What position on the baseball field did Joe Tipton occupy?

Joe Hicks Tipton (February 18, 1922 – March 1, 1994) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1948 through 1954 with the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Athletics, and the Washington Senators. In 417 career games, Tipton recorded a batting average of .236 and accumulated 29 home runs, and 125 runs batted in (RBI).

Born and raised in Georgia, Tipton played amateur baseball until the Cleveland Indians signed him. He spent two years in the minor leagues before serving in World War II. He played two more years in the minor leagues upon his return, then made his MLB debut with the Indians in 1948. The Indians traded him to the White Sox in 1949, then the White Sox sent him to the Philadelphia Athletics in 1950. Tipton spent two and a half years with the Athletics before returning to Cleveland. After spending a season with the Washington Senators, he played and managed in the minor leagues for a few seasons before being banned from the minor leagues, due to accusations of being part of an alleged scandal with Jesse Levan.

He was accused of accepting payouts by acting as a liaison for Jesse Levan, who was intentionally fouling off balls in order for gamblers in the stands to take advantage of them.

After the ban, he moved to Birmingham, Alabama to run a car dealership until his death in 1994.