James Willard Pofahl (June 18, 1917 – September 14, 1984) was a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

. He played for the Washington Senators.

Career

Pofahl played high school baseball at Faribault High School. He was discovered in Faribault Legion baseball. He then played for the

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

, and at 22, led the American Association in hitting before he sprained his wrist. When the Washington Senators purchased his rights for $40,000, he held a .303 batting average. In 1940, Pofahl was slow to sign his contract as a rookie, which frustrated Senators owner Clark Griffith. Pofahl also had his arm smashed by a closing cab door and had some arm trouble, but still, he played shortstop regularly for the Senators. He was traded in March of 1943 to the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...

for Bob Johnson and cash. He never played another professional baseball game. Pofahl spent three years in the MLB and hit two home runs his rookie year (both were inside-the park). He averaged a .220 batting average with the Senators.

Personal life

Following his stint in the major leagues, Pofahl returned to Minnesota. In April 1947, he started Gopher Sport in Owatonna with Malcom Stephenson. Pofahl died in Owatonna in 1984 and was buried in Maple Lawn Cemetery in Faribault. In 1991, after his death, he was inducted into the Faribault Sports Hall of Fame.

References

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1917 births 1984 deaths Major League Baseball shortstops Washington Senators (1901–1960) players 20th-century American sportsmen Baseball players from Minnesota Sportspeople from Faribault, Minnesota Indianapolis Indians players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Springfield Indians (baseball) players Winnipeg Maroons (baseball) players American expatriate baseball players in Canada {{baseball-shortstop-stub