Eddie Carnett

Edwin Elliott Carnett (October 21, 1916 – November 4, 2016) was a left fielder and pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three different teams from 1941 to 1945. Listed at 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m), 185 lb (84 kg), he batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Springfield, Missouri.

Eddie Carnett
Left fielder
Born: (1916-10-21)October 21, 1916
Springfield, Missouri, U.S.
Died: November 4, 2016(2016-11-04) (aged 100)
Ringling, Oklahoma, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 19, 1941, for the Boston Braves
Last MLB appearance
July 7, 1945, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Batting average.268
Home runs1
Runs batted in67
Teams

Baseball career

Carnett was noticed by big league scouts when he was pitching in high school. He was signed by the Chicago Cubs in 1935, assigned to the Class C Ponca City Angels of the Western Association in his hometown, Ponca City, Oklahoma, and won 19 games. In 1936, he was in spring training with the Los Angeles Angels, the Cubs' top farm club in the Pacific Coast League, but an accident during a "pepper" game led to a serious shoulder injury that jeopardized his career. He was reassigned back to Ponca City, pitched with the injury and lost ten straight games, took off some time to work on his hitting, and then won 16 consecutive games.[1]

Carnett, nicknamed "Lefty", entered the major leagues in 1941 with the Boston Braves, playing in two games before joining the United States Navy during World War II (1942–43).[2] After he was discharged, he played for the Chicago White Sox in 1944 and the Cleveland Indians in 1945, mostly as an outfielder and first baseman. In his three-season career, Carnett pitched 51⁄3 innings in six appearances, and posted a 3.40 earned run average with four strikeouts, three walks, and no decisions. His career batting statistics included a .268 batting average with 25 doubles, 8 triples, 1 home run, and 67 runs batted in.[3]

After World War II ended, he played for the AAA PCL Seattle Rainiers in 1946 before returning to Class C balls and eventually returned to Ponca City to play for the Jets in 1954 and 1955 prior to their moving to Gainesville, Texas.

Death

Carnett died in November 2016 in Ringling, Oklahoma, two weeks after celebrating his 100th birthday.[4] At the time of his death, he was the oldest living former Major League Baseball player;[4] that distinction then passed to Bobby Doerr, who was born on April 7, 1918.

See also

References
  1. Cleve, Craig Allen. "Eddie Carnett". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  2. "Baseball in Wartime – Ed Carnett". BaseballinWartime.com. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  3. "Eddie Carnett". baseball-reference.com. sports-reference.com. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  4. Adler, David (November 4, 2016). "Oldest Ex-MLB Player Carnett Dies at 100". MLB.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016.

Further reading
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