Manager/3B Hillis Layne - 1952 Pine Bluff Judges
Manager/3B Born: February 23, 1918 Whitwell, Tennessee Died: January 12, 2010 Signal Mountain, Tennessee (Age 91-323d) Bats: Lefts Throws: Right
Teams Washington Senators 1941, 1944-1945 Pine Bluff Judges 1952
Hillis Layne was Manager/3B for the 1952 Pine Bluff Judges.
The Pine Bluff Judges entered the 1952 season looking to continue the success of a 3rd place 1951 season, which saw the 82-56 (.586) Judges lead the Cotton States League in both hitting and fielding.
As a Class C affiliate for the St. Louis Browns, the Pine Bluff Judges had obtained many highly thought of prospects. The St. Louis Browns brought in Hillis Layne, a 12 year veteran who spent parts of 3 seasons in the major leagues with the Washington Senators, to lead help develop the young Pine Bluff prospects.
Hillis Layne's path to the major leagues was a quick one. After spending just 3 seasons in the minors, Washington called the 3rd baseman to the big leagues in 1941. Layne’s big chance didn’t last long, just 13 games. Then, as with many major leaguers of that time, his career went on hiatus, interrupted by World War II. Serving in the army, Layne did not see a ballpark again until late in the 1944 season when he rejoined the Senators following his discharge from the military. His exit from the service was due to a leg injury.
Layne played only 33 games for the 1944 Senators, hitting .195 as he tried to find his stroke after a three-year absence from baseball. In 1945, he came back and hit .299 in 160 games. In Yankee Stadium in front of 68,000 people, Layne hit the first and only home run of his big league career, a solo shot off Tiny Bonham. Overall, Layne would spend parts of 3 major league season with the Washington Senators (1941, 1944-1945) playing in 107 games, batting .264, .656 OPS, .953 fielding.
In 1946 the Senators sent Layne down to Chattanooga, back to the minors. He would never make it to the major leagues again. At the end of the 1946 season the Seattle Rainiers acquired Layne, where he quickly became a Pacific Coast League legend. His play on the field earned him the nickname "Mandrake" after the magician in the comics. He led the PCL in hitting, batting .367. Over 4 season in the PCL, Layne hit .319, had .783 OPS. & 202 RBIs. In 1951, at age 33, Layne started his managerial career with the Anderson Rebels of the Tri-State League.
In 1952 he joined the Pine Bluff Judges and led the team to a 62-64 (.492) record. Along with his managerial duties, Layne also played in 120 games for the Judges. Even at 34 (over a decade older than all the other players on the team) he led the Judges in batting (.306). Layne would be integral in the development of Pine Bluff's young players, including future major leaguers Bob Hale and Jim Snyder.
Hillis Layne's career as a player and manager spanned two decades in which he played nearly 2,000 professional games. His career continued as minor league director for the Senators and a baseball scout for the A's, Mets, Senators, and Rangers. Overall he spent 40 years in baseball. He was recognized by the Society for American Baseball Research as one of the top 100 minor league players of all time and was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.
