Mel Wasley
Ballplayers Wounded in Combat
| Date and Place of Birth: | April 19, 1917 Grass Valley, CA |
| Date and Place of Death: | March 6, 1982 Grass Valley, CA |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Outfield |
| Rank: | Private First-Class |
| Military Unit: | B Battery, 344th Field Artillery Battalion, 90th Infantry Division US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
Melvin C. “Mel” Wasley was born on April 19, 1917, in Grass Valley,
California. He signed with the Norfolk Elks of the Class D Nebraska
State League in 1936 and batted an impressive .361 with with 14 home
runs and 90 RBIs his rookie year. In 1937 he was with the Union Springs
Springs of the Class D Alabama-Florida League where he hit .303, and
joined the Duluth Dukes of the Class D Northern League in 1938, where
his .357 batting average was second best in the league. He also hit 31
home runs and he set a league record by hitting four homers in a single
game.
After three years playing Class D baseball, Wasley began moving up the
ladder in 1939. The 22-year-old outfielder was with the Springfield
Cardinals of the Class C Western Association that year, where he had a
fourth best .335 average along with 116 RBIs and 11 home runs. Finally,
someone noticed that here was a young ballplayer who could hit for power
and average (over four seasons he'd hit 61 home runs and consistently
batted above .300), but he was probably advanced too far in a single
season. He was assigned to the Sacramento Solons of the Class AA Pacific
Coast League - one step below the big leagues - where he batted .250
over 45 games and spent the rest of the season with the Portsmouth Red
Birds of the Class C Middle Atlantic League.
Wasley played for the Pocatello Cardinals of the Class C Pioneer League
in 1941, where he batted .294 with 101 RBIs before entering military
service with the Army on January 20, 1942.
Wasley served with the Army and was with B Battery of the 344th Field
Artillery Battalion, 90th Infantry Division, arriving in England in
April 1944, in preparation for D-Day. The 344th came ashore at Utah
Beach. Shortly afterwards, Private First-Class Wasley suffered wounds to
his face, centered around his eyes and nose, for which he received the
Purple Heart. He was also awarded a Bronze Star.
Wasley was discharged from service in November 1945. Afer four seasons
in military service and now 29 years old, he returned to baseball with
the Wenatchee Chiefs of the Class B Western International League in
1946, and proved he could still hit. In 143 games he batted .313, and
had further brief trials with the Sacramento Solons in 1947 and 1948.
In 1949, he joined the Salem Senators of the Western International
League and remained in that league with Salem, Spokane and Lewiston
until retiring from baseball after the 1954 season, aged 37.
Mel Wasley passed away in Grass Valley, California, on March 6, 1982. He
was 65 years old and is buried at New Elm Ridge Cemetery in Grass
Valley.
Date Added December 21, 2017
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