Wally Moon
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2008-05-25T17:42:02Z
Yankees10
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infobox cleanup
{{Infobox MLB retired
|name=Wally Moon
|image=
|position=[[Outfielder]]
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|birthdate={{birth date and age|1930|4|3}}<br>{{city-state|Bay|Arkansas}}
|debutdate=[[April 13]]
|debutyear={{by|1954}}
|debutteam=[[St. Louis Cardinals]]
|finaldate=[[September 12]]
|finalyear={{by|1965}}
|finalteam=[[Los Angeles Dodgers]]
|stat1label=[[Batting average]]
|stat1value=.289
|stat2label=[[Home runs]]
|stat2value=142
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=661
|teams=<nowiki></nowiki><!--This forces MediaWiki to recognize the first bullet. Kind of a workaround to a bug.-->
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{by|1954}}-{{by|1958}})
* [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] ({{by|1959}}-{{by|1965}})
|highlights=<nowiki></nowiki>
* 2x [[MLB All-Star Game|All-Star]] selection (1957, 1959)
* 2x [[World Series]] champion ([[1959 World Series|1959]], [[1965 World Series|1965]])
* [[Gold Glove Award]] winner (1960)
* 1954 [[NL Rookie of the Year]]
}}
'''Wallace Wade Moon'''<ref name=LAT032308>Steve Springer, [http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-moon23mar23,1,3704791.story Dodgers' Moon found success in Coliseum],'' Los Angeles Times'', March 23, 2008.</ref>, known popularly as '''Wally Moon''', (born [[April 3]], [[1930]], in the small town of [[Bay, Arkansas|Bay]] in [[Craighead County, Arkansas|Craighead County]], [[Arkansas]]) is a former [[Major League Baseball]] [[outfielder]]. Moon played his 12-year career in the [[National League]] for the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ([[1954]]-[[1958]]) and [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] ([[1959]]-[[1965]]). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Moon was named after [[Wallace Wade]], the former [[college football]] coach of the [[Alabama Crimson Tide football|Alabama]] and [[Duke Blue Devils football|Duke]]. From a family of educators, he earned a master's degree in administrative education from [[Texas A&M University]] in [[College Station, Texas|College Station]] while he was still in the minor leagues.<ref name=LAT032308>Steve Springer, [http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-moon23mar23,1,3704791.story Dodgers' Moon found success in Coliseum],'' Los Angeles Times'', March 23, 2008.</ref> He coached from 1953-1954 at [[Lake City, Arkansas|Lake City]], also in Craighead County. In the spring of 1954 the Cardinals told Moon to report to their minor league spring training camp. He ignored the order and reported instead to St. Petersburg with the Cardinals. He said that he would make the team or quit baseball. They let him stay, and by the end of the spring training he replaced Enos Slaughter in the outfield.
Moon made his majors debut on [[April 13]], [[1954 in sports|1954]]. To make room for him in the roster, St. Louis sent the veteran [[Enos Slaughter]] to the [[New York Yankees|Yankees]]. Moon responded for good. In his first [[at-bat]], despite chants of "We want Slaughter", he belted a [[home run]] against the [[Chicago Cubs|Cubs]]; in the same game [[Tom Alston]] became the first [[African American]] to play for the Cardinals. Moon finished with a .304 [[batting average]], 12 home runs, 76 [[Run batted in|RBI]], and career-high numbers in [[Run (baseball statistics)|runs]] (106), [[Hit (baseball statistics)|hits]] (193), [[Double (baseball)|doubles]] (29), and [[stolen bases]] (18) in 151 games. He earned both the [[MLB Rookie of the Year award|''MLB'' Rookie of the Year]] and [[The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award|''The Sporting News'' Rookie of the Year]] honors. Almost a unanimous vote, Moon won easily over rookies [[Ernie Banks]], [[Gene Conley]] and [[Hank Aaron]].<ref name=LAT032308>Steve Springer, [http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-moon23mar23,1,3704791.story Dodgers' Moon found success in Coliseum],'' Los Angeles Times'', March 23, 2008.</ref>
A fine [[left fielder]] with a good arm, Moon also played [[Right fielder|right field]] and [[Center fielder|center]] as well as the [[First baseman|first base]]. He was a [[Gold Glove Award]] winner in [[1960 in sports|1960]] as he made the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All--Star]] team in [[1957 in sports|1957]] and [[1959 in sports|1959]]. Twice in his career, Moon compiled double figures in doubles, triples, home runs and stolen bases: 22, 11, 16, 12 in [[1956 in sports|1956]], and 26, 11, 19, 15 in 1959, his first year with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers traded for Moon by sending outfielder [[Gino Cimoli]], both of whom were coming off years in which they batted below .250; the Cardinals also added pitcher [[Phil Paine]], who did not end up playing for the Dodgers. Moon was initially concerned about batting for the Dodgers, who then played in the converted [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum|L. A. Coliseum]]: right field was 440 feet away, making it difficult for a left-handed batter like Moon. However, the left-field seats were only 251 feet away, protected by a relatively low 42-foot high screen. After consulting with friend and mentor [[Stan Musial]], Moon adjusting his batting to emphasize hitting to left. The results were very successful.<ref name=LAT032308>Steve Springer, [http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-moon23mar23,1,3704791.story Dodgers' Moon found success in Coliseum],'' Los Angeles Times'', March 23, 2008.</ref> In his first season with the Dodgers, he took his team from seventh place to the [[World Series|World Championship]], providing support in the line-up for [[Duke Snider]], [[Gil Hodges]] and [[Don Demeter]]. He gained quick public acclaim in 1959 for the "Moon shots" that he hit over the 41 foot tall left-field fence that was just 250 feet from home plate in the Dodgers' temporary quarters in the Coliseum. [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/M/Moon_Wally.stm]<ref name=LAT032308>Steve Springer, [http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-moon23mar23,1,3704791.story Dodgers' Moon found success in Coliseum],'' Los Angeles Times'', March 23, 2008.</ref>
Beside this, he hit a career-high 24 homers in 1957. Moon enjoyed another good season in [[1961 in sports|1961]], batting .328 with 17 home runs and 88 RBI.
A career .289 hitter, Moon also hit 142 home runs with 661 RBI in 1457 games. He had tremendous discipline at the plate, compiling a remarkable 1.90 walk-to-strikeout ratio (644-t0-591), with a .371 [[on base percentage]] and a .445 [[Slugging percentage|slugging average]] for a combined .816 [[On-base plus slugging|OPS]]. Appropriately, he scored the last run ever in the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum|Coliseum]].<ref name=LAT032308>Steve Springer, [http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-moon23mar23,1,3704791.story Dodgers' Moon found success in Coliseum],'' Los Angeles Times'', March 23, 2008.</ref>
After playing in the majors, Moon went on to become [[athletic director]] and baseball coach at [[John Brown University]], and a coach and minor league manager and owner of the [[San Antonio Dodgers]] for four years beginning in the late 1970s. Moon moved to [[Bryan, Texas]], where he has lived for over 25 years. He retired in 1998. He is married to Bettye and has five children and seven grandchildren.<ref name=LAT032308>Steve Springer, [http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-moon23mar23,1,3704791.story Dodgers' Moon found success in Coliseum],'' Los Angeles Times'', March 23, 2008.</ref>
==Related links==
* [[List of NL Gold Glove Winners at Outfield]]
* [[MLB Rookie of the Year Award]]
* [[The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award]]
* [[Top 500 home run hitters of all time]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball triples champions]]
* [[Los Angeles Dodgers all-time roster]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* {{baseball-reference|id=m/moonwa01}}
{{start box}}
{{succession box | before = [[Jim Gilliam]] | title = [[MLB Rookie of the Year Award|National League Rookie of the Year]]| years = [[1954]] | after = [[Bill Virdon]]}}
{{end box}}
{{NL Rookie of the Year}}
{{1959 Los Angeles Dodgers}}
{{1965 Los Angeles Dodgers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moon, Wally}}
[[Category:Baseball Rookies of the Year]]
[[Category:Major league players from Arkansas]]
[[Category:National League All-Stars]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Dodgers players]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals players]]
[[Category:Major league outfielders]]
[[Category:Gold Glove Award winners]]
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:People from Arkansas]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Texas A&M Aggies baseball players]]
[[Category:Texas A&M University alumni]]