The Old Man Down the Road Was a Brooklyn Dodger

When I started planning this journal several months ago and then actually start last month, it was always my goal to focus on the forgotten stories and players from baseball's past, especially if there was any Texas connection. At no point did I realize that these Texas connections would include my grandmother's neighbor.

While doing some Texas League research for a SABR bio I am doing on Jake atz, manager of the Ft Worth Cats in the 1920's, I came across a reference to a player from the small town I grew up in (Springtown, Texas). I then delved further to see if any other players were from Springtown, and I found out that the man we knew as Old Man Hutcheson, who grew up a neighbor to my grandmother and owned the ranch that bordered our family land, spent 1933 patrolling Ebbets Field as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. He also spent 12 seasons in the Minor Leagues, mainly with Memphis and Atlanta in the Southern Association where he put up some great seasons and career BA .317 & Slugging .507. Numbers indicating that he was probably on par with many Major League players but for what ever reason stayed in the South.

For the most part he lived away from Springtown, my Dad believes in the Houston area. At some point after he passed away in 1993, they renamed the road that went by his ranch as Hutcheson Hill Road. I never knew this about him and am now curious if there was a reason my grandparents never told me (he was a foreboding man anyways to 11 year old me) or if it was just something they never thought to do.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hutche001jos

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