Red Lucas

Charles Fred "Red" Lucas (April 28, 1902 – July 9, 1986) was an American professional baseball pitcher and pinch hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1923 to 1938 for the New York Giants, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Biography He was a pitcher who contributed to his teams in several positions over the years. Red Lucas was one of the most recent two-way players, serving as a prolific pinch hitter throughout his career.

As a pitcher, Lucas batted seventh in the lineup for the Reds on September 7, 1933, and was the last Reds pitcher to bat higher than ninth until Jason Marquis batted eighth in May 2015.

Lucas posted a .281 batting average with 155 runs, 3 home runs, 190 RBI and 124 bases on balls in his major league career. Defensively, he was better than average, recording a .981 fielding percentage as a pitcher and a .977 fielding percentage overall.

After his major league career, Lucas spent several seasons managing and occasional pitching in the minor leagues. He served as a minor league manager in 1941 with Grand Rapids (Michigan State League) and in 1942 Newport (Tenn.) of the Appalachian League. Lucas was a player/coach for the Nashville Vols in 1944 and 1945. He managed the Class D Lumberton Cubs of the Tobacco State League in 1947. In 1948, Lucas was the manager of the Decatur Ill. club in the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League.

His nickname, "The Nashville Narcissus," was coined by Colonel Bob Newhall, a reporter for the old Cincinnati Tribune, who may have thought the young pitcher was a blooming star. He died in Nashville, Tennessee on July 9, 1986.