A long-time veteran of the Philadelphia Athletics, Elmer Valo was an aggressive fielder and base runner. A spectacular ballhawk and well noted for running into outfield walls, Valo played his first 13-years for owner/manager Connie Mack and the Philadelphia.Athletics. During much of the 1940s Elmer Valo was the Athletics’ top batter and base stealer. ‘If ever there was a guy who’d give you 120 percent, it was Elmer Valo. What a hard working son of a gun he was and what a good ballplayer he was,’ said Frank ‘Trader’ Lane, a former White Sox general Manager. Born in Ribnik Czechoslovakia on March 5 1921, he proudly served in the US Military during World War II. Playing in the minors in 1939 Elmer Valo played for Federalsburg of the Eastern Shore League. The next year with Wilmington he led the Interstate League in batting, .364, in hits with 159, in doubles with 31 and in triples with 16, then late in ’40 Valo played in 6 games with the A’s. The 5 ft, 11 inch, left-handed hitting Elmer Valo batted over .300 five times in his 20-year major league career, including .364 for the expansion Kansas City Athletics in 1955. A line drive hitter he struck out just 284 times in 5029 at bats. Valo compiled a solid career .399 on-base percentage. On May 1 1949 the speedy Elmer Valo lined two (2) bases loaded triples in a single game and on August 2 1950 racked up a cycle, a combination of a single , double, triple and homer. Late in his long, 20-year career Elmer Valo was a pinch hitting specialist – 90 hits, 91 walks in 386 at bats. Elmer Valo career stats: .282 batting average, 1420 hits, 228 Ds, 73 Ts, 58 Hrs, 768 Runs, 601 RBIs, 942 Walks, 284 strike outs (Ks) in 5029 at bats, 1806 games. Baseball History |