Marty Marion

Marty Marion
Marion in about 1953.
Shortstop
Born: December 1, 1916(1916-12-01) Richburg, South Carolina
Died: March 15, 2011(2011-03-15) (aged 94) Ladue, Missouri
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 16, 1940 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
July 6, 1953 for the St. Louis Browns
Career statistics
Batting average	.263
Hits	1,448
Runs batted in	624
Teams
As player St. Louis Cardinals (1940–1950) St. Louis Browns (1952–1953) As manager St. Louis Cardinals (1951) St. Louis Browns (1952–1953) Chicago White Sox (1954–1956)
Career highlights and awards
8× All-Star (1943, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950) 3× World Series champion (1942, 1944, 1946) 1944 NL MVP

Martin Whiteford Marion (December 1, 1916 – March 15, 2011)^[1] was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1953. Marion played with the St. Louis Cardinals for the majority of his career before ending with the St. Louis Browns as a player-manager. He later became the manager of the Chicago White Sox.

Baseball career

Marion was born in Richburg, South Carolina. His older brother, Red Marion, was briefly an outfielder in the American League and a long-time manager in the minor leagues.

As a shortstop, Marion was synonymous with St. Louis baseball until the appearance of Ozzie Smith. It's clear that Marion wasn't flashy as Smith, but at 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) and 170 pounds (77 kg), he disproved the theory that shortstops had to be small men. Nicknamed "Slats", Marion had unusually long arms which reached for grounders like tentacles, prompting sportwriters to call him "The Octopus".

From 1940-50, Marion led the National League shortstops in fielding percentage four times during his reign as the glue of the Cardinals infield, despite several players moved around the infield during these years. If Gold Glove Awards had been awarded during his career, Marion would have earned his share. In 1941 he played all 154 games at shortstop (also a league-high) and in 1947 he made only 15 errors for a consistent .981 percentage.

Marion was also a better-than-average hitter for a shortstop. His most productive season came in 1942, when he hit .276 with a league-lead 38 doubles. In the 1942 World Series, one of four series in which he participated with the Cardinals, he helped his team to a World Championship with his amazing glove. In 1943 he batted a career-high .280 in the regular season and hit .357 in the 1943 World Series, which was more than respectable considering his value in the infield.

He played with many second basemen throughout his career but perhaps his favorite was Frank "Creepy" Crespi. Marion commented after the '41 season that Creepy's play was the best he'd ever seen by a second baseman - but their bond went deeper than that. Creepy once took on Joe Medwick on the field (during a game) when he was trying to intimidate Marion. They remained friends until Creepy's passing in 1990.

In 1951 Marion managed the Cardinals and was replaced by Eddie Stanky at the end of the season. Then, he moved to the American League Browns, and took over for manager Rogers Hornsby early in 1952 as their player-manager. The last manager in St. Louis Browns history, he was let go after the 1953 season when the Brownies moved to Baltimore. He then signed as a coach for the White Sox for the 1954 campaign, but once again was quickly promoted to manager that September, when skipper Paul Richards left Chicago to become field manager and general manager — in Baltimore, ironically. Marion led the Chisox for the rest of 1954, and for the full seasons of 1955 and 1956, finishing third each season, before he stepped down at the end of the 1956 season.

Career statistics

In a 13-season career, Marion posted a .263 batting average with 36 home runs and 624 RBI in 1572 games. He made All-Star Game appearances from 1943–44 and 1946-1950 (There was no All-Star Game in 1945). In 1944 he earned the National League Most Valuable Player Award. As a manager, he compiled a 356-372 record.

Later life

As of February 9, 2011, Marion was the second oldest living former Cardinals player at age 94, preceded by Freddy Schmidt aged 95, and followed by Stan Musial, aged 90, and Red Schoendienst at age 88. Marty Marion, known as "Mr. Shortstop" to a generation of St. Louis Cardinals fans, died of an apparent heart attack Tuesday, March 15, 2011. He lived in Ladue, Missouri.^[1][2][3]

See also

• List of Major League Baseball doubles champions

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "'Mr. Shortstop' Marty Marion dies". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 17, 2011. http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_dc85504a-cce1-5491-9954-257f9f472e16.html?oCampaign=email. 
2. ^ "Marty Marion dies; shortstop was MVP with '44 Cards". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 16, 2011. http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_befd89f4-4fe8-11e0-a6bc-00127992bc8b.html. 
3. ^ Former MVP Marion dies at age 93, MLB.com (March 16, 2011)

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Baseball Library
• American Heroes

Accomplishments
Preceded by Stan Musial National League Most Valuable Player 1944 Succeeded by Phil Cavarretta Preceded by Eddie Dyer St. Louis Cardinals Manager 1951 Succeeded by Eddie Stanky Preceded by Rogers Hornsby St. Louis Browns Manager 1952-1953 Succeeded by Jimmy Dykes Preceded by Paul Richards Chicago White Sox Manager 1954-1956 Succeeded by Al Lopez

Persondata
Name	Marion, Marty
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 1, 1916
Place of birth	Richburg, South Carolina
Date of death	March 15, 2011
Place of death	Ladue, Missouri