Player Profile: Smoky Burgess

Name:	Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess
Catcher; Left-handed batter
Lived:	1927 - 1991
Career span:	1949, 1951 - 1967
Hall of Fame?	No
Primary teams:	Pittsburgh Pirates (1959-1964); Chicago White Sox (1964-1967)
Best Year:	1962 - .328, 13 HR, 61 RBI

Player notes: Smoky Burgess is best known as one of the premier pinch hitters in the game. He lead the league in pinch hits in back-to-back years in 1965-66 with the White Sox, and ranks third (behind Lenny Harris and Manny Mota) on the all-time list with 145 career pinch hits, and held the record in this category for a number of years until his record was broken by Mota. He was also a good defensive catcher- he led National League catchers in fielding three times, and was selected to the All Star team four times. He bounced around a bit in his career, playing for the Cubs, Phillies, Reds, Pirates, and White Sox. The longest he ever lasted with one team was with the Pirates, with whom he played in his only World Series in 1960. All-in-all, Burgess had a top notch career that deserves to be remembered.