Jake Early

Jacob Willard Early (May 19, 1915 - May 31, 1985) was an American professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball during the 1930s and 1940s. Born in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, he debuted with the Washington Senators in 1939 and played for them in 1939-1943, 1946, and 1948-1949, with a single season for the St. Louis Browns in 1947. Over 747 games he batted .241 with 32 home runs and 264 runs batted in. In 1941 he caught the majority of Washington's games, posting a career-high .284 average with 54 runs batted in and a team-leading 10 home runs. He was selected as the American League's starting catcher for the 1943 All-Star Game. Regarded as a capable defensive catcher, he was noted for handling the knuckleball and in 1948 led American League catchers in caught-stealing percentage at 63.8 percent. In December 1943 Early entered the United States Army, serving in an artillery unit attached to the 87th Infantry Division and seeing action in the Battle of the Bulge, which cost him two seasons before he returned to the Senators in 1946. He was also known for talking to opposing hitters to distract them at the plate.