Former Italian / American Pacific Coast League Star: Les Scarsella (1935-1949)
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In 1936 he was the fifth place Reds main first baseman, batting .313 which was over 30 points higher than the team average. He also had 21 doubles 9 triples 3 HRs & 65 RBIs. The following year his run production fell in half & he only hit .246. He would only make two more brief appearances in the major leagues although he was a sought after prospect.
Scarsella became a star in the Pacific Coast League, playing the majority of his career; eight years from 1943-1949 with the Oakland Oaks. There he was part of Casey Stengel's "Nine Old Men" winning two MVP Awards (1944 & 1946) & a batting title (1944).
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He was even was a successful pitcher going 4-2 with a 1.43 ERA in 11 games over a three year period. He finished his minor league career with a .307 average with 139 HRs & 728 RBIs in 1712 games played.
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Passing: Scarsella passed away from heart problems in 1958 at the young age of just 44, at a San Francisco hospital.
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