Vince Ventura

Vincent Ventura
Born: April 18, 1917 in New York
Died: September 11, 2001 in Lake Worth, Fla.
Debut:  1945  | Pos:  OF
H: 6'1" | W: 190 | B: R | T: R

>> Visit the Vince Ventura biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.

Vince Ventura, who died in 2001, played 18 games for the Washington Senators in 1945.  He hit .207 in 18 major league games and drove in 2 runs.

Vince Ventura and Phil Rizzuto both signed on the same day. Ventura, considered a major prospect at the time, is quoted as remembering this about the signing:

"Phil and I had to bring our fathers with us to sign because we were both underage. We both received $1,000 bonuses -- $500 upon signing and the other $500 if we were still with the team on July 1, the last cutdown date. My father cried when he got the check for $500. He had never seen that much money in his life. When he was able to get work, he earned $12 to $14 a week." 

He spent most of his career in the minors, playing for teams such as the Akron Yankees.