Mose Solomon

Mose Hirsch Solomon, nicknamed the Rabbi of Swat (December 8, 1900 – June 25, 1966) was an American left-handed baseball player who briefly played for the New York Giants in 1923.

Early life

Solomon, who was Jewish, was born on the Lower East Side in New York City. His childhood nickname was "Hickory". His father was a junk dealer.

Minor leagues

He began his professional career with Vancouver of the Pacific Coast International League in 1921. He hit .313, batting left and playing first base and outfield.

In 1923 he hit 49 home runs (a new league record) for the Class C Southwestern Conference Hutchinson Wheat Shockers in 108 games with a .421 average. When his contract was bought out by the New York Giants in September of that year, he was also leading the league in runs, hits, and doubles. The Sporting News ran the headline that Giants scout "Dick Kinsella Finds That $100,000 Jew". The press nicknamed him "the Rabbi of Swat" and "the Jewish Babe Ruth".

Major leagues

The New York Giants had been looking for a star player to attract fans the way Babe Ruth did for the New York Yankees. However, Solomon turned out not to be that player, as his batting skills could not compensate for his poor fielding average of only .833 in his two games with the team. At the plate, he had a .375 batting average (three for eight, with one double and one RBI) in his two major league appearances.

He died on June 25, 1966.