1938 Merv Connors – $1,085,066
Merv Connors was a star of the minor leagues. From 1934 to 1953, he played eighteen seasons and over 2,100 games with eighteen different clubs in fourteen different leagues. He is one of three American players to hit 400 career home runs in the minors (Buzz Arlett hit 432 and Nick Cullop 420). Connors finished his minor league career with 400 homers exactly and 1,629 RBI. In his brief 52-game major league career, Connors hit 8 career home runs in 52 games. In 1938, he had a three-home run game for the Chicago White Sox – in successive at-bats and he just missed a fourth. He has the fewest home runs of any player who had three in a single major league game; in contrast, Rafael Palmeiro hit 569 home runs without a three-homer game. Connors was a decorated veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army, 1st Battalion, 517th Parachute Infantry. He fought in battles in southern France, the Ardennes, the Rhineland, Central Europe and North Africa. The recipient of several medals and citations, including the Bronze Arrowhead and WWII Victory Medal, Merv received an honorable discharge in August 1945. He was a member of Teamsters Union local #70 and was retired from Vern's Trucking Service. He was a lifetime member of the Association of Professional Ball Players of America.
Kind of makes you wonder why he never stuck with any club in the majors – especially after his 1938 season that was short but fantastic.