By Dalton Lee, Baldwin Wallace ’11
Stock in his A’s uniform.
Long after his nearly 35-year career in baseball, ex-Major League Baseball player and coach, Wes Stock, Washington State ’54, is making headlines once again. This time, success comes in the form of TikTok videos made by his granddaughter, Megan Rage. Garnering upwards of 10 million views, the videos highlighting Stock’s career became viral sensations. Not only were these videos an entertaining bonding experience for Stock and his granddaughter, but they shed light on a distinguished career and Hall of Fame member of our organization.
Stock’s initiation into Phi Tau stemmed back to his high school days in Shelton, Washington. Coming from a long line of Washington State graduates, Stock followed suit and became a member of the university’s ball club. Living with his aunt and uncle for a semester, Stock was introduced to the fraternity by men he had known from Shelton. In the Spring of 1953, Stock moved into the Phi Tau house and would create many fond memories until he departed in the Fall of 1956. His initial departure was due to an offer to play for the Baltimore Orioles. Like many men of the time, Stock was drafted and would serve his time in the military from 1957-1958—fortunately being able to play some ball with Baltimore throughout that time. His career as a player would last for eight and a half years, five with the Orioles and three with the Kansas City Athletics. Following his playing career, Stock took his first position as a pitching coach for the Athletics, then would go on to coach for Oakland (1973–1976; 1984–1986), the Milwaukee Brewers (1970–1972), and the Seattle Mariners (1977–1981). During this time, he had the honor of coaching the 1975 American League All-Star team. A career highlight for Stock was coaching the back-to-back World Series champion Athletics in 1973 and 1974.
Wes and Bev.
At the time he left Washington State, Stock was just three credits shy of graduating. Due to a change in the university’s requirements, he was awarded his degree by the Washington State President during an alumni golf outing. Enjoying his retirement, Stock spends much of his time with wife, Bev, their two sons, four grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.