#122 - Elmer Valo - Philadelphia AthleticsA quick look at Elmer Valo's career statistics would probably leave you less than impressed. Valo played 20 seasons in the majors, although he did quite a bit of pinch-hitting towards the end of his run, and didn't eclipse the 100 game mark in any of his final five seasons (1957 - 1961). A closer look reveals that he had definitely had a few impressive seasons.
It was the legendary Connie Mack that apparently first saw potential in Elmer, largely due to his ability to reach base. Valo first played in the majors at an incredibly early age, cracking the Philadelphia Athletics' lineup in 1940 at the age of 19. While he surpassed 500 at-bats only once in his career, he made the best of the opportunities he was given, posting a .400+ on base percentage an impressive 12 times. Valo was also the first player ever featured on the cover of Baseball Digest.
A couple of random facts to close things out...Valo was the first American League player to hit two bases loaded triples in the same game. As far as I know, he is also the only player to date to suffer through 2 separate 20 game losing streaks (he lost 20 straight on the A's in 1943, and 23 straight with the Phillies in 1961).
Set Status: 36/274 (13%)
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