Del Crandall

Crandall was signed as an amateur free agent by the Braves in 1948. He was only 19 when he first played in a major league game with the 1949 Boston Braves. He appeared in 146 games for Boston in 1949-1950 before entering military service during the Korean War. When his two-year hitch was over in March 1953, the Braves departed Boston for Milwaukee, where – benefitting from a powerful offense featuring Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Joe Adcock – they soon became both successful on the field and phenomenally popular off it. Crandall seized the regular catcher\'s job from veteran Walker Cooper in 1953 and held it for eight years, handling star Braves pitchers such as left-hander Warren Spahn and right-handers Lew Burdette and Bob Buhl. As a testament to Crandall\'s pitch calling skills, between 1953 and 1959, the Braves\' pitching staff finished either first or second in the National League…