Biography

Dale Alexander - David Dale Alexander was born on April 26, 1903 and raised on a 117-acre farm in Greene County was spotted and signed by Frank Moffett and Billy Doyle of the Detroit Tigers organization. Dale's first season in pro ball was 1924, playing first base for Greeneville of the Class D Appalachian League, Dale batted .332 playing in 114 games. The Charlotte team of the South Atlantic League paid Greeneville $500 to buy his contract, and in 1925 and 1926, Dale played in the South Atlantic League and maintaining a high average each year: .331 in 1925 and .323 in 1926 with 120 RBI and 96 RBI respectively. After the season, Charlotte sold his contract to Toronto for $5,000. Alexander played in 1927 and 1928 with Toronto in the International League, batting .338 the first year with 97RBI. In 1928, Dale's second year with Toronto, was tremendous season, with Alexander winning the International League's Triple Crown, batting .380, slugging 31 home runs, and 144 RBI. Dale's 236 hits, 400 total bases, and 49 doubles were all league-leading totals as well. He'd earned a promotion to major-league baseball and prepared to play for the Tigers beginning in 1929. Detroit paid Toronto a lot for him; the deal for Alexander and right-handed pitcher Johnny Prudhomme reportedly cost the Tigers $100,000. Dale was a solid star for Detroit. In his first two seasons, 1929 and 1930, Dale played in every game for the Tigers, and playing exceptionally well. In 1929, Dale's .343 batting average ranked him ninth, 137 RBI placed him third, setting the a rookie record at the time. Alexander was fifth in home runs with 25. He had 363 total bases, second in the American League. Dale's 215 base hits led the AL and was also the first American League rookie with more than 200 hits since "Shoeless Joe" Jackson in 1911. Had the Rookie of the Year award existed in 1929, Dale would have no doubt won. Baseball Digest in November 1975 named Dale Alexander as the first baseman on its' all-time rookie team. What was Alexander's secret at the plate? "Ah don't look foh anything except a good ball. If it looks good, Ah swing at it" Dale had excellent vision, with a good eye for baseball. At Greeneville, a fan asked him if he had any trouble with the spitter. Dale replied, "No, I would just hit it on the dry side."

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