| Vern Stephens | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born:(1920-10-23)October 23, 1920 McAlister, New Mexico, U.S. | |
| Died: November 4, 1968(1968-11-04) (aged 48) Long Beach, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 13, 1941, for the St. Louis Browns | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 30, 1955, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .286 |
| Home runs | 247 |
| Runs batted in | 1,174 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Vernon Decatur Stephens (October 23, 1920 – November 4, 1968) was an American professionalbaseball player. He played inMajor League Baseball as ashortstop from1941 through1955.[1] An eight-timeAll-Star, Stephens was notable for being the1945 American League home run champion and was a three-time American LeagueRBI champion.[2] He was thecleanup hitter for the onlySt. Louis Browns team to win anAmerican League pennant in1944, and was a toppower hitter for theBoston Red Sox. Nicknamed "Little Slug", "Junior", and "Buster", Stephens batted and threw right-handed. He was inducted into theBoston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006.[3]
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Stephens was born inMcAlister, New Mexico while his parents were en route from Oklahoma to California.[2] He attendedLong Beach Polytechnic High School inLong Beach, California.[2]
One of the strongest-hitting shortstops in major league history, Stephens compiled a .286batting average with 247home runs and 1,174RBI in 1,720 games. In 1944, Stephens led the American League with 109 runs batted in as he led the Browns to their first and onlyWorld Series appearance in St. Louis. He also led the league with 24 home runs in 1945.
Amid a salary dispute with the Browns, Stephens signed a five-year contract with theAzules de Veracruz of theMexican League in1946. He played in two games for Veracruz, with one single in eight at bats, before deciding to return to the United States; his father, a minor league umpire, and the Browns scout Jack Fournier drove down and brought him across the border. Stephens' departure infuriated Mexican League president (and Azules owner)Jorge Pasquel, but it saved him from the five-year suspension thatCommissioner of BaseballHappy Chandler levied on the other major leaguers who "jumped" to Mexico.
After the 1947 season, he was traded along withJack Kramer to the Boston Red Sox, but later, after a brief stint with theChicago White Sox, returned to the Browns in 1953, their last season in St. Louis. Stephens was the only member of the pennant-winning 1944 St. Louis Browns who played with the Baltimore Orioles when the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954.
Stephens played five years with the Boston Red Sox from 1948 to 1952.Ted Williams said that he was the most effective of those who followed him in the batting order. In 1949, he batted in 159 runs (tied with Williams for the league lead) and hit 39 home runs, second only to Williams's 43. No other player in the American League had more than 24. Second basemanBobby Doerr, who was lionized in David Halberstam's bookSummer of '49, hit 18 home runs.
In August 2008, he was named as one of the ten former players who began their careers before 1943 to be considered by the Veterans Committee for induction into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in2009. He was not selected.
Vern Stephens died on November 4, 1968 of aheart attack inLong Beach, California at 48 years of age.[4]
· Baseball Almanac