David Whatley (baseball)

Not to be confused with David Whatley.

David Samuel Whatley (November 10, 1914 – March 13, 1961), nicknamed "Speed" and "Hammer Man", was an American Negro league outfielder in the 1930s and 1940s.

Speed Whatley
Outfielder
Born: (1914-11-10)November 10, 1914 Griffin, Georgia, U.S.
Died: March 13, 1961(1961-03-13) (aged 46) Oakland, California, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Right
Negro league baseball debut
1937, for the Birmingham Black Barons
Last appearance
1944, for the New York Black Yankees
Negro leagues[a] statistics
Batting average	.330
Home runs	12
Runs batted in	105
Teams
Birmingham Black Barons (1937–1938) Memphis Red Sox (1938) Cleveland Bears (1939) Homestead Grays (1939–1942, 1944) New York Black Yankees (1944)
Career highlights and awards
Negro American League batting champion (1938)

A native of Griffin, Georgia, Whatley made his Negro leagues debut with the Birmingham Black Barons in 1937. He batted .396 and led the Negro American League in batting average in his second season in 1938.^[2] He played for the Homestead Grays from 1939 to 1942, being on the roster for three consecutive Negro National League II pennants.^[3] He then served in the United States Army during World War II.^[4][5] He returned to the Grays during their 1944 Negro World Series championship season, but finished the season with the New York Black Yankees.^[6] Whatley died in Oakland, California in 1961 at age 46.