Player #150: James L. "Luke" Sewell. Catcher for the Washington Senators in 1933-1934. 1,393 hits and 20 home runs in 20 MLB seasons. 1937 All-Star. He debuted with the Cleveland Indians in 1921. His best season at the plate came in 1933 for Washington as he posted a .335 OBP with 65 runs scored and 61 RBI's in 537 plate appearances. He finished his playing career while managing the St. Louis Browns in 1942. He managed St. Louis in 1941-1946. He also managed the Cincinnati Reds 1949-1952.
We let Deveaux explain Sewell's introduction to Washington: The (December 1932) trade with the Indians may have been incomplete, for at the end of the first week of January, another deal was struck. The Senators sent their most reliable catcher, Roy Spencer, to Cleveland, for Luke Sewell, an experienced veteran receiver. Sewell, a year younger than Spencer and at least his equal as a hitter, had turned 32 two days before the trade was made. He had hit .253 in 300 at-bats for the Browns in '32, and was a good defensive catcher, as demonstrated by the fact that he'd led American League backstops in assists three years straight years, 1926-28. He had already spent 12 years in the American League, all with the Indians, and was the younger brother of future Hall of Famer Joe Sewell. (The same Joe Sewell who had begun his career under a microscope as the replacement for star shortstop Ray Chapman of the Indians, the victim of the majors' only on-field player fatality, in 1920.) (The Washington Senators by Tom Deveaux.)
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