Dale Alexander

David Dale Alexander (April 26, 1903 – March 2, 1979), nicknamed "Moose", was an American baseball player and manager.

Alexander was born in Greeneville, Tennessee, in 1903.

A native of Greeneville, Tennessee, Alexander played professional baseball, principally as a first baseman, for 20 years from 1923 to 1942, including five years in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers (1929–1932) and Boston Red Sox (1932–1933).

Alexander began playing professional baseball for his hometown team, the Greeneville Burley Cubs of the Appalachian League, in 1923 and 1924.

In 1924, he compiled a .332 batting average with 28 doubles and 10 triples in 114 games.

He moved on to the Charlotte Hornets of the South Atlantic League, batting .331 in 1925 and .323 in 1926.

Alexander next played for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League.

In 1927, he compiled a .338 batting average with 26 doubles, 11 triples and 12 home runs and 97 RBIs.

The next year, he won the International League triple crown with a .380 batting average, 31 home runs, and 144 runs batted in.

On December 5, 1928, the Detroit Tigers purchased Alexander and pitcher Augie Prudhomme from Toronto for $100,000 cash and three players to be named later.

At six feet, three inches and 210 pounds, he was one of the American League's best hitters from 1929 to 1932.

He led the American League with 215 hits as a rookie in 1929, totaled 272 RBIs in his first two major league seasons, and won the major league batting title in 1932 with a .367 batting average.

In five major league seasons, he compiled a .331 batting average with 811 hits, 61 home runs and 459 RBIs.

After his 1929 season, expectations for Alexander were high, with some writers comparing him to Babe Ruth.

In 1929, Alexander won the first base job with the Tigers, starting 155 games at the position.

He compiled a .343 batting average, scored 110 runs, and led the American League with 215 hits.

He also ranked among the American League leaders with 83 extra base hits (second), 363 total bases (second), 137 RBIs (third), 25 home runs (fifth), a .580 slugging percentage (fifth), 43 doubles (fifth), and 15 triples (fourth).

After a tremendous rookie season, comparisons to Babe Ruth continued with one writer even dubbing him the "Prince of Swat".

In 1930, Alexander started 154 games at first base for the Tigers and compiled a .326 batting average with 20 home runs and 135 RBIs.

In his first two major league seasons, Alexander had 272 RBIs.

Alexander also had the longest hitting streak of the 1930 season, a 29-game streak in which he had 41 hits in 121 at bats.

In 1931, Alexander appeared in 135 games, including 125 games as the Tigers' starting first baseman and four as a starter in left field.

He compiled a stunning .490 batting average in the first two weeks of the season.

He then had "a long layoff" in May and June after a spike injury became infected.

His batting average dipped to .325 by the end of the season.

Though his numbers were less impressive than in his first two seasons with the club, he compiled a .325 batting average, a .401 on-base percentage, and 87 RBIs.

In 1932, Alexander lost his job as the Tigers' starting first baseman as Harry "Stinky" Davis took over the post.

During the first two months of the 1932 season, Alexander was used principally as a pinch-hitter and compiled a .250 average in 22 plate appearances in 23 games.

On June 13, 1932, the Tigers traded Alexander with Roy Johnson to the Boston Red Sox, in exchange for Earl Webb, who had set a major league record with 67 doubles in 1931.

Webb hit only 19 doubles for the Tigers in 1932 and retired one year later.

Alexander won the American League batting crown with a .367 batting average in 1932.

In May 1933, Alexander sustained third degree burns on his leg and later developed gangrene after being given diathermy treatment for a twisted knee.

The burns and infection limited his mobility and effectively ended his major league career.

The only player with more RBIs in his first two major league seasons was Joe DiMaggio in 1936 and 1937.

He also served as a minor league manager for the Sanford Lookouts (1939), Thomasville Tourists (1940), Selma Cloverleafs (1941), Greeneville Burley Cubs (1942), Knoxville Smokies (1946–1948), and Jacksonville Tars (1950).

He continued to play in the minor leagues until 1942, compiling a .334 batting average with 2,145 hits and 1,171 RBIs in minor league play.

He also served as a scout for the New York Giants and Milwaukee Braves in the 1950s and 1960s.

He was raised on a family farm that had been in his family since the 18th century.

He attended Milligan College where he was an outstanding end and punter on the school's football team.

He also played basketball and baseball at Milligan and later played baseball for Tusculum College.