Sherm Lollar ✝

Although Lollar was often overshadowed by his contemporary, New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra, he was considered to be one of the best catchers in the major leagues during the 1950s. Lollar was an American League All-Star for seven seasons. In 1957, he received the first Rawlings Gold Glove Award for the catcher position in Major League Baseball. \n', ' He was a coach in the major leagues and managed at the minor league level after his MLB playing career ended. He was selected to be a member of the Chicago White Sox All-Century Team on September 30, 2000.\n', ' Lollar was born in Durham, Arkansas in the rural Ozark mountains. He was a batboy for the Fayetteville, Arkansas Class D minor league team in the Arkansas–Missouri League in the 1930s. In 1943 Lollar was signed as an 18-year-old by the Baltimore Orioles, which then was a minor league franchise in the International League. In 1945 he hit 34 home runs and led the International League with a .364 batting average, winning the league\'s Most Valuable Player award. Baltimore had a working agreement with the Cleveland Indians and sold Lollar to the Indians after the 1945 season.\n', '