(September 9, 1931 – May 13, 2015) As a baseball player, Earl Averill, Jr., had plenty of expectations to live up to and he did in three years at the University of Oregon and seven seasons in the Major Leagues.
The son of Baseball Hall of Famer Earl Averill (inducted in 1975), Earl Jr., hit .439 as a sophomore at the University of Oregon and was a three-time selection on the Pacific Coast Conference’s All-North Division team at third base or outfield from 1951-53. He was UO’s first All-America selection in baseball.
Young Earl was born in Cleveland while his father was with the Indians, but the family lived in Ear, Sr’s hometown of Snohomish, WA. Earl, Jr. attended school and played baseball in Washington and spent summers as a batboy in Cleveland.
He played pitcher, catcher and outfield for a county championship team, then starred at Everett Community College before moving to Eugene and playing for the Ducks. His massive hands were best suited for catching. Averill was able to master the impressive task of holding seven baseballs in one hand.
After graduating from UO, Earl was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 1952 amateur draft, Earl Jr., reached the big leagues in 1956 and played for the Indians, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies, as a catcher or third baseman through 1963. In 1961, he hit 21 home runs and drove in 59 runs as the catcher for the expansion Angels.
Earl Jr. finished his major league career with 249 hits, 44 home runs, 159 RBIs and a .242 average. He endured an eight-year legal and financial strain after an incident in the minors.
He also played on minor league teams for all or parts of nine seasons, including the entire 1957 season on Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate in San Diego. In addition to San Diego, he played at the Triple-A level for teams in Indianapolis, Louisville, Ky., Seattle and Toronto. He retired in 1965 at the age of 35 with 747 hits, 104 home runs and a .293 average in his minor league career.
The Averill family estimated they had moved 39 times during a 14-year baseball career. They would settle back in Puget Sound country. He loved to tell baseball stories, sometimes embellished.
Earl Averill, Junior, is also a member of the University of Oregon and Everett Community College Halls of Fame
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