Johnny Welaj
John Ludwig Welaj (May 27, 1914 – September 13, 2003) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1939 to 1943 for the Washington Senators and Philadelphia Athletics.
| Johnny Welaj | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Outfielder | |||
| Born: May 27, 1914 Moss Creek, Pennsylvania | |||
| Died: September 13, 2003 (aged 89) Arlington, Texas | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| May 2, 1939, for the Washington Senators | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 27, 1943, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .250 | ||
| Home runs | 4 | ||
| Runs batted in | 74 | ||
| Teams | |||
Welaj also had an extensive minor league career, spanning 21 seasons from 1936 to 1956. In 1955, he served as manager of the Hagerstown Packets in the Senators' organization. He was a player-manager of the Erie Senators in 1956, then returned to full-time managing with the Midland/Lamesa Indians in 1957.
After 1957, Welaj continued to work as a major league executive for the Senators and Texas Rangers. From 1973 until 1984, he served as director of stadium operations for the Rangers, after which he retired as a full-time employee. He continued to serve as the Rangers' spring training director until 1999.[1] Welaj died in 2003 at the age of 89.
References
Sources
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Johnny Welaj at Find a Grave
