Maurice Van Robays

Maurice Rene Van Robays (November 15, 1914 – March 1, 1965), nicknamed "Bomber," was an American professional baseball outfielder who played six seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Pirates between 1939 and 1946. Listed at tall and , he batted and threw right-handed.

Biography Originally signed by his hometown Detroit Tigers, Van Robays first played professionally in 1934 with the minor league Grand Rapids Tigers and Charleroi Tigers.

Van Robays returned to the minor leagues in 1937, helping the Ogdensburg Colts win the Canadian–American League title. After batting .320 in 1939 with the Montreal Royals of the International League, He had three hits in his debut, including a double, and two RBI in a narrow victory. , his 1.022 win probability added is a record for a debutant. Appearing in 27 games with the Pirates in 1939, he batted .314 with two home runs and 16 RBI.

In 1940, Van Robays appeared in a career-high 145 major league games, batting .273 with 11 home runs and 116 RBIs. After the season, Van Robays drew eight points and finished 24th in league MVP voting, with a .316 on-base percentage and .402 slugging percentage. He played a decreasing number of games with Pittsburgh each of the next three seasons, with a corresponding decline in RBIs.

Van Robays died of pneumonia in March 1965, aged 50, and was buried in Detroit's Mount Olivet Cemetery.