Del Bates

Who was Del Bates?

Delbert Oakley "Del" Bates was a Major League Baseball catcher. Bates played for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1970 season. In 22 career games, he had 8 hits in 60 at-bats. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Bates was born in Kirkland, Washington in 1940. After graduating from high school, he served four years in the U.S. Navy as a submariner. After he was discharged, he was signed by the Los Angeles Angels as an amateur free agent in 1963.

After his retirement from baseball, Bates was a longshoreman at the Port of Seattle. He was active in the International Longshore Union, Local 19 until his retirement in 2004. He died on September 24, 2009.