Paul Strand - OF
1920-23, 1926-27
Seattle, Salt Lake, Portland

Born Paul Edward Strand, on December 19, 1893 in Carbonado, Washington, Strand was both a pitcher and an outfielder, ultimately being used more for his bat than his arm.

He came to the Pacific Coast League in 1920, at age 26, after having a brief shot in the major leagues as a pitcher, and appearances with other minor league clubs.

On May 15, 1913, the 6'0", 190 lb. lefty made his pitching debut in the major leagues at the age of 19 for a mediocre Boston Braves club that finished 5th in the National League that year. He only appeared in seven games, with no decisions in 17 innings pitched, with a respectable 2.12 ERA.

Strand made the club again in 1914, appearing in 16 games and 55 innings-pitched with a 6-2 record and a 2.44 ERA during the team's "miracle" run for the pennant. He also batted .333 that year, impressive numbers for a pitcher. In 1915, Paul was used for only 6 games with the Braves, delivering a 2.38 ERA in just shy or 23 innings of work. He only posted a 1-1 record for the year.

In 1916, Strand played for the Toledo Mud Hens in the International League.

PCL records show that Strand made his PCL debut with Seattle in 1920. A June 21, 2003 article in the Spokesman-Review, however, disputes this: "May 13, 1917: Pitching for Seattle, left-hander Paul Strand, who had begun his career with Spokane in 1911, pitched a perfect game to defeat the Indians 1-0."

In 1921, he appeared in 21 games with 63 trips to the plate for a .238 average. The following season he played for Seattle, then was traded to Salt Lake. He played a full season of 157 games, with 589 at-bats with an impressive .314 average and 95 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.

For two years with Salt Lake, Strand exploded, having the best years of his career. He racked up back-to-back seasons with .384 in 1922 and .394 in 1923. The .384 came off of 752 at-bats in 178 games and the .394 season came from 825 at-bats in 194 games. In '22 he hit 28 home runs; 43 in 1923. On May 13th of that year, he hit two out of the park in the same inning.

In 1923 he also set a single-season PCL record for RBIs with 187, which stood for many years. According to Baseball Weekly, in its article on the All-Century minor league team, Strand set a minor league record in 1923 for hits earlier in his career with 325 that still stands. An article in Baseball Digest from September, 2003 verifies this milestone, one that rivals major league achievement.

Strand's outstanding seasons caught the attention of legendary skipper Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics. Mack thought that Strand, even at age 30 at the time, was the 'can't miss' bat that he needed to shore up his line-up for 1924.

Unfortunately Strand did miss being the great white hope, delivering Mack a .228 average in 47 games and 167 at-bats. His major league career was as a short contact hitter, his record devoid of home runs. Mack sold Strand to the minors for next to nothing, to play out the rest of the season with the Toledo Mud Hens, where he had played as a young man in 1916.

Published figures for the purchase of his contract were $100,000, but Mack later told reporters, possibly stinging from his own embarrising hype of Strand, that he only set the Athletics back $40,000.

Strand stayed in the International League, playing for Toledo in 1925.

He returned to the PCL to play for Portland in 1926 and 1927, platooning positions in the outfield and first base his first season, and outfield and pitcher his second. Playing full seasons, he racked up .326 and .355 seasons, respectively. He knocked 11 and 18 out of the park in those years as well as having a 105 RBI season in his final year in the PCL with Portland.

He died July 2, 1974 in Salt Lake City, Utah.