|
Post by KY Crusader 75 on May 10, 2020 21:00:58 GMT -5
Played for the Worcester Grays - also managed in Worcester and is buried in Worcester. Had it in my head that he went to HC (he didn't) He was HC’s coach in 1898 and from 1917-1920 and posted a record of 100 wins vs only 20 losses and 1 tie
|
|
|
Post by KY Crusader 75 on May 10, 2020 21:08:06 GMT -5
Here’s a deceptive clue: #6 got 200+ hits once for the Cubs but 10 times for LA.
|
|
|
Post by thecrossisback on May 10, 2020 21:10:11 GMT -5
Stan Musial Derek Jeter Minnie Minoso Julio Franco Jigger Statz Hank Aaron Ty Cobb Ichiro Suzuki Pete Rose
|
|
|
Post by KY Crusader 75 on May 10, 2020 21:18:28 GMT -5
You have it correct the #6 on our list is our own Arnold "Jigger" Statz, Holy Cross class of 1921. He played MLB for the Cubs and Dodgers (Robins) and a little bit for the Giants and Red Sox but got most of his hits for the Los Angeles Angels in the PCL. Before westward expansion in the 1950's (painful memory for HCHoops and others) there were many players (Lefty O'Doul may be the most prominent) who preferred to play in the PCL despite having MLB talent. Jigger played into his 40's. The PCL also had a very long season, playing close to 200 games a year.
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on May 10, 2020 21:20:26 GMT -5
Great fun, KY.
|
|
|
Post by KY Crusader 75 on May 10, 2020 21:26:06 GMT -5
Glad you enjoyed it. Holy Cross ought to showcase this extraordinary achievement with a plaque at Fitton Field.
|
|
|
Post by thecrossisback on May 10, 2020 21:49:45 GMT -5
By Bill Ballou Correspondent
Posted May 9, 2020 at 2:20 PM Updated May 9, 2020 at 2:20 PM For a place that features long winter and short summers, Central Mass. has provided a lot of talent to Major League Baseball, and not always just on the field.
The first big league game was played, with some debate about the timeline, in 1876. This is one opinion as to what the all-time Central Mass. baseball team would be. The rules?
A player must have grown up in Central Mass. Players born here who moved out at a young age don’t count nor does someone like Jesse Burkett, who relocated here as an adult. Players born outside the area who spent most of their childhoods here do count. Holy Cross players from outside Central Mass. don’t count.
Those are the rules. Here is the 25-man team, noting that all three outfielders were regularly center fielders:
CATCHER: Gabby Hartnett, Millville Cubs, Giants; 1922-41
There are more good catchers from Central Mass. than any other position, so this is a tough one. However, Hartnett is in the Hall of Fame, so that’s the clincher. Hartnett, who was actually known as Leo to most friends, hit .297 with 236 homers and 1,179 RBIs in 20 major league seasons.
FIRST BASE:Kitty Bransfield, Worcester
Braves, Pirates, Phillies, Cubs; 1898-1911
Another tough one, since the area has produced several excellent first basemen. Bransfield — born as William — gets the nod over, say, Honest John Anderson because he was exclusively a first baseman. Bransfield was a .270 hitters in 12 seasons with more speed than power — 175 steals, 13 homers, and he later spent a year as a National League umpire.
SECOND BASE: Jimmy Callahan, Fitchburg
Phillies, Cubs, White Sox; 1894-1913
Callahan is also referred to as “Nixey,” and by any name was a baseball Renaissance man who was a fine player who also managed in the majors for seven seasons. He had 99 career wins as a pitcher and also played every single position save for catcher. That included 62 games at second base, but as an everyday player, Callahan was mostly an outfielder. However, Central Mass. is very thin at second, and Callahan is the area’s best.
SHORTSTOP:Whitey Witt, Winchendon
Athletics, Yankees, Dodgers; 1916-1926
He was born in Orange as Ladislaw Wittkowski but grew up in Winchendon and played a year of baseball at Murdock High before heading to Goddard Seminary in Barre, Vermont. Witt was signed by the Philadelphia A’s as a 19-year-old and never played in the minors but missed a year due to World War I. The A’s were lousy when Witt played for them, but the Yankees were good, and Witt got into the World Series with them in 1922 and ’23.
THIRD BASE: Hick Carpenter, Grafton
Stars, Reds, Worcesters, Cardinals; 1879-1892
His real first name was Warren, his nickname derived from his love of a hickory bat. Carpenter was considered by his peers to be one of the best defensive third basemen of his time. That says something about him. So does the fact that he threw left-handed. Carpenter grew up in Grafton where his father worked as, what else, a carpenter and is the only player on the list who played major league baseball in Worcester.
LEFT FIELD: Jimmy Ryan, Clinton
Cubs, Chicago Pirates (Players League), Senators; 1885-1903
Ryan, who played at Holy Cross, is often in the list of best players not in the Hall of Fame. He finished his career at .308 with 1,093 RBIs, 118 homers and 419 stolen bases. Hall of Famer or not, Ryan is definitely one of the best baseball players ever who batted right-handed and threw left. He was also ornery, having punched out at least two reporters and one train conductor during his career.
CENTER FIELDER: Billy Hamilton, Clinton
Kansas City (American Association), Phillies, Braves; 1888-1901
Another Hall of Famer, Hamilton was the greatest base runner and base stealer of his time. In 14 major league seasons, he batted .344, had 914 stolen bases, including four years of at least 100, and scored 1,697 runs. Hamilton played minor league baseball until he was 44 and later bought and managed one of Worcester’s minor league teams.
RIGHT FIELDER: Jigger Statz, Worcester
Giants, Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers; 1919-28
A graduate of Worcester Classical who went on to play at Holy Cross, Statz had a good major league career and is arguably the greatest player in the history of minor league baseball, having played 2,790 games with the LA Angels of the Pacific Coast League. In total, Statz played 3,473 pro games, all in the majors or Triple A, and had 4,093 hits.
DESIGNATED HITTER: Rich Gedman, Worcester
So many great hitters from the area — we picked Gedman as DH because he hit for average as well as power and could also catch, providing some roster flexibility. Glenn Adams (Northbridge), Mark Johnson (Worcester) and Bryan LaHair (Worcester) were all good candidates as well.
RESERVES
Honest John Anderson (Worcester), Jimmy Barrett (Athol), Adams. Anderson played 1,636 games from 1894-1908, Barrett 866 from 1899 to 1908, and Adams 661 from 1975-82.
STARTING ROTATION
Ron Darling (Millbury) RHP, Tanyon Sturtze (Worcester) RHP, Mark Fidrych (Northboro) RHP, Ken Reynolds (Marlboro) LHP; Al Javery (Oxford) RHP
Most are self-explanatory, with Fidrych getting a spot despite a short career because he was spectacular in that short time. Javery, it should be noted, was also one of Central Mass. best candlepin bowlers.
BULLPEN
Rosy Ryan (Worcester) RHP, Paul Mitchell (Worcester) RHP, Tim Collins (Worcester) LHP, Oliver Drake (Gardner) RHP, Tim McNamara (Millville) RHP; Tim Fortugno (Uxbridge) LHP; Ryan O’Rourke (Worcester) LHP
You need a lot of arms in bullpens these days, and Central Mass. has always sent plenty of relievers to the majors. Ryan hit the first home run by a reliever in World Series history, McNamara was a neighbor of Hartnett, and Collins pitched in a World Series.
MANAGER
Connie Mack, East Brookfield
Pirates, Athletics; 1894-1950
Seeing as Mack holds the major league records for most games managed (7,679), most wins (3,731) and most losses (3,948) this is an easy call. It certainly helped that he owned part of the Athletics, and later the entire franchise, when he had bad years later in his career. Ownership or not, Mack’s teams won nine pennants and five World Series.
GENERAL MANAGER
J.P. Ricciardi, Worcester
Blue Jays, 2002-09
He is the only Central Mass. native to have been a general manager in Major League Baseball since the position was created in the 1920s, a worthy accomplishment in itself. Toronto’s record when Ricciardi was GM was 642-653 (.496). Since then, the Jays are 794-826 (.490).
UMPIRES
Bill Summer (Upton), John Gaffney (Worcester), Steve Palermo (Oxford), Foghorn Bradley (Milford)
Gaffney was known as “King of Umpires” in the 19th century, Summer famously called Jackie Robinson safe on his steal of home against the Yankees in the World Series, Palermo would have been a Hall of Fame candidate had his career not been cut short when he was shot trying to break up a robbery, and Bradley umpired J. Lee Richmond’s first perfect game ever in 1880 in Worcester.
|
|
|
Post by thecrossisback on May 10, 2020 21:55:00 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by KY Crusader 75 on May 10, 2020 22:45:54 GMT -5
Mike Hegan perhaps.
I am partial to Burt Bornstein (HC 76 or 77) as a first baseman.
Certainly all three Perrys would have to be on the team.
|
|
|
Post by KY Crusader 75 on May 10, 2020 22:47:31 GMT -5
By the way--the timing of the Bill Ballou article and my trivia question are totally coincidental. I got asked the question by my brother last week.
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on May 11, 2020 6:25:01 GMT -5
Best players from Holy Cross, based on their accomplishments professionally . . .
C/Mgr - Bill Carrigan. A solid backstop for a decade in the deadball era (2,300 PA, .257-.334-.314). Red Sox manager for seven years, guided them to two World Series titles. Member of the Holy Cross Hall of Fame.
1B - Mike Hegan. Largely a platoon player for a dozen years in the majors. Good glove, didn't hit for average but knew how to draw walks.
2B - Tommy Dowd. 19th century regular for ten years, "Buttermilk Tommy" played just one year at HC before enrolling at Brown. Came up to the majors as a 2B, but spent more time in the OF. Ended his career in 1901 as an everyday player for the new AL franchise known as the Boston Americans - soon to be re-named the Red Sox.
SS - Jack Barry. Premier shortstop, 1908-1919, member of Connie Mack's famous "$100,000 infield." Holy Cross head coach for 40+ years, where he guided the Crusaders to a College World Series title, and compiled a 619-147 record - the 80.6% winning percentage is the best in baseball history, according to SABR.
3B - "Jumpin' Joe" Dugan. One of Red Sox owner Harry Frazee's many "contributions" to the Yankee dynasty, Dugan was a fixture at the hot corner for the New York powerhouses of the 1920s.
OF - Jimmy Ryan. 19th century stalwart, who went .308-.375-.444 in 9,000+ PAs over an eighteen year career.
OF - Jigger Statz. In addition to the accomplishments already noted, Statz played more games professionally than anybody not named Pete Rose. Also holds professional records for runs scored, outfield putouts, and most seasons played with one minor league club. OF - Jack McCarthy. Went .287-.333-.365 in over 1,000 major league games, 1893-1907.
SP - Andy Coakley. Made 124 starts in a nine year career (58-59). Had a long stint as the skipper at Columbia, where he coached Lou Gehrig, among others.
RP - Rosy Ryan. A valuable swingman for some of John McGraw's great Giants' clubs. Went 51-47, including 17-12 in 1922 when he led the NL in ERA; and 16-5 in 1923 when he topped the circuit in appearances (45).
|
|
|
Post by KY Crusader 75 on May 11, 2020 9:38:02 GMT -5
Fantastic work, WooGray!! My brother, HC 1974, sent me a note recently with his all-time HC team and had Freddie Maguire and Doc Gautreau as second basemen.
Here's an extract from Gautreau's bio on SABR:
Doc’s play caught the attention of Holy Cross baseball coach Jack Barry, formerly part of the Philadelphia Athletics’ “$100,000 Infield.” Barry invited Gautreau to the Worcester, Massachusetts, institution of higher learning to try out for the 1922 squad. Barry’s only opening was at third base and although the 5’4” Gautreau had focused on backstopping in high school, he possessed the versatility to perform at any position. Shifted to second base after his freshman year, Gautreau remained there for the rest of his college career. His diminutive stature was offset by a fiery competitive spirit. Gautreau played every inning on a Crusaders team that won 92 of 101 games under Barry’s stewardship. He won all-America honors in each of his four years and led all college batters with a .428 average in 1925 as a senior. His accomplishments on the diamond would ultimately result in a spot in the Holy Cross Athletics Hall of Fame. He was awarded the honor posthumously in 1981.
|
|