George Scales

For the football goalkeeper, see George Scales (footballer).

George Scales
2nd Baseman / Manager
Born: (1900-08-16)August 16, 1900 Talladega, Alabama
Died: April 15, 1976(1976-04-15) (aged 75) Compton, California
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Negro leagues debut
1921, for the St. Louis Giants
Last Negro leagues appearance
1946, for the Baltimore Elite Giants
Negro leagues[a] statistics
Batting average	.320
Home runs	64
Runs scored	499
Managerial record	81–106–10
Winning percentage	.433
Teams
As Player St. Louis Giants (1921–1923) Lincoln Giants (1923–1929) Newark Stars (1926) Homestead Grays (1929–1931, 1935) New York Black Yankees (1932–1934, 1936, 1939, 1945) Baltimore Elite Giants (1938–1944, 1946) As Manager New York Black Yankees (1932–1934, 1939, 1945) Baltimore Elite Giants (1938, 1943, 1947)
Career highlights and awards
Negro National League pennant (1939)

George Louis Scales (August 16, 1900 - April 15, 1976),^[2] nicknamed "Tubby", was an American second baseman and manager in Negro league baseball, most notably with the New York Lincoln Giants and Baltimore Elite Giants. Born in Talladega, Alabama,^[2] he batted .320 over a 25-year career during which he played several positions. He also managed for twelve seasons in the Puerto Rican Winter League, winning six pennants,^[2] and led the Caribbean World Series champions in 1951.

Career

Buck Leonard claimed that George Scales was the best curveball hitter he ever saw.^[3]

At age 52, Scales received votes listing him on the 1952 Pittsburgh Courier player-voted poll of the Negro leagues' best players ever.^[4]

After retiring from baseball in 1958, he became a stockbroker.^[5] He died at age 75 in Compton, California.^[2]

Scales was among 39 final candidates considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2006 by the Committee on African-American Baseball, however he was not among the 17 elected.^[6][7]

On November 5, 2021, he was selected to the final ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame's Early Days Committee for consideration in the Class of 2022. He received four of the necessary twelve votes.^[8]

Notes

1. On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball declared certain Negro leagues, from the span of 1920–1948, to be "major" leagues.^[1] Scales' statistics reflect his time in the Negro leagues from 1921–1929, 1935–1936, and from 1938 until the end of his career.

References

1. "MLB officially designates the Negro Leagues as 'Major League'". MLB.com. December 16, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
2. "Pre-Negro Leagues Candidate Profile: George Walter "Tubby" Scales". Archived from the original on 2007-06-08.
3. Charlton, James; Shatzkin, Mike; Holtje, Stephen (1990). The Ballplayers: baseball's ultimate biographical reference. New York: Arbor House/William Morrow. p. 965. ISBN 0-87795-984-6.
4. "1952 Pittsburgh Courier Poll of Greatest Black Players"
5. James A. Riley (1994). The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc.
6. Associated Press (21 November 2005). "Hall to consider 39 Negro, pre-Negro leaguers". ESPN.com. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
7. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (27 February 2006). "Seventeen from Negro Leagues, Pre-Negro leagues Eras Elected to the Hall of Fame by Special Committee". Archived from the original on 28 February 2006. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
8. "Fowler, Hodges, Kaat, Miñoso, Oliva, O'Neil Elected to Hall of Fame". baseballhall.org. December 5, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.

External links

• Career statistics from Baseball Reference and Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats and Seamheads
• Negro League Baseball Museum Archived 2011-09-19 at the Wayback Machine