Stan Lopata

Stanley Edward Lopata (September 12, 1925 – June 15, 2013) was an American professional baseball player. A catcher, Lopata played in Major League Baseball for 13 seasons in the National League with the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Braves. In 853 career games, Lopata recorded a batting average of .254 and accumulated 661 hits, 116 home runs, and 179 runs batted in (RBI). A two-time all-star, he was the first National League catcher to wear glasses.

Born in Delray, Michigan, a neighborhood in Detroit, Lopata was a graduate of Southwestern High School. After finishing his service in World War II with the 14th Armored Division in Europe in 1945, Lopata began his professional baseball career in the minor leagues with the Terre Haute Phillies of the Class B Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League in 1946 after the big-league Philadelphia club signed him to a $20,000 bonus. The Phillies discovered Lopata when he emerged as a star in the sandlots of Detroit, Michigan, as well as the tough American Legion Baseball league. He did well in his first season for Terre Haute, posting up a .292 batting average with a .540 slugging percentage, 9 home runs, and 11 triples in just 67 games played. Lopata was very successful in 1947. He was still a few years of seasoning away from the majors, but in March Phillies manager Ben Chapman made it clear that he wanted Lopata to be their second-string catcher behind current starter Andy Seminick. Lopata was promoted to the Utica Blue Sox of the Class A Eastern League, and made the most of it by hitting .325 with 9 home runs, 13 triples, and 196 total bases in 115 games en route to earning the league's Most Valuable Player award. Lopata played a key role in leading the Blue Sox to their first ever league title, tying the championship series with the Albany Senators after hitting a home run in the 13th inning to give his team the 3–2 victory. Lopata continued his rise through the minor league ranks in 1948 for the baseball Toronto Maple Leafs of the Class AAA International League. He once again put up consistent and powerful numbers: a .279 batting average, 15 home runs, and 67 RBI in 110 games. Lopata had a league record shattering day on May 20 when he drove in eight runs off two home runs, breaking the old Roosevelt Stadium record of runs batted in for a single game of 7 set by Albie Glosop in 1939. Around this time, major league scouts labeled Lopata as a "can't miss" prospect.