Eddie Carnett

Edwin Elliott "Eddie" Carnett (October 21, 1916 – November 4, 2016) was a left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for three different teams from 1941 to 1945. Listed at 6' 0", 185 lbs., he batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Springfield, Missouri.

Baseball career

Carnett was noticed by big league scouts when he was pitching in high school. He was signed by the Chicago Cubs in 1935, assigned to their minor league team in Ponca City, Oklahoma, and won 19 games. In 1936, he was in spring training with the Los Angeles Angels, the Cubs' top farm club in the Pacific Coast League, but an accident during a "pepper" game led to a serious shoulder injury that jeopardized his career. He was reassigned back to Ponca City, pitched with the injury and lost ten straight games, took off some time to work on his hitting, and then won 16 consecutive games.

Carnett, nicknamed "Lefty", entered the major leagues in 1941 with the Boston Braves, playing in two games before joining the United States Navy during World War II (1942–43). After he was discharged, he played for the Chicago White Sox in 1944 and the Cleveland Indians in 1945, mostly as an outfielder and first baseman. In his three-season career, Carnett pitched 5⅓ innings in six appearances, and posted a 3.40 earned run average with four strikeouts, three walks, and no decisions. His career batting statistics included a .268 batting average with 25 doubles, 8 triples, 1 home run, and 67 runs batted in.

Death

Carnett died in November 2016, two weeks after celebrating his 100th birthday. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living former Major League Baseball player.