Roger Peckinpaugh

Roger Thorpe Peckinpaugh (February 5, 1891 – November 17, 1977) was an American professional baseball player shortstop and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1910 through 1927, during which he played for the Cleveland Naps, New York Yankees, Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox.

Roger Peckinpaugh
Peckinpaugh with the Washington Senators in 1924
Shortstop / Manager
Born: (1891-02-05)February 5, 1891
Wooster, Ohio
Died: November 17, 1977(1977-11-17) (aged 86)
Cleveland, Ohio
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 15, 1910, for the Cleveland Naps
Last MLB appearance
September 25, 1927, for the Chicago White Sox
MLB statistics
Batting average.259
Home runs48
Runs batted in740
Stolen bases205
Managerial record500–491
Winning %.505
Teams
As player

As manager

Career highlights and awards

Nap Lajoie discovered Peckinpaugh as a high school student, and signed him to his first professional contract. Peckinpaugh debuted with the Naps, who traded him to the Yankees in 1913. He managed the Yankees for 20 games in 1914 and was the team captain for the remainder of his time with the club. The Senators acquired Peckinpaugh, where he continued to play until his final season, spent with the White Sox. After his playing career, Peckinpaugh managed the Indians from 1928 through 1933 and in 1941. He was also a minor league baseball manager, and served in the front office of the Indians and Buffalo Bisons from 1942 through 1947.

Peckinpaugh was considered an excellent defensive shortstop and strong leader. When he managed the Yankees, he became the youngest manager in MLB history. He was named American League Most Valuable Player in 1925. He played in the World Series three times: winning the 1924 World Series with the Senators, losing the 1921 World Series with the Yankees, and losing the 1925 World Series with the Senators.

Early life and amateur career

Peckinpaugh was born in Wooster, Ohio, the third child of Frank and Cora Peckinpaugh. His father played semi-professional baseball.[1]

At a young age, the Peckinpaughs moved from Wooster to Cleveland. He attended East Technical High School, where he played American football, basketball, and baseball. There, Nap Lajoie of the Cleveland Naps, who lived in the same neighborhood, discovered Peckinpaugh.[1] Lajoie signed Peckinpaugh to a contract with a salary of $125 per month ($3,430 in current dollar terms) when he graduated from high school in 1910.[1]

Playing career

Cleveland Naps and New York Yankees (1910–1921)

The Naps started Peckinpaugh's professional career by assigning him to the New Haven Prairie Hens of the Class-B Connecticut League. He was promoted to the Naps to make his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in September 1910, playing in 15 games for the Naps at age 19. The Naps assigned Peckinpaugh to the Portland Beavers of the Class-A Pacific Coast League for the entire 1911 season.[1][2] He appeared in 70 games for the Naps in 1912, batting only .212. On May 25, 1913, after giving the starting shortstop position to Ray Chapman, the Naps traded Peckinpaugh to the New York Yankees for Jack Lelivelt and Bill Stumpf.[3]

Peckinpaugh (left) with Larry Doyle (right) of the New York Giants

The Naps soon regretted the trade.[3] With the Yankees, Peckinpaugh emerged as a team leader. He was named captain in 1914 by manager Frank Chance.[1] Chance resigned with three weeks remaining in the season, and Peckinpaugh served as player–manager for the remainder of the season;[4][5] at the age of 23, he became the youngest manager in MLB history.[1] He finished the 1914 season fifth in the AL with 38 stolen bases.[6]

Peckinpaugh with the New York Yankees

Bill Donovan was hired as the Yankees manager in the offseason. In the 1914–15 offseason, Peckinpaugh considered leaving the Yankees to join the Federal League, as he received offers from the Chicago Federals, Buffalo Blues, and Indianapolis Hoosiers.[7] After considering the offer from Chicago,[8] he chose to stay with the Yankees, and received a three-year contract worth $6,000 ($151,638 in current dollar terms) per season from 1915 through 1917.[1] He resigned with the Yankees in 1918.[9] Peckinpaugh tied Buck Weaver for fourth in runs scored (89) and several players for eighth in home runs (7) in the 1919 season.[10]

By the 1921 season, Peckinpaugh was one of three players, along with Wally Pipp and Bob Shawkey, remaining with the Yankees from the time Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston purchased the team in 1915.[11] The Yankees reached the World Series in 1921, losing to the New York Giants. Peckinpaugh set an MLB record for most assists in one game by a shortstop with nine.[12]

Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox (1922–1926)

Peckinpaugh was traded twice during the 1921–22 offseason. On December 20, 1921, the Yankees traded Peckinpaugh with Rip Collins, Bill Piercy, Jack Quinn and $100,000 ($1,433,396 in current dollar terms) to the Boston Red Sox for Bullet Joe Bush, Sad Sam Jones and Everett Scott.[1][13] On January 10, 1922, Pecknipaugh was involved in a three-team trade involving the Red Sox, Washington Senators and Philadelphia Athletics, where Peckinpaugh joined the Senators, Joe Dugan and Frank O'Rourke went to the Red Sox, and the Athletics acquired Bing Miller, José Acosta, and $50,000 ($763,718 in current dollar terms).[1][14] Though team owner Clark Griffith had indicated that Peckinpaugh would serve as his player-manager at the time of the trade,[15] he named Clyde Milan player-manager for the 1922 season instead.[16] This distracted Peckinpaugh, and along with injuries, limited his performance.[1]

Chance, now managing the Boston Red Sox, attempted to acquire Peckinpaugh from the Senators before the 1923 season.[17] Remaining in Washington, Peckinpaugh rebounded during the 1923 season with timely hitting and solid fielding.[18]

Peckinpaugh tagged out at home in the mid-1920s

Griffith appointed Bucky Harris as manager before the 1924 season. Harris considered Peckinpaugh his "assistant manager".[1] Peckinpaugh was a key contributor in the 1924 World Series, in which the Senators defeated the Giants.[19] He won the League Award as the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1925, edging Al Simmons by a small margin.[20] In the 1925 World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Peckinpaugh committed eight errors in the seven-game series, an MLB record.[21]

On January 15, 1927, the Senators traded Peckinpaugh to the Chicago White Sox for Leo Mangum and Sloppy Thurston.[22] However, his playing time with the White Sox was limited by a leg injury.[2] He acted as an advisor to manager Ray Schalk.[23] After one season with the White Sox, Peckinpaugh retired as a player.[1]

Managerial and executive career

Peckinpaugh was named manager of the Cleveland Indians after the 1927 season.[2] After the Indians fell from first to fifth place during the 1933 season, the Indians fired Peckinpaugh, replacing him with Walter Johnson.[24]

After being considered for the Detroit Tigers' managerial vacancy that offseason,[25] Peckinpaugh took over as manager of the Kansas City Blues of the Class-AA American Association for the 1934 season.[26] Out of professional baseball in 1935, Peckinpaugh joined Lew Fonseca on nationwide baseball tours, which involved the viewing of a movie and technical demonstrations.[27][28] He applied to be manager of the Boston Bees for the 1938 season, but the job was given to Casey Stengel.[29] Peckinpaugh returned to professional baseball as the manager of the New Orleans Pelicans of the Class-A1 Southern Association in 1939.[30]

The Indians rehired Peckinpaugh as their manager in 1941, signing him to a two-year contract; team president Alva Bradley, who fired Peckinpaugh in 1933, promised Peckinpaugh full cooperation and minimal interference.[31] After the 1941 season, he was promoted to vice president,[32] later serving as Cleveland's general manager (GM) and president.[1] When Bill Veeck bought the Indians in July 1946, he brought Harry Grabiner and Joseph C. Hostetler with him to serve in the front office. Peckinpaugh and Bradley resigned.[33]

Peckinpaugh succeeded Harris as GM for the Buffalo Bisons of the International League in the 1946–47 offseason.[34] He was fired after the 1947 season,[35] as the team's directors felt Peckinpaugh didn't sufficiently develop a farm system.[36]

Personal

Peckinpaugh was considered a calm baseball player and manager, who did not let his temper get the best of him.[37]

After the end of his baseball career, Peckinpaugh worked as a manufacturer's representative for the Cleveland Oak Belting Company.[1] He retired in 1976 at the age of 85. Suffering from cancer and heart disease, he was brought to a hospital for a respiratory condition, and died on November 17, 1977 in Cleveland.[21] He was buried in Acacia Masonic Memorial Park in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.[38] His wife, Mildred, died five years earlier.[1] Together, they had four sons.[39] Peckinpaugh was survived by two of his sons.[1]

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See also

References
  1. Gordon, Peter. "Roger Peckinpaugh". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  2. "Roger Peckinpaugh Named to Manage Cleveland Indians". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. December 10, 1927. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  3. "Nap-Yankee Trade May Yet Be Closed". The Pittsburgh Press. July 29, 1913. p. 20. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  4. "Peckinpaugh in Charge of Yanks". The Day. September 16, 1914. p. 11. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  5. "Chance Paid Off, Quits The Yankees – Roger Peckinpaugh Appointed Manager of Team for Remainder of Season". The New York Times. September 16, 1914. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  6. "1914 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  7. "Feds After Peckinpaugh – Yankees' Shortstop Has Received Offers from Buffalo and Indianapolis". The New York Times. December 29, 1914. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  8. "Roger Peckinpaugh is Still on Anxious Seat". The Milwaukee Sentinel. January 10, 1915. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  9. "Huggins Brings Captain Peckinpaugh And Two Other Players To Yankee Fold; Peck Joins Ranks Of Signed Yankees: Captain and Star Shortstop Comes to Terms After Chat with Huggins. Young Pitcher In Line: Thormahlen Ready for Season-- Miller Also Decides to Come Into Fold". The New York Times. March 5, 1918. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  10. "1919 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  11. "Miller Huggins Seeks Material for Yank Team: World's Series Emphasized Need for First Class Hurlers". The Telegraph-Herald. December 14, 1921. p. 13. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  12. "Williams and Costner Clash". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. July 11, 1950. p. 7. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  13. "Majors Trade Ball Players". The Evening Independent. December 21, 1921. p. 12. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  14. "3-Team Deal Sends Peck to Senators — Ex-Yankee to Become Playing Manager at Washington- Joe Dugan to Red Sox. Mack Gets Two Players: Miller and Acosta Go to Athletics, O'Rourke" (PDF). The New York Times. January 11, 1922. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  15. "Roger Peckinpaugh Gets Pilot's Job at Washington in Big Deal: Senators, Red Sox and Mackmen Trade Players--"Bing" Miller Goes to Philadelphia". The Atlanta Constitution. January 11, 1922. p. 11. Retrieved March 2, 2012. (subscription required)
  16. "Logical Man to Assume Reins Over the Washington Nationals". Detroit Free Press. January 12, 1922. p. 15. Retrieved March 2, 2012. (subscription required)
  17. "Frank Chance Would Like To Get Roger Peckinpaugh For Red Sox". The Evening Independent. February 10, 1923. p. 14. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  18. "Travis Jackson Should Prove Good Utility Man For Giants in Series". Providence News. September 28, 1923. p. 13. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  19. Vaughan, Irving (October 10, 1924). "Peck the Hero as Griffs Win From Giants: Leads Attack in 2–1 Victory. Bucky Saves the Day". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 21, 2012. (subscription required)
  20. "Peckinpaugh Voted Most Valuable Player In American League — Simmons Is Second". The New York Times. September 24, 1925. Retrieved March 21, 2012. (subscription required)
  21. "Roger Peckinpaugh Dies at 86". St. Petersburg Times. November 19, 1977. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  22. "Roger Peck is Traded to Chicago White Sox". The Milwaukee Journal. January 16, 1927. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  23. "Roger Peckinpaugh Named To Manage Cleveland Indians: Noted Player To Lead Tribe In 1928 Chase; Was Voted Most Valuable Star in American Loop in 1925". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. December 10, 1927. pp. 2–4. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  24. "Johnson Named Cleveland Pilot: Former Famous Pitcher Succeeds Peckinpaugh As Indians' Manager". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. June 9, 1933. p. 6. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  25. "Steve O'Neill in Line-Up for Tiger Manager: Mud Hen Boss Mentioned Along With Ruth; Is Under Contract Here". The Toledo News-Bee. September 25, 1933. p. 10. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  26. "Peckinpaugh Is Named Manager At Kansas City". Chicago Tribune. December 14, 1933. Retrieved March 21, 2012. (subscription required)
  27. Garrison, Wilton (January 8, 1935). "Sport Shots". The Spartanburg Herald-Journal. p. 7. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  28. "Lew Fonseca Keeps Busy As Baseball "Missionary"". Meriden Record. Associated Press. January 27, 1937. p. 4. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  29. "Bees Pick Stengel From More Than 150 Applicants to Manage Team in 1938 – Stengel Accepts Offer From Bees". The New York Times. Oct 26, 1937. Retrieved June 26, 2012. (subscription required)
  30. "Roger Peckinpaugh to Manage Pelicans". The Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. December 18, 1938. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  31. Hauck, Larry (November 13, 1940). "Roger Peckinpaugh, Once Fired, Returns as Pilot of Cleveland". Ottawa Citizen. Associated Press. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  32. "24-Year Old Boudreau to Manage Tribe, Becomes Youngest Major League Pilot in History: Appointment Follows Elevation of Roger Peckinpaugh to Front Office Job of Vice President". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 26, 1941. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  33. "Bill Veeck Closes Deal for Cleveland Ball Club: Former Brewer Head Will Be President and Harry Grabiner Vice President". The Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. June 22, 1946. p. 6. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  34. "Bisons Sign Peckinpaugh — Major League Veteran Becomes Buffalo General Manager". The New York Times. November 13, 1946. Retrieved March 21, 2012. (subscription required)
  35. "Peckinpaugh Fired By Buffalo Club". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. October 27, 1947. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  36. "Richards Succeeds Peckinpaugh at Buffalo". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. October 28, 1947. p. 15. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  37. "Quiet Players In Favor With Fans". The Day. July 18, 1917. p. 10. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  38. Vigil, Vicki Blum (2007). Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio: Stones, Symbols & Stories. Cleveland, Ohio: Gray & Company. ISBN 978-1-59851-025-6.
  39. "Walter Stidger Peckinpaugh". The Missoulian. September 19, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
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