1948 St. Louis Cardinals. December 9 – Johnny Lazor, 90, outfielder who provided four years of good services for the Boston Red Sox while left fielder Ted Williams and center fielder Dom DiMaggio were in the military service from 1943 to 1946. December 10 – Earl Henry, 85, pitcher who played from 1944 to 1945 for the Cleveland Indians. December 10 – Mike Kosman, 85, minor-league second baseman who appeared in one game as a pinch runner for the 1944 Cincinnati Reds. December 10 – Homer Spragins, 82, relief pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1947 season. December 11 – Bob Loane, 88, center fielder who played with the Washington Senators in the 1939 season and for the Boston Bees in 1940. December 14 – Hank Arft, 80, first baseman who played from 1948 through 1952 for the St. Louis Browns. December 15 – Dick Stuart, 70, two-time All-Star first baseman who played for six different clubs from 1958 to 1969, notably the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox; member of the 1960 world champion Pirates; poor fielder (known as "Dr. Strangeglove") who hit at least 30 homers with 100 or more RBIs in each league while ranking among the top-ten home run hitters in five seasons. December 19 – Claude Crocker, 78, pitcher for the 1944 Brooklyn Dodgers, and one of several players who only appeared in the major leagues during World War II. December 19 – Bob Rinker, 81, catcher for the 1950 Philadelphia Athletics. December 23 – George Bullard, 74, shortstop for the 1954 Detroit Tigers. December 26 – Frank Reiber, 93, backup catcher who appeared in 44 games for the Detroit Tigers in three seasons spanning 1933–1936, including the team that won the 1935 World Series. Sources External links Major League Baseball official website Minor League Baseball official website Baseball Almanac – Major League Baseball Players Who Died in 2002