Rube Bressler

Infobox MLB retired
name=Rube Bressler
position=Outfielder


bgcolor1=black
bgcolor2=black
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
bats=Right
throws=Left
birthdate=October 23, 1894
deathdate=death date and age|1966|11|7|1894|10|23
debutdate= April 24
debutyear= 1914
debutteam= Philadelphia Athletics
finaldate=July 17
finalyear=1932
finalteam=St. Louis Cardinals
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.301
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=32
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=586
teams=
* Philadelphia Athletics (1914-1916)
* Cincinnati Reds (1917-1927)
* Brooklyn Robins (1928-1931)
* Philadelphia Phillies (1932)
* St. Louis Cardinals (1932)
highlights=
* Batted over .300 five time & finished with .301 career average
* Was member of 1930 Brooklyn Robins which as a team batted over .300
* Finished second in Earned Runs Allowed in 1915 in the AL with 103

Raymond Bloom "Rube" Bressler (October 23, 1894 - November 7, 1966) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1914 to 1916 and Cincinnati Reds from 1917 to 1920, before being converted to an outfielder and first baseman for Cincinnati from 1918 to 1927, the Brooklyn Robins from 1928 to 1931 and the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals in his final year of 1931. The first two teams he played for made it to a World Series, the 1914 Philadelphia Athletics lost to the miracle Boston Braves, while the 1919 Cincinnati Reds won against the scandal-tainted Chicago White Sox.

Bressler was born in Coder, Clinton County, Pennsylvania and grew up in nearby Flemington, Pennsylvania. He played for a company team at Renovo, Pennsylvania where he worked in a railroad shop before being recruited by Earle Mack, son of Connie Mack after beating Earle's All-Stars in a local game in 1912.

Professional Career

The following year, Bressler pitched for Harrisburg of the Tri-State League and, the year after that, was brought to the Philadelphia club as the newest player at the end of the famous 1910-1914 dynasty. Bressler was assigned to room with future Hall of Fame pitcher Chief Bender when he made his big league debut April 24, 1914. He posted a respectable 10-4 record and 1.77 E.R.A. for the 1914 American League champions, before dropping to a 4-17 record with a 5.20 E.R.A. the following year. By 1916, he dropped to 0-2 with a 6.60 E.R.A. and was assigned to the minor leagues after appearing in his last 4 games with Philadelphia. But with America's entry into World War I and a shortage of qualified professional baseball players, Cincinnati of the National League brought him back, where he posted an 8-5 record with a 2.46 E.R.A. in 1918, which earned him two more seasons with the club as a pitcher where he finished in 1920 with a lifetime record of 26-32 and a 3.40 E.R.A.

Though Bressler's career as a pitcher was short-lived, he would go on to play more than a decade as an outfielder and first baseman. In his first season as a position player in 1918, Bressler appeared in only three games off the pitcher's mound. He split the next two seasons before it became apparent he would serve the team better as a slick-fielding, good-hitting position player than as an injury-prone pitcher. From 1921 onward, Bressler became a full-time position player, never pitching another game in the major leagues. He finished his career with 1170 base hits, 586 RBIs and a .301 batting average.

In the final years of his life, Bressler was interviewed by writer Lawrence Ritter for his book "The Glory of Their Times", widely considered the best baseball classic ever published. Bressler died in Cincinnati, Ohio at age 72, one of only a few players in major league baseball history to successfully convert from a pitcher to a position player.

Bressler was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1963.

Facts

* Rube Bressler was one of those rare players in major league history who were not primarily pitchers, who threw left-handed but batted right-handed. Other such players include::Jeff Abbott :Dick Adams :Doug Ault :Bobby Balcena :Mark Carreon :Hal Chase :Johnny Cooney :Eddie Gaedel :Rickey Henderson :Brian R. Hunter :Cleon Jones :Jason Lane :Brian Lesher :Ryan Ludwick:Dave McCarty :Luis Medina :Chucho Ramos :Cody Ross :Jimmy Ryan

* Bressler is one of five players since 1900 in the major leagues that started their careers as pitchers and ended up being position players while totaling more than 50 games pitched and 50 games played at other positions. The others include: [cite web|url=http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/rube-bressler-redux/|title=Rube Bressler Redux?|date=09-16-05|publisher=by Dan Fox|accessdate=] :Babe Ruth :Smoky Joe Wood :Johnny Cooney :Reb Russell It should be noted that Lefty O'Doul was also famous for having switched from pitcher to position player, however, he pitched in only 34 games for 77 total innings pitched with just two decisions.

ee also

* Los Angeles Dodgers all-time roster

External links

*baseball-reference|id=b/bressru01
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/photos/headshots/Bressler_Rube.gifPhoto at BaseballLibrary.com]

References