Jesse Levan

Jesse was cited by the Reading Times writer, Doc Silva, as the “best hitter in Berks County history.” He played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1947) and Washington Senators and spent 15 years in the minor leagues. During his career, he won batting titles at Hagerstown (1950), Miami (1952), Columbia, S.A. (1955), and Chattanooga (twice), as well as European batting titles while serving in the U.S. Army, along with additional titles in Wilmington and Toronto. Silva won batting titles at Northeast Junior High and Reading High School (1944) and famously hit three home runs in a single game versus Allentown High School. Named the fastest man in baseball (1949), he became the all-time home run king at Chattanooga with 75 home runs—part of a minor league top-duo record of 141 home runs shared with Levan and Harmon Killibrew. He also recorded what is credited as the “greatest hitting streak” in minor league history, going 18 for 25 at Chattanooga in 1957. In the summer of 1996, he was honored at Reading Municipal Stadium as a Berks County “Baseball Legend.”

Deceased