Player Profile: Charlie Neal

Charles Lenard Neal was born in Longview Texas on January 30th, 1931. After WWII the Dodger system churned out infield prospects like weeds. Many went to other teams, Chico Carrasquel, Bobby Morgan, Bob Lillis, Chico Fernandez and Billy Hunter to name a few. Robinson, Reese, and Gilliam were impossible to dislodge. But Neal was a keeper. His game was speed. But he was the invisible Dodger, overshadowed by a roster of All-Stars and six future Hall of Famers.

Neal came from a baseball family. His father, Houston was a carpenter, and his mother, Verdell, took in laundry. His dad formed a sandlot team. His older son, Jim, played for him, but Charlie was afraid of the hard ball. When he joined…