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World War
II Hero of the Minor Leagues
e for details
Mel
Wasley
Date and
Place of Birth:
April 19, 1917 Grass Valley, California
Died: March 1982 Grass Valley, California
Baseball
Experience:
Minor
League
Position:
Outfield
Rank:
Unknown
Military Unit:
US Army
Area
Served:
European
Theater of Operations
Melvin C “Mel” Wasley was born on April 19,
1917 in Grass Valley, California. He signed with Norfolk of the Nebraska State League in 1936
and batted .361 with 90 RBIs his rookie year. In 1937 he was with
Union Springs of the Alabama-Florida League where he hit .303, and
joined Duluth of the Northern League in 1938, where
his .357 average was second best in the league.
In 1939, the young outfielder was with Springfield of the Western
Association where he had a fourth best .335 average along with 116
RBIs. In 1940, Wasley split the season between
Sacramento
of the Pacific Coast League and
Portsmouth
of the Middle-Atlantic League. He played for Pocatello of the Pioneer League in 1941 where
he batted .294 with 101 RBIs before entering military service with
the Army on January 20, 1942.
Wasley served with the US Army and was the
first professional baseball player reported to have been wounded in
the invasion of
France. Wasley suffered wounds to
his face, centered around his eyes and nose.
Wasley was discharged from service in November
1945 and returned to baseball with Wenatchee of the Western International League
in 1946. He continued to play in the minors until the mid-1950s,
enjoying his best post-war season with
Salem
of the Western International League in 1949, when he batted .329
with 12 home runs and 118 RBIs.
Melvin Wasley passed away in Grass Valley,
California
in March 1982. He was 65.
Created March 17, 2008.
Copyright © 2008 Gary Bedingfield (Baseball
in Wartime). All Rights Reserved.