Walter Arthur "Hoot" Evers (February 8, 1921 – January 25, 1991) was an American baseball outfielder, scout, coach, and executive.

During the 1950 season, he compiled a .323 batting average with 67 extra-base hits and led the American League with 11 triples.

After his playing career ended, Evers worked for the Cleveland Indians as a scout, coach, and farm system executive from 1957 to 1970.

[1] He attended Collinsville Township High School where he competed in football, basketball, tennis, and track.

He was a star basketball player, punted and played back for the football team, and won the Illinois interscholastic championship with a javelin throw of 179 feet, 8 inches.

[1] In January 1941, Evers was declared academically ineligible to continue playing for Illinois' basketball team.

[3] After signing with the Tigers in February 1941, Evers spent most of the 1941 season playing for Winston-Salem and Beaumont in the team's minor league system.

He was leading the team in spring training games with a .400 batting average but suffered a broken thumb and ankle sliding into second base at the end of March.

He appeared in 126 games, 118 as the starting center fielder, and compiled a .296 batting average and .366 on-base percentage with 39 extra-base hits and 67 RBIs.

[5] Evers' best season was 1950 when he started 138 games in left field and led the American League in triples (11) and was among the league leaders with a .551 slugging percentage (third), 34 doubles (fourth), 67 extra-base hits (sixth), .323 batting average (seventh), 109 RBIs (ninth), 259 total bases (ninth), and .408 on-base percentage (10th).

[16] Evers was also a solid fielder, leading all American League outfielders in fielding percentage (.997) in 1950 with one error in over 325 chances.

With strong performances in the field and at the bat, Evers finished 11th in the 1950 American League Most Valuable Player voting.

It rolled down out of the grandstand and floated in from the bleachers in a bewildering wail that made newcomers to the park turn to one another in amazement.

[5] On June 3, 1952, he was part of a blockbuster trade that sent four Tigers (Evers, George Kell, Johnny Lipon, Dizzy Trout) to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Walt Dropo, Fred Hatfield, Don Lenhardt, Johnny Pesky, and Bill Wight.

With Ted Williams serving in the military, Evers became the Red Sox starting left fielder in 1952, hitting .262 with 59 RBIs.

Evers began the 1954 season with the Red Sox but appeared in only six games before being sold to the New York Giants on May 18 for an estimated $25,000.

[5] On July 14, 1955, the Orioles traded Evers to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for pitcher Bill Wight.

[5] After his playing career ended, he worked in the Cleveland Indians' front office and later as a coach on Alvin Dark's staff.

[25] Jim Leyland, who was a manager in the Tigers' farm system in the 1970s, recalled: "Hoot Evers was probably the number-one motivational guy for me.