A Dodger for the entirety of his career, Carl Furillo arrived in Brooklyn in 1946, and it did not take long before he became one of the Dodgers more popular figures.
Beginning in Center, Furillo was moved to Rightfield, where he was regarded as the master of comprehending the bounces of Ebbets Field. Furillo turned heads with arm strength, but he was an underappreciated hitter who won the 1953 Batting Title (.344), the second of two All-Star seasons. Furillo, who helped the Dodgers win two World Series (1955 & 1959), showed decent power, with six 15-plus Home Run years and an overall OPS of .813.
Furillo was released in May of 1960 while he was injured with a torn calf muscle, and he alleged that the team released him to avoid paying the higher pension rate affixed to a 15-year veteran, which he would have been had Furillo still been signed at the end of the season. Another MLB team never signed him, and it was a bitter end to one of the better runs in Dodgers history.
He exited Baseball with 1,910 Hits, 192 Home Runs, and a Batting Average of .299.
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