OnlyBucs

00332F2E2D25132E3529323524282F410 wrote: April 6:



Alex McRae (1993)

Bert Blyleven (1951): 1978-80; RHP; 697.2 IP; 34-28, 3.47

Sonny Senerchia (1931): 1952; 3B; 100 AB; 3-11-.220



Senerchia seems to have had an interesting life after baseball: 



http://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Obi ... .Obit.html



Smokey Joe Williams (1885): Hall of Famer, pitched for the Homestead Grays 1925-34



Best player born on April 6: Blyleven or Williams, or Mickey Cochrane


Wow, Senerchia was a man for all seasons! He had quite the diversity of skills. As for best player born on this day, those are three good choices. I think I'd vote for Mickey Cochrane, though. I would think he's among the top 10-15 best at his position.

Here is Sonny's baseball reference page.



He played professional ball in 1949 then appeared with Bucs in 1952. His obit doesn't say it but I wonder if he was in military service in 1950-51.



https://www.baseball-reference.com/regi ... nerc001ema

April 7:



Bobby Del Greco (1933): 1952, 1956; CF; 361 AB; 3-23-.216

Jack Ferry (1887): 1910-13; RHP; 160.2 IP; 10-6-3.02

Art Weaver (1879): 1903; C, 1B; 48 AB; 0-3-.229

John Ganzel (1874): 1898; 1B; 45 AB; 0-2-.133



I thought Del Greco was a team mainstay for a while, but he only had significant playing time in 1952, when he was 19. I'm surprised by how many players they seem to have used in the deadball era, but I guess since rosters weren't rigidly controlled as today there wasn't a high cost to trying someone out to see how you liked them.



Best player born on April 7: Adrian Beltre

April 7th Wildwood Dave's daughter.

April 8:



Brian Burres (1981): 2010-11; RHP; 93.1 IP; 5-5, 4.82

Tom Butters (1938): 1962-65; RHP; 95.2 IP; 2-3, 3.10

Kirby Higbe (1915): 1947-49; RHP; 398.1 IP; 19-26, 3.95

Reddy Grey (1875): 1903; LF; 3 AB; 0-1-.333

Pete Daniels (1864): 1890; LHP; 28 IP; 1-2, 7.07

John Peters (1850): 1882-84; SS; 363 AB; 0-50 R-.273



Best player born on April 8: Gary Carter



Tom Butters was the Duke AD for 20 years, hired Mike Krzyzewski.

7B6C7A6A2F292E282E20190 wrote: April 7th Wildwood Dave's daughter.
and my birthday ;D

April 9:



Claude Passeau (1909): 1935; RHP; 3 IP; 0-1, 12.00



Passeau was traded to the Phils after his 1935 cup of coffee, and went on to have a fine career: 162-150, with four All Star appearances. He was 32 when the war started, and he was one of the better starting pitchers through the war years.



Best player born on April 9: Hippo Vaughn

April 10:



Mike Lincoln (1975): 2001-2003; RHP; 149 IP; 7-9, 3.50

Alberto Reyes (1970): 2002; RHP; 17 IP; 0-0, 2.65

Lee Lacy (1948): 1979-84; OF; 1794 AB; 35-172-.304

Joe Gibbon (1935): 1960-65, 1969-70; LHP; 824.2 IP; 44-46, 3.61

Roger Wolff (1911): 1947; RHP; 30 IP; 1-4, 8.70

Howdy Groskloss (1906): 1930-32; 2B; 184 AB; 0-21-.261



Best player born on April 10: Ross Youngs



Groskloss became a physician and professor of medicine. He lived past 100 years, and was the oldest living ex-major leaguer for about the last year of his life.

April 11:



Turner Ward (1965): 1997-99; OF; 540 AB; 16-87-.281

Hank Schenz (1919): 1950-51; IF; 162 AB; 1-8-.222

Red Smith (1892): 1917-18; C; 45 AB; 0-5-.156

Pop Corkhill (1858): 1891-92; OF; 400 AB; 3-45-.200



Best player born on April 11: Bret Saberhagen

April 12:



D.J. Carrasco (1977): 2010; RHP; 55.2 IP; 2-2, 3.38

Jeff Wallace (1976): 1997-2000; LHP; 86.2 IP; 3-0, 4.67

Jerry Goff (1964): 1993-94; C; 62 AB; 2-7-.210

Tommy Sisk (1942): 1962-68; RHP; 352 IP; 37-35, 3.69

Woody Fryman (1940): 1966-67; LHP; 295 IP; 15-17, 3.91

Walt Moryn (1926): 1961; OF; 65 AB; 3-9-.200

Joe Vitelli (1908): 1944-45; RHP; 7 IP; 0-0, 2.67

Bill Clancy (1879): 1905; 1B; 227 AB; 2-34-.229

Vic Willis (1876): 1906-1909; RHP; 1,209 IP; 89-46, 2.08



Also, Austin Manahan (1970), infielder drafted No. 1 in 1988. Didn't hit, left the organization in 1992 and left baseball in 1995.



Vitelli (from McKees Rocks) pitched in the minors through most of the 1930s, then pitched semipro ball and went into and got discharged from the army. He was 36 and pitching batting practice for the Pirates in 1944 when they ran out of pitchers and added him to the roster. He got into four games, all when the Pirates trailed by five or more runs. He also got into one game as a pinch runner in 1945.



Best player born on April 12: Vic Willis