Wesley Lewis Dennis
Nickname: Doc
Career: 1942-1955
Position: 1b, 2b, 3b, ss, of
Teams: Baltimore Elite Giants (1942-1945, 1951), Philadelphia Stars (1945-1948), Nashville Stars (1949), Birmingham Black Barons (1950, 1952-1955)
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6' Weight: 170
Born: February 10, 1918, Nashville, Tennessee
An average batter, both for consistency and power, he was a versatile defensive player who could play any non-battery position. Although primarily a first baseman, he also gained considerable playing time at second base and the outfield.
He began his career in 1942 as a reserve infielder with the Baltimore Elites and continued as a substitute the next season, appearing mostly at second base. In 1944 he broke into the starting lineup, sharing the starting assignments at third base and hitting .285. The next year he moved to the other corner as the regular first baseman, hitting .232 while batting at the bottom of the order. After the end of World War II he joined the Philadelphia Stars as their regular first baseman for the next three seasons, also batting in the lower part of their batting order and hitting for averages of .288 and .247 in 1946-1947.
In 1949 he moved back home to Nashville, playing with the Nashville Stars, a team of lesser status, and then rejoined Negro American League teams during the first half of the 1950s, although the league had dropped in quality and was then strictly a minor league. Altogether his diamond career lasted a total of fourteen years, his athletic ability extended beyond the baseball diamond and he also won recognition as an outstanding golfer.
Baseball Career Highlights:
"Hitting home runs."
Professional/Personal Accomplishments:
"I have won many golf awards and trophies."
Sources:
NLBM Legacy 2000 Players' Reunion Alumni Book, Kansas City Missouri: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Inc., 2000.
James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994.
