We are all aware of the great accomplishments of legendary Yankees manager Casey Stengel. We know that he led a team full of good, not great, players (save one Mickey Charles Mantle) to seven World's Championships from 1949 through 1958. And we have heard about (as well as heard) the amazing malapropisms and anti-logic which Stengel applied at will to awaiting reporters looking for a story (see Stengelese).
The defection of both the Dodgers and Giants in the late '50s eventually resulted in the birth of a new team in New York, the Metropolitans. Prior to its first season, in 1962, one Charles Dillon Stengel was named manager of the fledgling franchise. The new owners were not stupid in assigning the recently retired "Old Professor" to the helm.
The Mets (who would eventually become Amazin' in 1969) were not going to be much competition for other National League clubs for awhile - and the owners knew it. In addition to the inevitable lack of competitive play, ballplayers with names the likes of Throneberry, Chacon and Kanehl were not going to attract big crowds to Mets games. Propping up a known New York baseball icon like Stengel (in addition to the Yankees, he also managed the Dodgers in the mid '30s) as figurehead for the new team would definitely put fans in the seats.
We know a very usual route to success as a Big League manager is often to have been far less than a stellar ballplayer. In fact, often it seems that when a player spends enough time on the bench observing the game, the result is an unintentional apprenticeship in managerial art and craft. Representative examples of this career path are found in the persons of Tommy Lasorda and Sparky Anderson, as well as more recent instances such as Tony LaRussa and Jerry Manuel.
Of course, some excellent players have also become successful managers. Among this group we find John McGraw, Dusty Baker and Joe Torre. It is in this latter category that we might also include the name of Casey Stengel. While he is known inside and outside baseball circles an esteemed and talented manager (and character), Casey at the bat was actually quite a good hitter.
Stengel, actually from Kansas City (hence the nickname), spent 14 seasons as a player, beginning in 1912. He played his first six seasons with the Brooklyn Robins (later becoming the Dodgers) before making his way to Pennsylvania. After two seasons with the Pirates and just over a year with the Phillies, he made his way back to New York with the Giants, where he honed his managerial skills under John McGraw. Casey eventually finished his playing days with a season and then some with the Boston Braves. He retired as a player in 1925.
Casey Stengel's finest season as a player came in 1914 when, with Brooklyn, he led the National League in On-Base Percentage (.404). In addition, his name can be found among the leaders in many major offensive categories that year, including Batting Average (.316), Slugging (.425) and Triples (10).
The future Hall of Fame manager excelled in producing extra base hits in both 1916 (43) and 1917 (41), where his season numbers are nestled between Hall of Fame players such as Zack Wheat and Max Carey. While his home run numbers might not necessarily look impressive by today's standards, Stengel did position himself as a slugger in the Dead-Ball Era, contending for the National League title in 1913, 1916, 1917 and 1920.
For his career, Casey Stengel had an outstanding walks-to-strikeout ratio (437 to 453) to go along with a .284 Lifetime Batting Average. He also had a total of 1219 hits and 535 Runs Batted In. Stengel also performed fine in World Series play with both Brooklyn (1916) and the New York Giants (1922 World Series Champs and 1923). In 12 post-season games (28 At Bats), he hit .393, knocked 2 Home Runs, had a .469 On-Base Percentage and Slugged .607.
Casey Stengel's success and duration (25 years) as a manager made him a legend. His outstanding wit, topsy-turvy soliloquies and oft-times irreverent behavior are what made him unforgettable. I do think it's important to point out that he did have a fine career as a Major League player. This Casey at the bat did not strike out. At least not often.
» Pumpsie Bean is a veteran Semi-Pro and Amateur baseball player, as well as baseball historian. He is currently playing 2nd Base for the Winnetka Senators Base-Ball Club (Federal Division - 30+ Baseball LA).
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Posted January 30, 2002.
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