The Big Bat of the Whiz Kids Lineup

A Philadelphia native, Del Ennis was the power bat in the 1950 Whiz Kids lineup. An RBI machine, he topped 100+ annually for 7 seasons. An eighth instance would have been added to the record books if rain had not washed out a 1956 game in which he had driven in 5 runs before play stopped. Ennis would go on to finish the season with 95 runs driven in.

Ennis’ bat helped propel the Phillies back into relevance in the 1950 season, awakening a fan base that had previously cared little for its sleepy, bottom-dwelling team. He cooled off in 1951 but returned to form for much of the remaining decade. This performance hiccup was enough to ignite the wrath of Philadelphia’s notoriously jeer-happy fanbase. Ennis was hounded for the next five years even as he continued to be one of the more dependable offensive players of his era.

After leaving baseball and earshot of complaining Phillies fans, Ennis began hanging out with friendlier companions. He raised greyhounds and made a second career of racing them.

Decade Performance Comparison (1947-1956)

Ennis held his own for ten years against other stars in terms of power and run production.