- Joe Koppe
Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=#000080
bgcolor2=#8B0000
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Joe Koppe
position=Shortstop
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=October 19 ,1930
deathdate=death date and age|2006|9|27|1930|10|19
debutdate=August 9
debutyear=by|1958
debutteam=Milwaukee Braves
finaldate=September 10
finalyear=by|1965
finalteam=California Angels
stat1label=AVG
stat1value=.236
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=379
stat3label=Runs
stat3value=202
teams=
*Milwaukee Braves (1958)
*Philadelphia Phillies (1959-1961)
*Los Angeles Angels (1961-1964)
*California Angels (1965)
highlights=
*Koppe hit a grand slam against theCleveland Indians to help lift his team to an 8-7 victory onAugust 13 , by|1961Joseph Koppe (
October 19 ,1930 -September 27 ,2006 ), born Joseph Kopchia inDetroit, Michigan , was an AmericanMajor League Baseball player for theMilwaukee Braves ,Philadelphia Phillies , andLos Angeles Angels .Koppe made his major league debut on
August 9 ,1958 , for the Braves. He appeared in 16 games for Milwaukee in the later part of the season, but did not make an appearance when the Braves won the National League pennant and went to theWorld Series . Just prior to the by|1959 season, Joe was traded to the Phillies as part of a six-player deal.Koppe came into his own in Philadelphia. He played in 126 games (113 at
shortstop ) in his true rookie season. He put up a respectable offensive season, hitting .261 with 18 doubles, 7 home runs, and 7 triples and scoring 68 runs. His 7 triples placed 8th in the National League.He injured his wrist in by|1960 and missed all but 58 games. He played just 9 more games with the Phillies in by|1961 and was traded to the
St. Louis Cardinals in May, 1961. Koppe saw no playing time for the Cardinals and did not see any major league action for a full month. Joe was purchased by the Angels onJune 19 ,1961 .As an Angel, Joe made a serious effort to return to the performance level of his rookie season. Unfortunately, he never saw more than 375 at-bats in any season for the Angels and finished his career with the team a .236 hitter. Koppe was primarily a middle infielder, however, and was always able to contribute defensively.
Joe Koppe died on
September 27 ,2006 , inDetroit, Michigan , after a seven-year bout with cancer.External links
*baseball-reference|id=k/koppejo01
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/K/Pkoppj101.htm Retrosheet]
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