Baseball in Wartime

Bob Addis

Date and Place of Birth: November 6, 1925 Mineral, Ohio

Baseball Experience: Major League
Position: Outfield
Rank: unknown
Military Unit: Third Marine Division USMC

Area Served: Pacific Theater of Operations

Major League Stats: Bob Addis on Baseball-Almanac

Robert G “Bob” Addis was born on November 6, 1925 in Mineral, Ohio. Addis was an all-state athlete Barberton High School in Ohio, and signed with the New York Yankees when he graduated in 1943.

He played for the Wellsville Yankees in the Class D PONY League in 1943, then joined the Marines in March 1944. Addis went to boot camp in San Diego, California, before being sent to Guam for artillery training. He played baseball on Guam for the Third Marine Division team, a baseball powerhouse that played their games at Trimble Field – named after James Trimble, a young pitcher who was signed by the Washington Senators and was killed at Iwo Jima in March 1945. The Third Marine Division’s line-up included minor league catcher Stan Bazan and Bobby Schang, son of former major league catcher, Wally Schang.

Addis later served in China with the occupation forces. He was discharged in 1946 and returned to baseball, spending that season in the Yankees’ organization with Wellsville and the Binghamton Triplets of the Class A Eastern League. In 1947, Addis was with the Augusta Tigers in the Class A South Atlantic League and the Norfolk Tars in the Class B Piedmont League. He was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in November 1947 and was with the St Paul Saints of the Class AAA American Association in 1948. “When I got there,” he told The Sporting News on July 23, 1952, “Walter Alston, the Saints’ manager, pointed to the right field fence, which was 361 feet from the plate, and suggested it would be suicide for me to pull the ball. From that time on I tried to hit the ball where it was pitched. It made a better hitter out of me.”

Addis moved up to the Montreal Royals of the AAA International League in 1949, but was traded to the Boston Braves at the end of the season and in 1950 he played with the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association before being called up and making his major league with the Braves on September 1, 1950. He played 16 games that season and batted .250.

In 1951, Addis played 85 games with the Braves and batted .276. He was traded to the Cubs in October 1951 and had his best season in 1952, batting .295 in 93 games. Another trade in June 1953 sent Addis to the Pirates and his major league career ended when he was sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League. He played in 208 major league games and batted .281.

Created July 17, 2007.