Angelo Dagres

Angelo George Dagres (August 22, 1934 – December 23, 2017) was an American professional baseball player. An outfielder, Dagres was signed to a bonus contract by the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball on September 11, 1955 — and made his Major League debut later that day when he started as the Orioles' left fielder in the second game of a doubleheader against the Kansas City Athletics at Memorial Stadium. Dagres would go on to appear in seven more games during the season, his only year in the big leagues.

Dagres was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Nicknamed "Junior", he batted and threw left-handed, stood tall and weighed . After a standout career at Newburyport High School, the University of Rhode Island, and amateur baseball, he signed with the Orioles at age 21 on a Sunday morning. A few hours later, he was playing in the Majors. "I saw the lineup, and there I was", he told The Boston Globe in 2011. "I wasn’t even in the scorebook that day." Although Dagres went hitless in two at bats against Kansas City starting pitcher Mike Kume, he knocked in a run in his first Major League plate appearance with a force out, and played errorless ball in the field.

Strong debut in Major Leagues The highlight of Dagres' MLB career would come nine days later, when he appeared in both games of a doubleheader on September 20 at Fenway Park, only from his hometown. Dagres collected two hits in seven at bats, knocked in two runs, and talked hitting with Red Sox superstar Ted Williams,

"There's a kid I wouldn't take $150,000 for", Harris said.

Dagres' professional career continued through the 1961 season in minor league baseball, where he batted .277 in 734 games. After his retirement, he was a restaurateur in his native city, a baseball coach at what is now Salem State University, and a greyhound dog trainer.