Highlighted Year: Joe Coleman, 1954

Pitcher, Baltimore Orioles

Age:  32 (July 30)

1^st season with Orioles

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 200 

Prior to 1954:

A Massachusetts native, Coleman pitched impressively at Malden Catholic High School, and after a brief time at Boston College, he signed with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1941. Assigned initially to Newport News of the Class C Virginia League in ’41, he produced a 15-12 record with a 4.36 ERA. Moving on to the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Class B Interstate League in 1942, Coleman was 18-9 with a 3.04 ERA, and he was called up to the A’s in September where he pitched impressively in his one appearance out of the bullpen. After spending the next three years in the Navy, he pitched for Toronto of the Class AAA International League in 1946. He compiled a 14-10 tally with a 2.95 ERA and was again a late-season call-up to the Athletics. He was 0-2 in his first two major league starts but joined the starting rotation in 1947. While his 9 complete games included two shutouts, his overall record was only 6-12 with a 4.32 ERA. With a good fastball and curve, owner/manager Connie Mack advised Coleman to abandon his off-speed pitch, and he got off to a good start in 1948 and was 6-1 by the end of May. Named as an All-Star for the only time during his career, he went on to a 14-13 mark with a 4.09 ERA and 86 strikeouts for the fourth-place A’s. Off to another solid start in 1949, Coleman struggled during June and July and then injured his right shoulder while running the bases in an August game. He finished the season with a 13-14 record and 3.86 ERA along with 109 strikeouts and a career-best 18 complete games. Sidelined by a sore arm for most of the first half of the 1950 season, he appeared in only 15 games, covering 54 innings, and was 0-5 with a miserable 8.50 ERA. In 1951 he had an 11.81 ERA as of June 10, when he was relegated to the bullpen for the rest of the year, ending up at 1-6 with a 5.98 ERA. Ostensibly healthy upon arriving for spring training in 1952, Coleman had an unimpressive spring showing and was sent to Ottawa of the Class AAA International League. He continued to have difficulty with Ottawa and was demoted to Savannah of the Class A South Atlantic (or Sally) League. His combined record for the season in the minors was 3-19 with a 4.44 ERA. Coleman persevered to return to the Athletics in 1953. Sidelined for two months by an appendectomy in May, he appeared in 21 games (9 of them starts) and posted a 3-4 tally that included two complete games and a shutout, along with a 4.00 ERA. In the offseason he was traded to the Orioles. No longer possessing a good fastball, and pitching in Cuba over the winter, Coleman added a slider and sinker to his repertoire. A good spring solidified a spot for him in Baltimore’s starting rotation.   

1954 Season Summary

Appeared in 33 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 33

Games Started – 32 [7, tied with Steve Gromek & Ned Garver]

Complete Games – 15 [8]

Wins – 13 [15, tied with Bob Porterfield, Bob Feller & Allie Reynolds]

Losses – 17 [3, tied with Alex Kellner]

PCT - .433

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 4 [3, tied with six others]

Innings Pitched – 221.1 [10]

Hits – 184 [17]

Runs – 102 [6, tied with Willard Nixon]

Earned Runs – 86 [9]

Home Runs – 16 [10, tied with Alex Kellner, Willard Nixon & Bob Keegan]

Bases on Balls – 96 [5, tied with Jack Harshman]

Strikeouts – 103 [13]

ERA – 3.50

Hit Batters – 3

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 1

Midseason Snapshot: 9-8, ERA - 3.04, SO - 74 in 136 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 7 (in 9 IP) at NY Yankees 6/6, (in 9 IP) at Boston 6/10, (in 9 IP) vs. Detroit 7/2, (in 7 IP) at Detroit 7/10

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 9 IP) vs. NY Yankees 9/9

Batting

PA – 81, AB – 74, R – 4, H – 13, 2B – 3, 3B – 0, HR – 2, RBI – 5, BB – 3, SO – 22, SB – 1, CS – 0, AVG - .176, GDP – 2, HBP – 0, SH – 4, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 59

Put Outs – 15

Assists – 41

Errors – 3

DP – 5

Pct. - .949

Awards & Honors:

19^th in AL MVP voting, tied with Mike Garcia, Clev. & Billy Goodman, BosRS (6 points, 2% share)

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The relocated Orioles went 54-100 to finish seventh in the AL, 57 games behind the pennant-winning Cleveland Indians, thus matching their last record as the St. Louis Browns the previous year. The pitching staff led the league in walks issued (688). The offensively challenged Orioles were 14-26 by the end of May and continued to struggle through the summer, including an August 14-game losing streak, to finish only three games out of the cellar. Coleman pitched the first shutout for the Orioles on May 11 against his former team, the Philadelphia Athletics, and barely missed no-hitting the New York Yankees in September.

Aftermath of 1954:

A sore arm derailed Coleman in 1955 and he was released by the Orioles on July 1. He signed with the Detroit Tigers, and utilized exclusively as a reliever, he appeared in 17 games and produced a 2-1 record with 3 saves and a 3.20 ERA. Released by the Tigers just prior to the 1956 season, he signed with the Buffalo Bisons of the International League. Pitching out of the bullpen, he appeared in 46 games and posted a 4-2 tally with a 4.22 ERA. When San Diego of the Class AAA Pacific Coast league purchased his contract in 1956 and he failed to make the club, Coleman’s injury-plagued career came to an end. His major league totals were 52-76 with a 4.38 ERA, 60 complete games, 11 shutouts, 5 saves, and 444 strikeouts in 1134 innings pitched. Occasionally displaying flashes of the potential that had drawn the interest of the Athletics originally, Coleman’s arm problems ultimately derailed his career. He remained active in non-profit community organizations, including those involving youth baseball, following his playing career. He died at the age of 74 in 1997. His son, also named Joe, was a major league pitcher between 1965 and 1979, most notably playing for the expansion Washington Senators and the Detroit Tigers, and his grandson Casey Coleman pitched briefly for the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals.

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.