Career
Born in Stockport, Iowa, and nicknamed "Nubbin", he stood 6 feet (18 m) tall and weighed 180 pounds (82 kg). McLeland was a veteran of the United States Army, serving during World World War World War II He was acquired by the Tigers after that season and spent most of the 1951 and 1952 campaigns at the Triple-A level of minor league baseball, with three brief trials with the Tigers. In his only starting role in MLB, against the Chicago White Sox on September 9, 1951, he allowed four earned runs in 4⅔ innings and took the loss in a 4–3 defeat.
White Sox first baseman Eddie Robinson drove in three runs with a home run and a double, to do most of the damage against McLeland that day.
During his brief Major League service, McLeland allowed 24 hits, 13 runs (all earned), and ten bases on balls in 13⅔ total innings of work. He failed to record a strikeout.
He settled in Houston, Texas, after his baseball career ended and spent 35 years working for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.
