Virgil Stallcup
Thomas Virgil Stallcup (January 3, 1922 – May 2, 1989) was an American professional baseball shortstop who played in seven Major League seasons from 1947 through 1953. Nicknamed "Red", the native of Honea Path, South Carolina, threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg).
| Virgil Stallcup | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: January 3, 1922 Swain County, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: May 2, 1989 (aged 67) Greenville, South Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 18, 1947, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 25, 1953, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .241 |
| Home runs | 22 |
| Runs batted in | 214 |
| Teams | |
| |
Stallcup attended Clemson University. He was originally signed by the Boston Red Sox before World War II, and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the Rule 5 draft after the 1946 season, when Stallcup batted .304 in the Class B Piedmont League. After his debut with the Reds on April 18, 1947, he was sent to the Jersey City Giants for seasoning, and he responded by hitting .338 with 15 home runs in 76 games. From 1948 to 1951, Stallcup was Cincinnati's starting shortstop, but he never batted higher than .254; he twice hit eight home runs in a season. During the 1951 season, he was platooned with 21-year-old Roy McMillan, though he still saw the majority of the action at shortstop. However, the following season, McMillan became the everyday shortstop. Stallcup was traded along with Dick Sisler from the Reds to the St. Louis Cardinals for Wally Westlake and Eddie Kazak on May 13, 1952.[1] He ended his MLB career as a utility infielder. Overall, Stallcup batted .241 with 22 home runs in 587 games.
After briefly managing in minor league baseball, Stallcup left the game. He died at age 67 by suicide in Greenville, South Carolina, by shooting himself in the chest.[2]
Stallcup is featured in Death in Vegas music video for the song Dirge.[3]
References
- "Cards Trade Westlake to Reds for Stallcup, Sisler," The Associated Press (AP), Wednesday, May 14, 1952. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- "One-time Red just another statistic". Dayton Daily News. July 18, 1989. p. 9.
- Video on YouTube
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Virgil Stallcup at Find a Grave