Morris Woodrow Aderholt (September 13, 1915 – March 18, 1955) was an American

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

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 ...

from 1939 to 1945. Born in

Mount Olive, North Carolina Mount Olive is a town in Duplin and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. At the 2020 census, the population was 4,198. It is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is home to the M ...

, Aderholt graduated from

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...

and played professional ball for the Washington Senators,

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

and

Boston Braves The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...

from 1939 to 1945. He played a total of 106 games in the major leagues over the five seasons he was active. Aderholt made his professional debut for Washington on September 13, 1939, which happened to also fall on his 24th birthday. On that occasion, he ended up hitting a home run and a single against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. Through August 29, 2019, Aderholt is the only

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 ...

player to have multiple hits — and the only one to hit a homer — in their pro debut, which was also the player's birthday. Aderholt was described by Dodgers President

Branch Rickey Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an American baseball player and sports executive. Rickey was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also creat ...

as the "World's worst third baseman... but he's a natural batsman." He was thus moved to the outfield, where he would be less of a defensive liability. His fielding percentage in was a mediocre .871. After his playing career ended, he went on to manage several minor league teams and also served as a scout for the Senators. Aderholt died on March 18, 1955, after suffering a heart attack during a scouting trip to

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aderholt, Morrie 1915 births 1955 deaths Atlanta Crackers players Baseball players from North Carolina Birmingham Barons players Boston Braves players Brooklyn Dodgers players Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players Chattanooga Lookouts players Emporia Nationals players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball outfielders Minor league baseball managers Montgomery Rebels players Montreal Royals players People from Mount Olive, North Carolina Roanoke Rapids Jays players Wake Forest University alumni Springfield Nationals players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players 20th-century American sportsmen Washington Senators (1901–60) scouts