Del Crandall

Delmar Wesley “Del” Crandall (March 5, 1930-) is a retired Major League Baseball catcher who was considered one of the best players of the late 1950s and early 1960s, most memorably as a member of the Boston and Milwaukee Braves. Crandall signed with the Braves as an amateur free agent in 1948 and debuted with the club the following year. He spent two seasons (1949-1950) with the team in Boston, playing in 148 games, before serving two years in the military. Upon his discharge, Crandall returned to baseball and the Braves, now in Milwaukee (1953-1963), where he established himself as the team’s starting catcher. He led the National League in assists six times, in fielding percentage four times, and in putouts three times. He also made an astonishing 11 All-Star Game appearances, four Gold Glove Awards, and was a member of the 1957 World Series championship team. One of his best seasons came in 1954, as he had 79 assists, 664 putouts, and 64 RBI. By 1960, he had 158 hits, 81 runs, 77 RBI, 70 assists, and 764 putouts. After being replaced by Joe Torre as the Braves starting catcher, he was relegated to a supporting role with the San Francisco Giants (1964), Pittsburgh Pirates (1965), and Cleveland Indians (1966). In 1,573 games over 16 seasons, he finished with a batting average of .254 batting average, 179 home runs, and 657 RBI. He later served as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers (1972-1975) and Seattle Mariners (1983-1984), but never enjoyed a winning campaign with either team and finished with a managing record of 364-469.