GENE DESAUTELS
Solons Manager 1953 - 1954
Eugene Abraham Desautels [Red] (June 13, 1907 - November 5, 1994) was a backup catcher in Major League Baseball who played with four different teams between 1930 and 1946. Listed at 5' 11", 170 lb., Desautels batted and threw right handed. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Adept at encouraging and supporting young pitchers, Desautels spent a long career in baseball catching 19 seasons from 1928 to 1946: three in college (1928-30), 13 in the major leagues (1930-33, 1937-43, 1945-46) and three in the minors (1934-36), losing two years to the Military during World War II.

Coming off the campus of the College of the Holy Cross (Crusaders), Desautels entered the majors in 1930 with the Detroit Tigers, playing for them four years before spent the next three seasons in the Pacific Coast League with the Hollywood Stars and San Diego Padres. He came back to major league in 1937, playing for the Boston Red Sox (1937-40) and Cleveland Indians (1941-43). Then, entered the United States Marine Corps in February 1944 and was discharged in July 1945, when he rejoined the Indians. He also played for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1946, his last major league season.

Desautels enjoyed his most productive season with Boston in 1938, when he posted career-highs in batting average (.291), home runs (2), RBI (48), runs (47), doubles (16), and games played (108). He compiled a major league career average of .233, including 461 hits, three homers and 187 RBI.

Following his playing retirement, Desautels managed the Triple-A Sacramento Solons. He was inducted into the Holy Cross Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981.

Desautels died in Flint, Michigan, at the age of 87.

Above bio Courtesy of Wikipedia.

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Copyright 2001, William B. Shubb.