Floyd Baker dies at age 88; played for five MLB teams

YOUNGSTOWN -- Floyd Baker, one of the top defensive players of his era in the major leagues and a longtime city resident, died early Tuesday. He was 88.
Baker was born Oct. 10., 1916, in Luray, Va., and began his major-league career on May 4, 1943, with the St. Louis Browns.
He played for 13 seasons with the Browns, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies.
He finished his career in 1955 with a career batting average of .251 and one home run, which came on May 4, 1949, off Sid Hudson.
Baker's best hitting season was in 1950, when he batted .317 in 83 games with the White Sox.
Nicknamed "The Glove Man," Baker had a career fielding percentage of .973 with a majority of his games -- more than 500 -- at third base. Baker also played second base, shortstop and two games in 1950 in the outfield.
Baker appeared in two games in the 1944 World Series with the St. Louis Browns, which they lost in six games to the St. Louis Cardinals. Baker struck out in his only two plate appearances.
Local connection
Baker first came to Youngstown in 1939 as a member of the city's Middle Atlantic League team, a farm club of the Browns.
He made Youngstown his permanent home when he married Ann Marie Schoessel in 1941.
After his playing days, Baker was a coach for the Minnesota Twins for four years and then a scout, while working as a salesman.
Calling hours are Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Thompson Funeral Home, 4221 Market St., Youngstown. Services will be Friday at 11 a.m., after one hour of calling, also at Thompson.