MVP Profile: Marty Marion, 1944

Shortstop, St. Louis Cardinals

Age:  27

5^th season with Cardinals

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 170

 

Prior to 1944:

Born in South Carolina, Marion grew up in Atlanta, where a compound fracture of his right leg at age 10 put him in traction for several months and didn’t allow him to walk for over a year. He was later able to play third base at Tech High School and for an American Legion team. He was signed by the Cardinals following a tryout in 1936. Assigned to Huntington of the Class C Middle Atlantic League as a 19-year-old, he played shortstop and hit .268. The tall and slender Marion picked up the nickname “Slats”, which stuck. He advanced to Rochester of the Class AA International League in 1937 and batted .246. Quick and agile in the field with a strong throwing arm, Marion spent two more seasons with Rochester in 1938 and ’39, hitting for .272 in the latter year. He won the starting shortstop job for the Cardinals in 1940 and batted .278 with 22 extra-base hits while performing well in the field, where his fielding percentage was .949 and he was in the top five among NL shortstops in chances, put outs, assists, and double plays. Known for his friendly personality as well as defensive skill, Marion hit .252 with 22 doubles in 1941 while leading league shortstops with 489 assists. The Cards won the NL pennant in 1942 while “Slats”, or “the Octopus” (due to his long arms and legs) batted .276 with a league-leading 38 doubles and was among the leaders among NL shortstops with 775 chances, 296 put outs, 448 assists, and 87 DPs. He placed seventh in league MVP voting. He hit only .111 in the World Series triumph over the Yankees. Eligible to be drafted for World War II military service, Marion was deferred due to concerns regarding his boyhood leg injury. The Cardinals repeated as NL champs in 1943 and Marion was an All-Star for the first time, batting .280 and once again ranking among the leaders in defensive measurements at shortstop. This time he hit .357 as the Cards lost the World Series rematch with the Yankees.

 

1944 Season Summary

Appeared in 144 games

SS – 144

 

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

 

Batting

Plate Appearances – 565

At Bats – 506

Runs – 50

Hits – 135

Doubles – 26

Triples – 2

Home Runs – 6

RBI – 63

Bases on Balls – 43

Int. BB – N/A

Strikeouts – 50 [12, tied with Ray Sanders & Buck Etchison]

Stolen Bases – 1

Caught Stealing – 3

Average - .267

OBP - .324

Slugging Pct. - .362

Total Bases – 183

GDP – 9

Hit by Pitches – 0

Sac Hits – 16 [5]

Sac Flies – N/A

 

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 9, HR - 1, RBI – 27, AVG – .254, OBP - .314

 

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 7 AB) at Pittsburgh 6/23 – 14 innings, (in 4 AB) at Bos. Braves 7/22

Longest hitting streak – 9 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 5 AB) at NY Giants 10/1 – 13 innings

HR at home – 2

HR on road – 4

Multi-HR games – 1

Most RBIs, game – 3 at Phila. Phillies 7/27, at Pittsburgh 8/3

Pinch-hitting – No appearances

 

Fielding

Chances – 750

Put Outs – 268

Assists – 461

Errors – 21

DP - 90

Pct. - .972

 

Postseason Batting: 6 G (World Series vs. St. Louis Browns)

PA – 25, AB – 22, R – 1, H – 5, 2B – 3,3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 2, BB – 2, IBB – 2, SO – 3, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .227, OBP - .292, SLG - .364, TB – 8, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 1, SF – N/A

 

Awards & Honors:

NL MVP: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star (Started for NL at SS)

 

Top 5 in NL MVP Voting:

Marty Marion, St.LC.: 190 pts. – 7 of 24 first place votes, 57% share

Bill Nicholson, ChiC.: 189 pts. – 4 first place votes, 56% share

Dixie Walker, Brook.: 145 pts. – 3 first place votes, 43% share

Stan Musial, StLC.: 136 pts. – 3 first place votes, 40% share

Bucky Walters, Cin.: 107 pts. – 3 first place votes, 32% share

Bill Voiselle, NYG: 107 pts. – 32% share

(2 first place votes for Ray Mueller, Cin., who ranked seventh & 1 first place vote apiece for Walker Cooper, StLC., who ranked eighth & Babe Dahlgren, Pitt., who ranked twelfth)

 

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Cardinals went 105-49 to win the NL pennant by 14.5 games over the Pittsburgh Pirates, while leading the league in runs scored (772), hits (1507), doubles (274), home runs (100), RBIs (722), batting (.275), OBP (.344), and slugging (.402). The Cards cruised to their third straight pennant, despite a small September slump. Won World Series over the St. Louis Browns, 4 games to 2, in the only all-St. Louis Series, with Marion performing impressively in the field.

 

Aftermath of ‘44:

Marion’s stellar defensive performances were despite the Cardinals’ home field, Sportsman’s Park, having an infield that was regularly in poor condition. Playing shallow at short, he was sure-handed, agile, and effective at throwing out runners from deep in the hole. The Cardinals dipped in the standings in 1945 but Marion batted .277 with 27 doubles and continued to excel in the field. He placed eighth in NL MVP voting. Dealing with chronic back pain, Marion maintained his All-Star status in 1946, while hitting .233 with 29 doubles and leading NL shortstops with 791 chances, 290 put outs, 480 assists, and 105 double plays. The Cardinals returned to the top of the National League and defeated the Red Sox in the World Series. In 1947, Marion batted .272 with a career-high 74 RBIs and led NL shortstops with 796 chances, 329 put outs, and 104 DPs. Off the field, he played a significant role in negotiating a pension plan for major league players. Marion remained with the Cardinals until 1950, when he was limited to 106 games due to a knee injury. He became manager of the Cards in 1951 and the club finished third and, having run afoul of owner Fred Saigh, he was fired and moved on to the St. Louis Browns, where he was a player/coach in 1952 and ‘53. He saw limited action on the field, and it marked the end of his playing career. For his major league career, Marion batted .263 with 1448 hits that included 272 doubles, 37 triples, and 36 home runs. He scored 602 runs and compiled 624 RBIs. Almost all of his production occurred with the Cardinals. Appearing in 23 World Series games, he hit .231 with a home run and 11 RBIs. Marion became manager of the Browns during the 1952 season and stayed on through 1953, the club’s final year in St. Louis. He became a coach with the Chicago White Sox in 1954 and took over as manager late in the season. He stayed on through 1956. His managerial record was 356-372. Marion remained involved in baseball, becoming a minor league co-owner, and attempting to return to the major leagues in a similar capacity. He was elected to the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014, three years after his death at age 94. His brother Red played briefly for the Washington Senators.

 

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player.

 

MVP Profile: Hal Newhouser, 1944

Pitcher, Detroit Tigers

Age:  23 (May 20)

5^th season with Tigers

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 180

Prior to 1944:

A Detroit native, Newhouser was the son of a Czech immigrant gymnast. A fine all-around athlete in his youth, he became a pitcher in a sandlot baseball league at 15. Thin and with the ability to throw hard, Newhouser was a serious-minded perfectionist who could be hard on teammates, a trait that would last into adulthood. Pitching for an American Legion team in 1937, he excelled with his fastball and curve, although he had occasional difficulty with his control. At 17, he signed with the hometown Tigers in 1938, whose scout got to him just before the Cleveland Indians could make him an offer. With two minor league teams in 1939, the 18-Year-old Newhouser produced a 13-18 record with a 3.21 ERA. He was called up for one late-September game with the Tigers and lost. Sticking with Detroit in 1940 he went 9-9 with a 4.86 ERA and 89 strikeouts The Tigers edged the Indians and Yankees for the pennant and the temperamental “Prince Hal” was not used during the World Series loss to Cincinnati. He remained inconsistent in 1941 and the brooding loner posted a 9-11 tally and 4.79 ERA with 137 walks and 106 strikeouts. Exempted from World War II military duty due to a heart condition, Newhouser’s mound performance improved to 8-14 with a 2.45 ERA in 1942 for the fifth-place Tigers. With pitching ranks depleted by the war, he also was an All-Star for the first time. He had difficulty with control in 1943 and was 8-17 with a 3.04 ERA and 144 strikeouts along with a league-leading 111 walks over the course of 195.2 innings pitched. During spring training in 1944 he worked with catcher Paul Richards to develop a slider to add to his arsenal and to harness his emotions as well.

1944 Season Summary

Appeared in 47 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 47 [4, tied with Ed Klieman]

Games Started – 34 [3]

Complete Games – 25 [2]

Wins – 29 [1]

Losses – 9

PCT - .763 [2]

Saves – 2 [12, tied with nine others]

Shutouts – 6 [2]

Innings Pitched – 312.1 [2]

Hits – 264 [3]

Runs – 94 [12, tied with four others]

Earned Runs – 77 [16, tied with Mickey Haefner]

Home Runs – 6

Bases on Balls – 102 [2]

Strikeouts – 187 [1]

ERA – 2.22 [2]

Hit Batters – 1

Balks – 2 [1, tied with Carl Scheib, Al Lyons & Jack Kramer]

Wild Pitches – 4 [13, tied with nine others]

League-leading wins were +2 ahead of runner-up Dizzy Trout

League-leading strikeouts were +43 ahead of runner-up Dizzy Trout

Midseason Snapshot: 13-5, ERA - 1.93, SO - 77 in 149 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 9 (in 9 IP) at Washington 6/29, (in 9 IP) at Cleveland 9/15, (in 9 IP) vs. Phila. A’s 9/27

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 9 IP) at Washington 6/29

Batting

PA – 132, AB – 120, R – 10, H – 29, 2B – 4, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 5, BB – 6, SO – 12, SB – 1, CS – 0, AVG - .242, GDP – 5, HBP – 0, SH – 6, SF – N/A

Fielding

Chances – 71

Put Outs – 9

Assists – 61

Errors – 1

DP – 5

Pct. - .986

Awards & Honors:

AL MVP: BBWAA

AL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star

Top 5 in AL MVP Voting:

Hal Newhouser, Det.: 236 pts. – 7 of 24 first place votes, 70% share

Dizzy Trout, Det.: 232 pts. – 10 first place votes, 69% share

Vern Stephens, StLB.: 193 pts. – 4 first place votes, 57% share

George Stirnweiss, NYY: 129 pts. – 1 first place vote, 38% share

Dick Wakefield, Det.: 128 pts. – 2 first place votes, 38% share

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Tigers went 88-66 to finish second in the AL, 1 game behind the pennant-winning St. Louis Browns. The pitching staff led the league in ERA (3.09), complete games (87), shutouts (20), and fewest earned runs allowed (480). Buoyed by the pitching tandem of Newhouser and RHP Dizzy Trout, the Tigers battled the Browns and Yankees and were a game in front heading into the season’s final weekend. Losing two games to the Washington Senators, they finished in second place as the Browns swept the Yanks.

Aftermath of ‘44:

The Tigers won a close AL pennant race in 1945 and Newhouser was again the league MVP as he compiled a 25-9 record with a league-best 1.81 ERA and 212 strikeouts, which also topped the circuit. He was 2-1 in the World Series victory over the Chicago Cubs, losing badly in the opener but winning the fifth and seventh games. In the offseason he was offered $200,000 over three years to pitch in the Mexican League, as Jorge Pasquel, the league’s president and principal team owner, sought to raid the major leagues for talent. Offered a $10,000 bonus to stay with Detroit, Newhouser had another outstanding season in 1946 while facing the talent returning from military service. The Tigers dropped to second place and Newhouser went 26-9 with a league-leading 1.94 ERA as well as 275 strikeouts. He finished second in league MVP voting this time. A forerunner of modern pitchers, he had his games taped and ran the movies between starts to search for flaws in his delivery. Detroit again finished second in 1947 and “Prince Hal” had a 17-17 record with a 2.87 ERA, AL-leading 24 complete games, and 176 strikeouts. He bounced back to 21-12 in 1948 with a 3.01 ERA and 143 strikeouts. Dealing with a sore shoulder and relying on finesse rather than speed, Newhouser had an 18-11 tally in 1949 with a 3.36 ERA and 144 strikeouts. In 1950 the production was 15-13 with a 4.34 ERA and 87 strikeouts. Missing half of 1951 due to the ongoing shoulder woes, his record dropped to 6-6 and a 3.92 ERA in just 15 appearances. The downward spiral continued with a 9-9 mark in 25 appearances in 1952 and 0-1 with a 7.06 ERA in 7 games in 1953. Released by the Tigers and contemplating retirement, he signed with the Cleveland Indians as a reliever in 1954 at the invitation of GM Hank Greenberg, his former teammate. The Indians won the AL pennant and Newhouser contributed a 7-2 record and 7 saves plus a 2.51 ERA as part of an effective bullpen. He appeared in just two games in 1955 before retiring. For his major league career he compiled a 207-150 record with a 3.06 ERA, 26 saves, 33 shutouts, and 1796 strikeouts over 2993 innings. With the Tigers he was 200-148 with a 3.07 ERA, 212 complete games, 33 shutouts, 19 saves, and 1770 strikeouts. During the three-year stretch from 1944 to ’46, he went 80-27 with a 1.99 ERA. Appearing in four World Series games he was 2-1 with 22 strikeouts over 20.2 innings. Newhouser remains the only pitcher to win MVP awards over two consecutive seasons and was also a seven-time All-Star. The Tigers retired his #16 and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992, six years before his death at age 77.

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player.