Ron Staples began his outstanding baseball career on the fields of Presque Isle. He starred for Presque Isle High School, Ray Goding Post Junior Legion, Colby College and the Presque Isle Indians. Like any successful athlete, Ron was able to achieve his baseball goals demonstrating hard work and a keen interest in baseball.
In high school, Staples played right field as a freshman, but he enjoyed catching more than anything else. He was also dedicated to improving his hitting. During his sophomore year at Presque Isle High School, he smashed two records – 10 homeruns in 16 games and 38 runs batted in with a .369 batting average. During the same year, he led Presque Isle to a 16-8 victory over Bangor by belting three homeruns, two of which were grand slams traveling over 360 feet. During his junior year, Staples hit .307 with 13 runs batted in to help the Wildcats win the league. They lost the Eastern Maine Championship to Stearns, 4-3. As a senior in 1954, he hit a robust .440. These feats brought him into the spotlight of eastern Maine baseball as one of its up-and-coming stars. During his four years at PIHS, the varsity baseball team accumulated a 54-12 record. The Wildcats advanced to the state final in 1951 losing to Westbrook, 11-3, lost the Eastern Maine final to Cony in 1952, lost to Stearns in a play-off round, 3-2, in 10 innings, and in 1954 they won the Aroostook League for the fourth consecutive year.
After his sophomore season in high school and at the age of 16, he played two summers under Freddy Harlow, manager of the Presque Isle Indians. In his second year with the Indians, he received plenty of game time in the second half of the season, and it was his hitting spurt that paced the Indians to their Maine-New Brunswick League play-off championship in 1953. Major league scouts who watched Staples play in the Maine-New Brunswick League all agreed that he was a definite prospect. Staples was also a pretty good track athlete. During the1954 state track meet, he won the discus event and finished third in the javelin.
Upon graduating from Presque Isle High School in 1954, Staples attended Colby College where he played baseball for two years. He was a back-up catcher his freshman year at Colby. During the summer of 1955, he became the regular catcher for the Indians, calling two-thirds of their games and hitting for a .315 average. He hit two round trippers and had 19 RBIs. At the same time, he displayed a strong throwing arm and powerful bat. Ron was selected the Maine-New Brunswick League all-star catcher and was easily the most improved player. The improvement paid off his sophomore year (1956) at Colby where he became the starting catcher. Coach John Winkin started him the opening game of the season and he remained the number-one catcher. Staples was drawing praise as the catcher for the red hot Colby Mules. He belted four homeruns early in the season, one coming against the UConn Huskies, the first to be hit in the Huskies Park in three years. Colby defeated the Huskies, 9-5, and Colby was eventually seated the number-one team in the New England NCAA play-offs and Staples concluded the season with a .338 average, 16 RBIs, seven stolen bases, 106 putouts, 14 assists and a .945 fielding percentage.
The Presque Isle Indians were looking forward to having Staples in their line-up for the summer of 1956 and made him an attractive offer. However, he honored a previous commitment to play for the Kentville Wildcats team in Nova Scotia.
During the summer of 1957, Staples returned to Presque Isle to play for the Indians. He started the season with the club and then decided to attend summer school at the University of Maine at Orono. While at Orono, he played for the Bucksport semi-pro team. He returned home near the end of the season and played with the Indians in the North East Invitational Tournament. Some of the top diamond talent available would be participating in the tournament including teams from Lee AA, Presque Isle Air Force Base, Limestone Chiefs, Millinocket Pills Patten AA, Mars Hill cubs and the Houlton Collegians. The Indians went on to win the tournament and Ron Staples, the highly regarded catcher, was named the tournament’s most valuable player. He was a near unanimous choice by turning in three outstanding games behind the plate, handling the pitching staff and collecting seven hits in 12 plate appearances. He concluded the 1957 season with a .415 batting average. After the tournament, Red Sox Larry Goodall signed Staples to a $12,000 minor league signing bonus and a guaranteed three-year triple A salary.
Dwight Hunter of Caribou indicated that Ron hit the longest home run he ever saw hit at Mackin Field when he crushed a fastball from a pitcher which cleared the light tower in left field and crossed the racetrack in the air.
In 1958, Staples played for Lexington in the Nebraska State League and was selected the league all-star catcher. In 1959, the Red Sox assigned him to Alpine, a semi-pro league in Texas, but he spent most of the year in the service completing his ROTC program.
The 1960 season Ron played Class D ball for Corning in the New York-Penn League. He started out slowly that year but finished the last month of the season, which earned him fine reports from baseball scouts. He hit .160 the first part of the season but ended the season with a .260 average thanks to a torrid hitting streak. He handled most of the catching duties, but also saw some service in the outfield and at third base. In a crucial series with Erie, Staples had four extra base hits and drove in five runs. This season supplied him with hope of moving up in the Red Sox organization.
In 1961, Ron moved up to the Class A Waterloo Hawks of Iowa in the Mid West League where he performed very well. He was selected as the All-Star team catcher, finishing the season with a .282 batting average, eight homeruns and 47 RBIs. He caught 54 consecutive games during the season until a foul tip off of his right index finger caused him to miss several games. He returned to his duties behind the plate and helped lead Waterloo against the Quincy Giants in a five-game championship series.
Ron moved up another level in 1962 when he played for Class B Winston Salem in the Carolina league. He was coached by Eddie Popowski and played with future Red Sox pitcher Jerry Stephenson, Red Sox shortstop Rico Petrocelli and Carl Yazstremski. Both of these players were on the 1967 Impossible Dream Team for the Sox. While at Winston-Salem, Staples had a respectable year batting .225 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs.
After the 1962 season, Ron decided to return home to his roots and work with his father in the family business.
Ron married Jeanne Powers (his high school sweetheart) of Presque Isle Dec. 12, 1959 and had one daughter, Nancy Staples Chabot, who now resides in Caribou. His wife traveled with him offering support and encouragement during his career and after the birth of their daughter. His father, Bill Staples, followed his career closely from the time he was a youngster and through his minor league career, attending as many games as possible. Ron died in 1977 as the result of an accident at his camp on the Munsungan Stream. Ron has two grandsons who also play baseball, Chad, 14, is the starting first baseman on the Lewiston High School freshman team and Carter, 11, plays Little League in Caribou. His rookie year he started at third base and had the team’s second highest batting average.
I want to thank Ron’s daughter, Nancy, for her wealth of information and allowing me to view her father’s baseball memorabilia; also Dwight Hunter for his comments and folks at the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library.
Photo courtesy of Jim Carter
RON STAPLES, who starred for Presque Isle High School, Ray Goding Post Junior Legion, Colby College and the Presque Isle Indians, was also a prospect for the Boston Red Sox. In 1962, Staples played for Class B Winston Salem in the Carolina league where he was coached by Eddie Popowski and played with future Red Sox pitcher Jerry Stephenson, Red Sox shortstop Rico Petrocelli and Carl Yazstremski. Staples died in 1977 as the result of an accident at his camp on the Munsungan Stream.
Photo courtesy of Jim Carter
DISPLAYING TWO OF RON STAPLES’ JERSEYS are his grandsons, from left: Chad, 14, who is the starting first baseman on the Lewiston High School freshman team and Carter, 11, who plays Little League in Caribou. His rookie year he started at third base and had the team’s second highest batting average. Their grandfather was an excellent catcher, and was even a prospect for the Boston Red Sox.
