Elbie Fletcher Marquee

b. March 18, 1916 · Boston Braves 1934–1935, 1949, Boston Bees 1937–1939, Pittsburgh Pirates 1939–1943, 1946–1947

Elbie Fletcher drew 851 walks in a career of 1,415 games, and for three consecutive seasons from 1940 to 1942 he led the National League in both bases on balls and on-base percentage. It was a skill the era barely counted and later ones prized.

He came up with the Boston Braves as an eighteen-year-old in 1934 after winning a contest for a tryout, and moved to Pittsburgh in 1939, where his best years followed. His only All-Star selection came in 1943, after which he spent two years in the Navy and lost his age-28 and 29 seasons to the war.

Born in Milton, Massachusetts in 1916, Fletcher returned for two more seasons in Pittsburgh and a final one in Boston, finishing with 1,323 hits and a .271 average. He died on March 9, 1994, nine days short of his seventy-eighth birthday.

Honors

Award	Times	Years
All-Star selection	1	1943

Batting, season by season

Year	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG
1934	BSN	8	4	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	.500
1935	BSN	39	148	12	35	7	1	1	9	7	13	1	.236
1937	BSN	148	539	56	133	22	4	1	38	56	64	3	.247
1938	BSN	147	529	71	144	24	7	6	48	60	40	5	.272
1939	BSN/PIT	137	476	63	138	25	4	12	77	67	33	4	.290
1940	PIT	147	510	94	139	22	7	16	104	119	54	5	.273
1941	PIT	151	521	95	150	29	13	11	74	118	54	5	.288
1942	PIT	145	506	86	146	22	5	7	57	105	60	0	.289
1943	PIT	154	544	91	154	24	5	9	70	95	49	1	.283
1946	PIT	148	532	72	136	25	8	4	66	111	37	4	.256
1947	PIT	69	157	22	38	9	1	1	22	29	24	2	.242
1949	BSN	122	413	57	108	19	3	11	51	84	65	1	.262
Career	—	1415	4879	723	1323	228	58	79	616	851	495	32	.271

On this day & linked events

1916

Born March 18, 1916

Milton, MA, USA

1994

Died March 9, 1994

1934

Major-league debut: Elbie Fletcher

Elbie Fletcher made a major-league debut on September 16, 1934.

1949

Final major-league game: Elbie Fletcher

Elbie Fletcher played a final major-league game on October 2, 1949.

Image: Goudey Gum, public domain