Walt Dropo


Walter Dropo, nicknamed "Moose", was an American college basketball standout and a professional baseball first baseman. During a 13-year career in Major League Baseball, he played for the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Redlegs and Baltimore Orioles.

Youth

Dropo's Serbian parents emigrated from Mostar, then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, to start a new life. His father, Savo, worked at the local textile mill while also running their Connecticut family farm. Walter was raised in Moosup, Connecticut, where he played sandlot baseball with his brothers Milton and George, and attended Plainfield High School in the Central Village district of Plainfield, Connecticut, before attending the University of Connecticut.

College career

While at the University of Connecticut Dropo played for the football team, basketball team and baseball team. Dropo left UConn as the school's all-time leading scorer in basketball. Dropo was drafted in the first round of the 1947 BAA Draft by the Providence Steamrollers with the fourth overall pick. Dropo was also drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 9th round of the 1946 NFL Draft.

Professional career

Listed at 6'5", 220 lb, Walter turned down offers from the Bears and the Providence Steamrollers, in order to sign with the Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1947. He debuted on April 19, 1949, and in 11 games batted.146.
In 1950, Dropo led the league in RBIs and total bases, while batting.322 and hitting 34 home runs,. In addition, his.583 slugging percentage and 70 extra base hits were second only to the.585 – 75 of Joe DiMaggio, and his.961 OPS finished third in the league, after Larry Doby and DiMaggio. Dropo finished sixth in American League Most Valuable Player award, and earned AL Rookie of the Year honors, ahead of Whitey Ford. His efforts that season led to his only All-Star appearance.
In 1951, Dropo fractured his right wrist and never had another season the equal of his 1950 campaign. After another one-plus season, he was traded to Detroit on June 3, 1952. After being traded, he collected 12 consecutive hits to tie the MLB record. Included in the streak was a 5-for-5 game against the Yankees and a 4-for-4 performance in the first game of a doubleheader against Washington. In the second game, he went 4-for-5, hitting on his first three at bats and popping out on his fourth at bat on the 7th inning, matching an American League record of 16 hits in three games. In that season, he hit a combined 29 home runs and 97 RBIs, but would never again hit over 19 homers or bat over.281.
In a 13-season career, Dropo batted.270 with 152 home runs, 704 RBIs, 478 runs, 168 doubles, 22 triples and five stolen bases in 1,288 games. Defensively, in 1,174 games as a first baseman, he compiled a.992 fielding percentage.

Career highlights

Dropo died of natural causes on December 17, 2010, at the age of 87.
His funeral service was held at the Serbian Orthodox Church he helped found at 41 Alewife Brook Parkway, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery in Plainfield, Connecticut.