Bill Akers

William G. Akers (December 25, 1904 – April 12, 1962), nicknamed Bump, was an American professional baseball infielder and soldier.

Akers played baseball for 11 seasons from 1924 to 1934, including four seasons in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers (1929–1931) and Boston Braves (1932). He had his best season in the majors was 1930 when he appeared in 85 games and compiled a .375 on-base percentage with eight doubles, five triples, nine home runs, and 40 RBIs. During his four years in the major leagues, he played as a shortstop (99 games), third baseman (46 games), and second baseman (seven games). He compiled a .261 career batting average with a .349 on-base percentage.

During his minor league career, he also played for the Durham Bulls (1926–1927), New Orleans Pelicans (1928), Decatur Commodores (1928), Beaumont Exporters (1929), Kansas City Blues (1931), Baltimore Orioles (1932–1933), and Little Rock Travelers (1933–1934).

Akers later became a motorcycle policeman with the Arkansas State Troopers and served in the United States Army during World War II. He sent 31 months in the Pacific theater of operations and received a Presidential citation with two oak leaf clusters and campaign ribbons with four battle stars.

Early years Akers was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1904.

Professional baseball Minor leagues Akers began playing professional baseball in 1924 with the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern Association. He spent six years in the minors before making his major league debut, including stints with the Lookouts (1924), Jonesboro Buffaloes (1925), Danville Leafs (1926), Durham Bulls (1926–1927), New Orleans Pelicans (1928), Decatur Commodores (1928), and Beaumont Exporters (1929).

Playing for Decatur in the Three-Eye League during the 1928 season, he ranked high among the second basemen with a .956 fielding percentage. In January 1929, he was sold to the Beaumont Exporters of the Texas League. He had an outstanding season at Beaumont, batting .309 with 35 doubles, six triples, and 17 home runs. He appeared in 29 games for the 1929 Tigers, including 24 as the team's starting shortstop, and compiled a .265 batting average and .351 on-base percentage with two doubles, a triple, a home run, nine RBIs, and a stolen base.

Akers spent the entire season with the 1930 Tigers, appearing in 85 games, including 46 as the team's starting shortstop and 17 as the starting third baseman. He compiled a .279 batting average and .375 on-base percentage with eight doubles, five triples, nine home runs, and 40 RBIs in 233 at bats. He also participated in 43 double plays, often connecting with Detroit second baseman Charlie Gehringer.

Akers returned to the Tigers in 1931, but appeared in only 29 games (16 as the starting shortstop) as Billy Rogell emerged as the club's starting shortstop. With limited playing time, Akers' batting averaged dropped by almost 100 points to .197. Akers also reportedly set a record for "the longest thrown in baseball, 510 feet."

Kansas City and Boston On June 11, 1931, Akers was traded by the Tigers to the Kansas City Blues of the American Association in exchange for L. Brower. Akers appeared in 119 games for Kansas City (109 at shortstop) and compiled a career-high .331 batting average with 34 doubles, seven triples, and 20 home runs. He played third base for the Orioles, appeared in 45 games, and hit .301 with a .438 slugging percentage. Akers played 125 games at shortstop for Little Rock during the 1933 and 1934 seasons. In 1936, he moved to Chicago where he worked for the state attorney's office. During World War II, he was stationed in the Pacific theater of operations with the 32nd Infantry Division. He served a total of 31 months in the Pacific and received a Presidential citation with two oak leaf clusters and campaign ribbons with four battle stars.

He died from liver cancer in 1962 at age 57 in Chattanooga. He was buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery.