelund. As of May 20, he had a .355 batting average (11 for 31), five home runs, and three doubles, for a slugging percentage of .935.
He cooled down a little after that. He didn't hit a single homer in a two game series vs. the Mayfield Browns May 21-22. On May 23, he had a homer, a double, and three runs scored against the Hopkinsville Hoppers, but the next day was just 1-for-4 with a single.
That's when he really got going.
On May 25 he went 4-for-4 with a homer against the Hoppers, and hit at least one home run in each of the following six games. He hit one in each game of a two game series against the Fulton Tigers, May 26-27. Next came a four game series against the Bowling Green Barons. He hit two in the first game, one in the second, and in a doubleheader on May 30, hit two in each game - seven home runs in the four game series. All told, he hit ten home runs in seven games over six days, with a home run in every game.
And then the Tulsa Oilers recalled him and sent him to play with the Hutchinson Pirates of the Western Association.
 |
| Jackson Sun, 1941-6-01, p. 11 |
He wasn't happy to go. The Jackson Sun of 1941-6-01, p. 11, quoted him as saying: "I hate to leave here hitting like I am. I want a shot at the home run record in the Kitty."
His final stats for Jackson were eye-popping: A .405 batting average, 16 home runs, 37 RBIs, 30 runs scored, 30 hits, 7 doubles, and 14 walks in 20 games. His slugging percentage was 1.149.
The final stats of the Kitty League saw him finish 8th overall in home runs, with 16 - the league leader hit 30 - despite playing in less than a sixth of the season.
 |
| https://1drv.ms/x/s!Ako34EwWdHgA6ABDiVRp0tl22sok?e=K445cI |
The RBIs in this game-by-game record are two short - the Jackson Sun wasn't terribly scrupulous about keeping accurate count of RBIs. I counted him as having 75 at-bats while the official Kitty League records list him with 74 at-bats; I'd probably trust the official records there.
The Jackson Sun predicted at his parting:
"The club owners will feel his presence in the Western Association. He is a very expensive ball player. He knocks boards off the fences, loses baseballs, and according to some players in this man's league, he packs a pretty mean right."
But Newt didn't have enough time with Hutchinson to knock any boards off of fences, let alone show off his 'mean right' in battle. After three games, possessing a sound mind in a sound body and a nullity of dependents, Newt was drafted into the army. (He had only managed to hit two singles in those three games for Hutchinson.)
He didn't return to pro ball until 1946.
He didn't return to pro ball until 1946.
For two seasons, he lived the life of the baseball nomad. In 1946, he played for the Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets of the Carolina League, the Tarboro Tars of the Coastal Plain League, and the La Grange Troupers of the Georgia-Alabama League. 1947 was split between the Tarboro Tars and Roanoke Rapids Jays of the Coastal Plains League.
He was decent in both years - .278/9/92 in 111 games in 1946, .302/18/84 in 103 games in 1947 - but nothing like he had been in that charmed month of May 1941.
In 1948 he was hired to manage and play first base for the Edenton Colonials of the semi-pro Albemarle League; he would lead them to three Albemarle League pennants from 1948 to 1950. In 1948 he tied teammate Johnny Bohonko for first in the league in home runs with 14, and was leading the league in homers in 1950 when the league folded. After his nomadic years of 1946 and 1947, he was able to stay in one place long enough to become a local favorite.
He was decent in both years - .278/9/92 in 111 games in 1946, .302/18/84 in 103 games in 1947 - but nothing like he had been in that charmed month of May 1941.
In 1948 he was hired to manage and play first base for the Edenton Colonials of the semi-pro Albemarle League; he would lead them to three Albemarle League pennants from 1948 to 1950. In 1948 he tied teammate Johnny Bohonko for first in the league in home runs with 14, and was leading the league in homers in 1950 when the league folded. After his nomadic years of 1946 and 1947, he was able to stay in one place long enough to become a local favorite.
He was a "quiet, easy going man off the field," but as a manager he would get "really worked up during a game" and his arguments could be spectacular. (Raleigh News and Observer, 1951-3-28, p.14)
The Edenton Colonials joined the class D Virginia League in 1951, and Parker moved up with them. They finished third out of six teams, with a 63-55 record. Parker was their best batter, hitting.303/19/73 in 96 games and tying for second in the league in home runs.
Parker managed the Colonials in a third league in 1952, the Coastal Plain League; the Virginia League had collapsed of ennui. He did not retain his post for long. He hit a meager .214 with three homers in 47 games, was released, and signed on with the Palatka Azaleas of the Florida State League, with whom he hit .163 with three homers in 13 games.
But even after Parker left Edenton, his legacy lived on in John "Monk" Raines, who Parker had signed to his first pro contract in 1951 for the Colonials.
John Raines was a 5'9" righty pitcher with an impressive pedigree. He was a four-sport star for Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, and he set the South Carolina college strikeout mark with 20 in a 1948 game. He pitched for the Kingstree Royals of the semi-pro Palmetto League in 1950, winning 17 games, losing 5, and averaging 15 strikeouts a game. (Raleigh News and Observer, 1951-3-28, p.14)
Raines was good for the Colonials in 1951 - 16-13 record, 134 strikeouts, and a 3.61 ERA - but in 1952 he was great. In the regular season, he won 26 games, lost 5, struck out 244 batters, and had an 1.48 ERA. He earned a new nickname, "Iron Man", presumably because he never needed to be relieved - he completed all 29 of his starts. He threw two one-hitters and two two-hitters. (1952-9-04)
In the Coastal Plain play-offs, he won another three games without a loss to finish the year with a 29-5 record. The Edenton Colonials had finished third out of eight in the regular season with a 69-55 record, but swept through the playoffs like a devouring flame, sweeping the Wilson Tobs in four games in the semi-finals, and winning four out of five against the Goldsboro Jets in the finals to win the championship.
1952 proved to be the last season of the Coastal Plain League, which had been playing since 1937, and 1953 proved to be Newt's last season. He managed the Hickory Rebels, in the class D Tar Heel League, to a 46-66 record, and batted .290/2/15 with 22 walks in 107 at-bats in 45 games.
He was also reunited with John Raines. Raines had been sold to the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern League in December 1952. He made the Crackers team out of spring training as a reliever, but was sent to the Hickory Rebels after pitching in five games. He was good for the Rebels, with a 12-5 record, 112 strikeouts, and 4.10 ERA in 23 games, but it was his final year in baseball; he, too, finished his career with the Hickory Rebels.
Parker managed the Colonials in a third league in 1952, the Coastal Plain League; the Virginia League had collapsed of ennui. He did not retain his post for long. He hit a meager .214 with three homers in 47 games, was released, and signed on with the Palatka Azaleas of the Florida State League, with whom he hit .163 with three homers in 13 games.
But even after Parker left Edenton, his legacy lived on in John "Monk" Raines, who Parker had signed to his first pro contract in 1951 for the Colonials.
John Raines was a 5'9" righty pitcher with an impressive pedigree. He was a four-sport star for Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, and he set the South Carolina college strikeout mark with 20 in a 1948 game. He pitched for the Kingstree Royals of the semi-pro Palmetto League in 1950, winning 17 games, losing 5, and averaging 15 strikeouts a game. (Raleigh News and Observer, 1951-3-28, p.14)
Raines was good for the Colonials in 1951 - 16-13 record, 134 strikeouts, and a 3.61 ERA - but in 1952 he was great. In the regular season, he won 26 games, lost 5, struck out 244 batters, and had an 1.48 ERA. He earned a new nickname, "Iron Man", presumably because he never needed to be relieved - he completed all 29 of his starts. He threw two one-hitters and two two-hitters. (1952-9-04)
In the Coastal Plain play-offs, he won another three games without a loss to finish the year with a 29-5 record. The Edenton Colonials had finished third out of eight in the regular season with a 69-55 record, but swept through the playoffs like a devouring flame, sweeping the Wilson Tobs in four games in the semi-finals, and winning four out of five against the Goldsboro Jets in the finals to win the championship.
1952 proved to be the last season of the Coastal Plain League, which had been playing since 1937, and 1953 proved to be Newt's last season. He managed the Hickory Rebels, in the class D Tar Heel League, to a 46-66 record, and batted .290/2/15 with 22 walks in 107 at-bats in 45 games.
He was also reunited with John Raines. Raines had been sold to the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern League in December 1952. He made the Crackers team out of spring training as a reliever, but was sent to the Hickory Rebels after pitching in five games. He was good for the Rebels, with a 12-5 record, 112 strikeouts, and 4.10 ERA in 23 games, but it was his final year in baseball; he, too, finished his career with the Hickory Rebels.
Newt Parker should be remembered for his short flash of glory, those two weeks in May 1941 in which he hit in a way few had done before and few have done since. But he should be remembered for more than that.
Fred Snodgrass used to complain that all people ever remembered him for was his error in the 1912 World Series. "You'd think I was born the day before and died the day after." The case of Newt Parker is a bit different in that no one remembers him for anything, but the principle in unearthing him is similar. The career of William Newton (Gashouse) Parker lasted fifteen years, not two weeks. Though the things he did outside of May 1941 may not have been so spectacular, they were no less valuable. They were just quieter, and harder to see from the distance of time.
There are a lot of guys who should be remembered, and aren't. It's unfortunate, but the masses just don't care about players like Mr. Parker. The funny thing is too, with the hundreds of podcasts and thousands of YT channels clamoring for "content", you'd think some of these players would be getting more attention, but everyone seems to still be focusing on the usual subjects. I suspect a big part of it is because the people behind the channels don't want to have to any research past Wikipedia; and if you've ever tried to listen to/watch any of these things, it shows. At any rate, solid article, as usual :)
ReplyDelete