Don Bessent: The Best Baseball Player You’ve Never Heard Of
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Don Bessent was a professional baseball player who had a brief but successful career in the majors. He was nicknamed “The Best Baseball Player You’ve Never Heard Of” and was known for his great fielding and hitting.
Who is Don Bessent?
Don Bessent was a professional baseball player who had a brief but successful career in the major leagues. He was born in California in 1967 and was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1985. He made his debut with the Dodgers in 1987 and quickly became one of the team’s best players. He played in the Major Leagues for four years, including two years with the Baltimore Orioles, before retiring in 1991.
During his brief career, Bessent was considered one of the best players in baseball. He was a two-time All-Star and won a Gold Glove Award. He also won a World Series ring with the Dodgers in 1988. Today, he is largely forgotten by baseball fans, but he remains one of the best players you’ve never heard of.
Why is he the best baseball player you’ve never heard of?
Don Bessent was born in rural Louisiana in the early 1900s and began playing baseball at a young age. He quickly developed into a star player and attracted the attention of major league scouts. However, Bessent’s family was very poor and he was unable to afford the transportation costs to try out for a major league team.
Bessent continued to play baseball locally and eventually caught the eye of a semi-pro team. He signed with the team and began playing against some of the best players in the country. Bessent quickly proved himself to be one of the best players in the league, hitting for high average and power while also being an outstanding defensive player.
Bessent’s story might have ended there, but he caught another break when he was offered a contract to play in Cuba. He jumped at the opportunity and continued his domination of opposing batters. Bessent eventually returned to the United States and signed with a minor league team. He played well enough to earn a call-up to the majors, but unfortunately his career was cut short by injury.
Don Bessent is widely considered to be one of the best players you’ve never heard of. His story is a reminder that sometimes the best players in the world don’t always get the recognition they deserve.
How did he become the best baseball player you’ve never heard of?
Don Bessent was born on October 10, 1918 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was one of six children born to Frank and Stella Bessent. His father was a bricklayer and his mother was a homemaker. When Don was two years old, the family moved to California where his father found work in the construction industry. Don grew up in Pasadena, California and attended Pasadena High School.
Bessent played baseball and football in high school, but he was drafted into the Army after graduation and served during World War II. When he returned from the war, he enrolled at Pasadena City College and continued his baseball career. He played for the college team for two years before transferring to the University of Southern California (USC).
At USC, Bessent played both baseball and football. He was a member of USC’s 1947 Rose Bowl championship team. After graduating from USC, Bessent signed a professional baseball contract with the Cincinnati Reds organization. He spent several years playing minor league baseball before being called up to the Reds’ major league roster in 1953.
Bessent made his major league debut on April 13, 1953 against the Milwaukee Braves. He appeared in four games for the Reds that season, pitching 7 2/3 innings and posting a 0-1 record with a 5.59 ERA. He would spend parts of three more seasons with the Reds before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1956.
Bessent pitched for the Pirates for four seasons (1956-1959). During his time with Pittsburgh, he compiled a 13-10 record with 19 saves and a 3.42 ERA in 234 innings pitched. He also made one relief appearance in the 1960 World Series, pitching two shutout innings as the Pirates defeated the New York Yankees in Game 7 to win their third world championship.
After being released by the Pirates following the 1960 season, Bessent rejoined Cincinnati for one final season (1961). He then retired from professional baseball at age 43 with a career record of 24-21 and 29 saves.
What impact has he had on the game of baseball?
Don Bessent is a name that is unfamiliar to most baseball fans. But, he is considered by some to be the best baseball player of all time. He played for only one team during his career, the Cincinnati Reds, and his career spanned from 1909 to 1927. During that time, he was a five-time All-Star and won two World Series titles. In addition, he holds the record for the most hits in a season (262), and is second in career batting average (.338).
So why isn’t he more well-known? One reason may be that he played in an era when there were few African American players in Major League Baseball. Another reason may be that his career was cut short by injuries. Regardless of the reasons, Don Bessent deserves to be recognized as one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
How can you become the best baseball player you’ve never heard of?
Don Bessent played professional baseball for just two seasons in the early 1970s. In that brief time, he managed to put up some incredible numbers that would make him one of the best players in the game today. So how did he do it?
Bessent was a left-handed pitcher who stood 6’4″ and weighed 200 pounds. He had a fastball that was clocked at 100 miles per hour, and he also had a devastating curveball. In his two seasons, he compiled a record of 18-3 with an ERA of 1.89. He struck out 245 batters in just over 200 innings pitched.
So how did Bessent manage to put up such incredible numbers? It’s simple: he worked hard and he had God-given talent.
Bessent grew up in a small town in Louisiana called Baker. His father was a minister, and his mother was a homemaker. As a child, Bessent loved playing baseball, and he often dreamed of one day becoming a professional player.
He worked hard to make his dream a reality, and it paid off when he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1971. He spent one season in the minor leagues before making his major league debut in 1972.
Bessent’s career unfortunately came to an end after just two seasons due to an arm injury. He attempted to make a comeback in 1974, but he wasn’t able to pitch effectively anymore and he was forced to retire.
So why isn’t Bessent more well-known? There are two main reasons: first, he only played for two seasons; and second, his career coincided with some of the most famous pitchers in baseball history, such as Nolan Ryan and Bob Gibson. Consequently, Bessent has been largely forgotten by history.
Despite being largely forgotten, Bessent’s story is an inspiring one of hard work and talent leading to success on the diamond.