William Wade "Heinie" Heltzel (December 21, 1913 – May 1, 1998) was an American baseball player. He played professional baseball as a shortstop and third baseman from 1935 to 1947, including stints with the Boston Braves in 1943 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1944.
| Heinie Heltzel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Third baseman, shortstop | |
| Born: December 21, 1913 York, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| Died: May 1, 1998 (aged 84) York, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 23, 1943, for the Boston Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 6, 1944, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .157 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 5 |
| Teams | |
| |
Biography
editHeltzel was born in 1913 in York, Pennsylvania.[1][2]
He began playing professional baseball in 1935 with the Harrisburg Senators of the New York–Penn League.[1] Over the next eight seasons, he continued in the minor leagues, playing for the Trenton Senators (1936-37), Greenville Spinners (1938), Montgomery Rebels (1938), Orlando Senators (1939), Reading Chicks (1940-41), Bridgeport Bees (1941), and Hartford Bees (1942-43).[1]
In 1943, Heltzel made his major league debut on July 27, 1943, with the Boston Braves.[1][3] He appeared in twenty-nine games with the Braves during the 1940 season. He had thirteen hits and seven walks, scored six runs, and tallied five RBIs, eighteen putouts, forty-eight assists, and nine errors.[1]
In 1944, he appeared in eleven games for the Philadelphia Phillies.[1][4]
He appeared in his final major league game on August 6, 1944. His career fielding percentage in twenty-nine games at third base was .880 – 68 points below the league average of .948 for third basemen during the years he played.[1]
Heltzel continued to play in the minor leagues for the Indianapolis Indians (1944-45), Seattle Rainiers (1946), and York White Roses (1946-47).[1]
Death
editIn May 1998, Heltzel died at the age of eighty-three in York, Pennsylvania.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h "Heinie Heltzel". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
- ^ "Grave Story: Heinie Heltzel". RIP Baseball. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
- ^ "Heltzel Shows Speed at Third for Braves". The Boston Globe. July 28, 1943. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Stan Baumgartner (July 14, 1944). "Phils Get Heltzel, To Play Tonight". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bill Rabinowitz (May 19, 1998). "Heltzel never lost love for baseball; The former member of the Phillies and York White Roses died at age 83". York Daily Record. p. 2D – via Newspapers.com.
