Biography

Fred "Dixie" Walker originally came up through the rich Yankees farm system and spent eight seasons in the American League. When he tore up his knee and was waived during the 1939 season, his contract was quickly snatched up by Brooklyn Dodgers' GM Larry MacPhail. Dixie then proceeded to lead the 1940 Dodger team in hitting by batting .308 with 37 doubles. His talent and attitude led him to become known as "The People's Cherce". In 1941Dixie was part of the Brooklyn Dodgers all .300 hitting outfield (with Pete Reiser and Joe Medwick) that won the National League Pennant. Walker also led the NL in batting with a .357 average in 1944, and won the 1945 NL RBI Title with 124 runs batted in. Dixie came from a family of professional ballplayers. His father, Ewart "Dixie" Walker, pitched from 1909-1912 for the Senators while his uncle Ernie Walker pitched from 1913-1915 in St. Louis for the Browns. His brother Harry "The Hat" Walker was the National League's Batting Champ in 1947. In 1948, while playing with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Dixie batted .300 for the tenth time in twelve seasons. In his final season, 1949, Walker played in just 88 games but led the National League with 13 pinch-hits.

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