Biography
Prather was the son of Jesse B. Prather and Mary (nee Bradberry) Prather.1 He was born in Branch, AR, but moved to Stratford, OK by 1918.2 Prather lived most of his life in Stratford, OK.
Prather collected more than 2000 hits and 200 home runs in his career.3
Prather died on March 13th, 1967 in Ada, OK. He was buried in McGee Cemetery in Stratford, OK.4
Excerpts
"Murl A. (Dutch) Prather, 58, former minor league first baseman, manager and umpire, died recently at Ada, Okla. In 1936, when Prather hit .322 with 22 homers and 121 runs batted in for Omaha-Rock Island, he was named the most valuable player in the Western League by The Sporting News. When the National Association published "The Story of Minor League Baseball" in 1952, Prather was mentioned for his feat of driving in 167 runs for Pampa (West Texas-New Mexico) in 1940. He also was cited for his 55 doubles with Pampa-Amarillo in 1941. The lefthanded hitter had several unsuccessful trials in 1927 before landing his first job with Independence (Western Association) the following year. Subsequently, he played with St. Joseph (Western), Hazelton (NYP), Nashville (Southern), Dallas (Texas), Albany (International) and Williamsport (NYP) prior to arriving at Omaha in 1936. Prather moved up to Sacramento (Coast) in 1937, but then was cut out of baseball before resuming his career at Pampa. Following a break for service in the Army Air Corps, he made brief appearances with several clubs, managed in the Sooner State League, and umpired in the West Texas-New Mexico, Evangeline, California and Sooner State leagues. He retired from baseball after the 1957 season."5
Stats
Statistics at Baseball-Reference.com.
2
The WII draft card of Prather's father, Jesse B. Prather, was registered in Garvin County, OK, on September 12th, 1918.
3
Baseball-Reference records show Prather with 1764 games played, 1848 hits and 187 home runs. In addition, Prather played 131 games in the West Texas-New Mexico League in 1941 with 175 hits and 17 homeruns (Pampa Daily News, 10/15/1941),18 games in the Southern League in 1944 with 17 hits and 1 homeruns (1945 Spalding Guide), and 34 games in the Sooner State League in 1948 with 15 hits and 0 home runs (1949 Spalding Guide). In all, Prather played 1937 professional games with 2055 hits and 205 home runs.
5
The Sporting News, 4/22/1967, p.36