Major League Baseball Player, Coach. For six seasons (1945 to 1950), he played at the first-base position with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. He held the distinction of yielding his starter position to Jackie Robinson in 1947. Born Edward Lee Stevens, he was signed by the Dodgers as an amateur free agent at the age of sixteen. He marked his Major League debut with Brooklyn on August 9th, 1945 and recorded 55 hits in 55 games that year. He produced career-highs in hits with 109 and RBIs with 69 while with the Pirates in 1948. In 375 games, he compiled 308 hits with a .252 lifetime batting average. He would spent the next decade in the Minor League, prior to concluding his career as a player. Stevens remained in the game and launched a lengthy period as a scout with the Minnesota Twins', Seattle Mariners', San Diego Padres' and Oakland Athletics' organizations. He returned to the field in 1981 to serve as a coach with the Padres. Stevens authored the book "The Other Side of the Jackie Robinson Story" (2010), which recounted his initial response as the first player directly impacted after baseball's racial barrier was shattered.
Major League Baseball Player, Coach. For six seasons (1945 to 1950), he played at the first-base position with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. He held the distinction of yielding his starter position to Jackie Robinson in 1947. Born Edward Lee Stevens, he was signed by the Dodgers as an amateur free agent at the age of sixteen. He marked his Major League debut with Brooklyn on August 9th, 1945 and recorded 55 hits in 55 games that year. He produced career-highs in hits with 109 and RBIs with 69 while with the Pirates in 1948. In 375 games, he compiled 308 hits with a .252 lifetime batting average. He would spent the next decade in the Minor League, prior to concluding his career as a player. Stevens remained in the game and launched a lengthy period as a scout with the Minnesota Twins', Seattle Mariners', San Diego Padres' and Oakland Athletics' organizations. He returned to the field in 1981 to serve as a coach with the Padres. Stevens authored the book "The Other Side of the Jackie Robinson Story" (2010), which recounted his initial response as the first player directly impacted after baseball's racial barrier was shattered.
Bio by: C.S.
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