Jeff Heath - Cleveland Indians

Cleveland Indians

Heath, who batted left-handed and threw right-handed and broke in with the Indians in 1936 at the age of 21, appeared in 12 games with the club and recorded a .341 batting average and seven extra-base hits. During spring training leading up to the 1937 season, Heath was describing as getting "as much attention as the backline of a Broadway chorus." He appeared in 20 games and hit .230 for the season. During spring training before the 1938 season, Indians manager Oscar Vitt said Heath was "the best natural hitter I've seen since Joe Jackson." One columnist described Vitt's decision to employ Heath:

"Vitt finally decided to use Jeff Heath, the chap with the bulging muscles, in his left pasture. There are few better hitters in the American league than the husky from Washington. Jeff is not the most graceful ballhawk in captivity and he may toss to the wrong base, but put a bat in his hands and the opposition's pitcher will tremble."

In his first full season in 1938, he batted .343 – behind only batting champion Jimmie Foxx's .349 – while leading the league with 18 triples. Upon the conclusion of the season, Heath joined fellow American League (AL) players, and Indians teammate Bob Feller, in exhibition games played around the country (also known as barnstorming), mostly in cities which did not have a major league team. He had 21 home runs and 112 RBIs, collected 58 hits in August alone, and was among the league leaders in slugging average and total bases for the 1938 season. In January 1939, he married Theabelle Callard. He finished with a .292 batting average in 1939. The season also included a late-season punch to a fan from Heath during a home game in Cleveland. "It was just another blunder in a bad season that has been full of mistakes," Heath said of the incident. Before the 1940 season, Heath said, "I'm going to show 'em I'm no flash in the pan. Last year I was overswinging and taking my eye of the ball. I'm not going to do that this season." During the season, Heath was one of 12 reported players who presented a list of grievances against Vitt to Indians President Alva Bradley. Bradley called a meeting with the players and by the end of it, a statement of support from the players for Vitt was released. Twenty-one Indians signed the document, while Heath was one of four who did not, as he was one of two in the hospital at the time of the meeting. Instances between Vitt and his players, including Heath, continued past June, however. Heath was suspended by Vitt after a game in August after the two exchanged words following a strikeout by Heath, who was put in the game as a pinch-hitter. Indians Vice President C.C. Slapnicka withdrew the suspension. The Indians finished the regular season with a 89–65 record in Vitt's last season as manager and Heath a career-low .219 average. The Indians lost the AL pennant by one game to the Detroit Tigers and Heath received much of the blame, although Vitt was released as the team's manager and replaced by Roger Peckinpaugh.

Peckinpaugh announced in December 1940 Heath would remain a starting outfielder with the club. Heath came back in 1941 with a season campaign in which he again led the AL with 20 triples, batted .340 (fourth in the league), and was third in slugging behind Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. He also finished second in total bases and RBIs (behind DiMaggio) as well as second in hits, made his first All-Star team, and finished eighth in the Most Valuable Player award voting. He became the first AL player to make the 20-20-20 club, having recorded 20 doubles, triples and home runs in one season.

Heath worked as a draftsman for Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation during the off-season leading up to 1943. In years previous, Heath had been described as "lazy" and "lacking aggressiveness" but the 1943 season appeared to be different, including investing extra time in batting practice. He was selected for the All-Star Game and finished fourth in the AL in home runs with 18. Heath was rejected in 1944 for military duty due to knee problems. During the 1944 season Heath was mainly used as a pinch-hitter. In the off-season he underwent knee surgery and entered a contract dispute with the Indians. He did not join the team until June of the 1945 season after a two-month holdout. Despite missing the beginning part of the season, he was still named an All-Star although the game was not played due to travel restrictions during World War II. He finished the season with a batting average of .305 and his 15 home runs were fifth in the AL. In 1943 he became the second player born outside the U.S. to hit 100 home runs, and he surpassed George Selkirk with his 109th home run in 1945.

Heath, who had acquired the nickname "Lord Jeff," was called a "problem child" by Indian player-manager Lou Boudreau. Peckingpaugh once said that Heath "could have been one of the greatest players. He had the ability to do about anything. He could run, he could throw, and he could hit. But he just had no hustle, no nothing. If a ball went by him, he just might walk after it." In December 1945 the Indians traded Heath to the Washington Senators where he started in right field.