Val Heim

Val Heim
Left fielder
Born: November 4, 1920
Plymouth, Wisconsin
Batted: Right Threw: Left
Professional debut
August 31, 1942 for the Chicago White Sox
Last professional appearance
September 22, 1942 for the Chicago White Sox
Career statistics
Batting average .200
Home runs 0
Runs batted in 7
Teams

Val Raymond Heim (born November 4, 1920) is a former left fielder who played in Major League Baseball during the 1942 season. Listed at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 170 lb., he batted right-handed and threw left-handed.[1]

Born in Plymouth, Wisconsin, Heim was one of many baseball players whose career was interrupted by World War II.[2] Heim was signed by the Chicago White Sox in 1940 and immediately was assigned to their minor league system. He posted a combined .328 batting average for two teams in 1941, gaining a promotion to the White Sox late in 1942.[3] In 1942 Heim hit .200 (9-for-45) with six runs and seven RBI for Chicago in thirteen games, including one stolen base and a .294 on-base percentage. He joined the U.S. Navy at the end of the season.[1]

Following his military discharge, Heim played in 1946 and 1948 in the White Sox minor league system, but he never appeared in a major league game again. In a five-year minor league career, he batted .285 and hit 35 home runs in 570 games. At age 94, Heim is one of the oldest living big leaguers.

Sources