Dode Paskert

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Dode Paskert

Born: August 28, 1881 in Cleveland, Ohio
Died: February 12, 1959 (aged 77) in Cleveland, Ohio
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 165 lbs.
Position:  Centerfielder

Played For:

As player

St. Louis Browns (1906–1907)
New York Highlanders (1908)
Boston Red Sox (1908–1910)
Cleveland Naps (1910)

Biography:

Fleet-footed Dode Paskert was one of the finest defensive center fielders of the Deadball Era. “It is no exaggeration to say that Paskert is one of the greatest judges of a fly ball in the game today,” wrote Baseball Magazine’s J. C. Kofoed in 1915. “Those who have seem him circle, hawk-like, turn his back and speed outward, and then make a daring leap, with the spoiling of a three-bagger at the end of it, know how true that statement is.” As for his offense, Paskert was an extremely patient hitter who worked pitchers deep into the count, often ranking among the National League leaders in both walks and strikeouts. A pronounced pull hitter, he choked up on the bat and found his hits by punching the ball into left field. Though used most often in the leadoff position, Paskert frequently hit for extra bases; from 1912 to 1918 he ranked among the NL’s top ten in doubles four times and home runs once.

George Henry Paskert was born in Cleveland on August 28, 1881, the oldest of three children of Matilda Radermacher and Bernard Paskert, a railroad flagman. The grandson of Dutch immigrants, George completed two years of high school before finding work as a machinist’s apprentice. He was still working in that profession in 1904 when a traveling salesman saw him pitch for a semipro club in Warren, Ohio, and recommended him and a teammate, future major leaguer Jimmy Austin, to Dayton of the Central League. Quickly converted to the outfield, Paskert spent three seasons with Dayton before moving on to Atlanta, where he batted .290, led the Southern Association in stolen bases, and helped the team to the 1907 championship. Two weeks before the end of the season, the Cincinnati Reds purchased his contract. Paskert was already 26 years old, though few knew it at the time. For several years into his major league career, his birth year was incorrectly reported as 1886, leading contemporaries to believe he was a full five years younger than his true age.

More info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dode_Paskert
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/paskedo01.shtml
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/e9bf2868