Possum Whitted Essentials

Positions:
Bats: R Throws: R
68 Weight: 168
Born: 2 4, 1890 in Durham, NC USA
Died: 10 15 1962 in Wilmington, NC USA
Debut: 9/16/1912
Last Game: 4/23/1922
Full Name: George Bostic WhittedPossum

Whitted, utility fielder for the 1919-21 Pirates. Whitted (first name was George) was in his eighth season in the majors when the Pirates traded an outfielder named Casey Stengel of the Phillies for him on August 9,1919. Both players were 29 years old at the time and Stengel was also in his eighth major league season. Possum was hitting .249 in 78 games with Philadelphia prior to the trade, and had never batted higher than .281 in a season, but in the last 35 games of the year for the Pirates he had 51 hits and a .389 batting average. He took over the Pirates third base job in 1920 and hit .261 with 74 RBIs in 134 games and he had as many triples (12) as doubles and homers combined. In 1921 he moved back to the outfield and hit .283 with 63 RBIs in 104 games. Despite the strong stats, the Pirates sold Whitted to Brooklyn prior to the 1922 season. They must have known his Major League career was nearing the end because he lasted one pinch-hit appearance before going back to the minors, where he played until age 41 in 1931.