Jack Crosswhite

Jack C. Crosswhite

• Bats Right, Throws Right

• High School Salem (VA) High School

• Born July 29, 1911
• Died January 19, 1971

Jack Crosswhite was a rather successful manager in the very low minors and played 17 years in the minors as a catcher.

Crosswhite debuted in 1935 with the Bassett Furnituremakers, hitting .326 with three homers. A year later, he batted .277 with 0 HR and 36 RBI. In his third year for Bassett, he hit .275.

In 1938, Jack hit .281/~.329/.342 for the Norfolk Tars. He split the 1939 season between the Kannapolis Towelers (.233, 15 RBI) and the Portsmouth Cubs (.216, 2 HR, 20 RBI). In 1940, the sixth-year player hit .286 with 9 RBI for the South Boston Wrappers.

After not playing in 1941, Crosswhite was back in 1942 as player-manager of the Pulaski Counts. He hit .233 with 44 RBI and managed the team to a title. In 1943, he batted .254/~.345/.293 for the Roanoke Red Sox. He led Piedmont League catchers in assists (81) and double plays (12). Returning to Roanoke, his batting line in 1944 was .239/~.327/.272. He led league backstops in assists (123) and putouts (580) and his .980 fielding percentage was tops among those playing 80+ contests.

In his third year for the Roanoke club, the veteran hit .297 with a homer and 55 RBI. In 1946, he became player-manager of the New River Rebels and guided them to a pennant while hitting .308/~.384/.413. He scored 73 runs and drove in 85, a career best. He led Appalachian League catchers in fielding percentage (.994), double plays (12) and assists (83) while only allowing three passed balls in 107 games.

In 1947, New River won another title under Jack's management and he helped out with a .334 average, two homers and 81 RBI. The next year, the club fell close to the cellar despite a .324 mark from their player-manager. He hit .294 with 16 RBI in 1949 for a second-division outfit.

Moving to the Elizabethton Betsy Local in 1950, Crosswhite hit .250/~.366/.287 with just nine strikeouts in 164 AB. 1951 brought him to the Kingsport Cherokees, where he won another title as manager, but was not playing anymore. He made brief appearances in 1954 and 1955, hitting .286 the first year and .667 the next, while guiding his clubs to three more titles from 1952-1955.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1940	South Boston Wrappers	Bi-State League		--	none	--	replaced by H.A. Mobley
1942	Pulaski Counts	Virginia League	79-47	1st	none	League Champs
1946	New River Rebels	Appalachian League	83-40	1st	Chicago White Sox	League Champs
1947	New River Rebels	Appalachian League	64-60	3rd	none	League Champs
1948	New River Rebels	Appalachian League	48-76	7th	none
1949	New River Rebels	Appalachian League	52-69	5th	none
1950	Elizabethton Betsy Local	Appalachian League	72-52	4th	none
1951	Kingsport Cherokees	Appalachian League	85-44	1st	none	League Champs
1952	Welch Miners	Appalachian League	59-57	3rd	Boston Braves	League Champs
1953	Welch Miners	Appalachian League	82-43	2nd	Philadelphia A's	League Champs
1954	Welch Miners	Appalachian League	59-54	4th	Philadelphia A's	Lost in 1st round
1955	Salem Rebels	Appalachian League	84-38	1st	none	Co-Champs

Sources include Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database, 1939 Spalding Guide, 1945, 1947 and 1951 Baseball Guides