The Pecan Park Eagle

Johnny Kling of the 1896 Buffs went on to become the star catcher of the Turn of the 20th Century Chicago Cubs and the first former Houston player to manage in the big leagues with the 1912 Boston Braves.

As usually happens, it’s almost inevitable, Saturday’s meeting of the Early Houston Baseball History project fed the spark of  new discovery. Teammate Steve Bertone noted that his own research had produced some marvel over the numbers of former Houston Buff players who later went on to become successful big league managers, and that was enough comment to incite secondary spark from others to starting filling in the blanks.

I spent some time Sunday on the DL with a disabling back “episode,” but that never stops my mind. I used the time to start filling in the blanks with the names of those former minor league Houston Buff players who later went on to become MLB managers (period). Most of the people I found actually were successful – in fact, in some cases, Hall of Fame successful.

Here’s what I found, with a nod to anyone who reads this blurb and really cares. Can you think of anyone I’ve missed or overlooked? You will be contributing to the work of history, if you come up with anything and you will be listed in our book as a contributor, if your submission of new correct information as a comment upon this column is the first to be received, and if you are willing to supply and take public credit under your actual legal name in print.

Here’s what I found – by name and year(s) of service as a Buff player – and followed by the MLB team(s) they managed by years of service with /World Series and pennant year activity, where applicable:

1)   Johnny Kling (1896) – Boston Braves (1912)

2)   Tris Speaker (1907) – Cleveland Indians (1919-26) / 1920 WSC

3)   Jim Bottomley (1921) – St. Louis Browns (1937)

4)   Eddie Dyer (1923) – St. Louis Cardinals (1946-50) / 1946 WSC

5)   Don Gutteridge (1934) – Chicago White Sox (1969-70)

6)   Johnny Keane (1934-37, 1946-48) – St. Louis Cardinals (1961-64) New York Yankees (1965-66) / WSC 1964

7)   Walter Alston (1937) – Brooklyn Dodgers (1954-57); Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-76) / WSC 1955, 1959, 1963, 1965; MLB Pennants: 1955, 1959, 1963, 1965; 1966; 1974.

8)   Danny Murtaugh (1940-41) – Pittsburgh Pirates (1957-64, 1967- 76) /1960, 1971 WSC

9)   Solly Hemus (1947-49) – St. Louis Cardinals (1959-61)

10)                  Del Wilber (1949) – Texas Rangers (1973)

11)                  Vern Rapp (1950) – St. Louis Cardinals (1977-78)

12)                  Earl Weaver (1951) – Baltimore Orioles (1968-86) / 1970 WSC; 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979 AL pennants;

13)                  Ken Boyer (1954) – St. Louis Cardinals (1978-80)

14)                   Harry Walker (1956-58) – Pittsburgh Pirates (1965-67); Houston Astros (1968-72)

WSC = World Series Championship