Eddie Joost

Edwin David “Eddie” Joost (June 5, 1916 - April 12, 2011) was the third and final manager of the storied Philadelphia Athletics franchise in 1954 following Connie Mack and Jimmy Dykes as the club moved to Kansas City in 1955 and hired Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau. It was Eddie’s only season at the helm of any Major League club and he led the A’s to a miserable 51-103 record. The Cincinnati Reds originally acquired Eddie from the Mission Reds of the Pacific Coast League in 1936 and he debuted that same year as a middle infielder. When he finally made the starting lineup for the Reds in 1941, Joost proceeded to lead the National League in errors with 45 in each of the next two seasons prompting the club to ship him to the Boston Braves after the 1942 campaign. In his first year in Boston, Eddie set a still-standing Major League record as he batted .185 for the season – the lowest batting average for a player with more than 400 at-bats. He then retired, missing the entire 1944 season before returning. Joost enjoyed a better run once he joined the Athletics in 1947 and strung together six consecutive years with 100 or more walks. Joost was a utility infielder for 17 years in the Major Leagues with the Reds (1936-1937, 1939-1942), the Boston Braves (1943, 1945), the Philadelphia Athletics (1947-1954) and the Boston Red Sox (1955). In 1949 and 1952, Eddie topped the 130-hit mark, had 25 or more doubles, 20 or more home runs and drove in 75 or more RBI each year to earn All-Star selections and garnered MVP consideration. Eddie Joost posted a career .239 batting average and added 1,339 hits, 874 runs, 134 home runs and 601 RBI while winning the 1940 World Series with the Reds.