Ken Guettler

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Kenneth Adam Guettler (May 29, 1927 – December 25, 1977) was an American

minor league baseball player once called "The minors' Babe Ruth"[1] who hit over 330 home runs[2] and was a star at that level. He is most well known for his 1956 campaign, when he hit 62 home runs for the Shreveport Sports.[3]
He won seven home run and five RBI titles.

Guettler began his career in 1945 with the

Portsmouth Cubs
and Des Moines.

With Portsmouth in 1951, he led the

slash line
of .325/.447/.632 with 41 home runs, 113 RBI and 97 runs scored. He led the league in home runs and RBI.

Moving to the Shreveport Sports[5] for 1956, Guettler batted .293/.402/.726 with 62 home runs, 143 RBI and 115 runs scored in just 481 at-bats, leading the league in homers, RBI and runs scored. He broke Clarence Kraft's Texas League home run record of 55 and still holds the record.[4][6] He was a mid-season and post-season All-Star, won the Most Valuable Player over Albie Pearson and Rookie of the Year over Brooks Robinson and Don Demeter,[4]

He slumped after that and spent the rest of his career playing for the

Charleston ChaSox
(1959).

He died in Jacksonville, Florida. In 2004, he was elected to the Texas League Hall of Fame.[7]

References

  1. ISBN 9780446556989
    – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Article - MiLB.com News - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball".
  3. ^ "Ken Guettler Minor & Mexican Leagues Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com".
  4. ^ a b c "Ken Guettler - Society for American Baseball Research".
  5. ^ "Alamogordo Daily News from Alamogordo, New Mexico on May 31, 1956 · Page 2".
  6. ISBN 9781595341198
    – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Texas League Hall of Fame - Texas League Hall of Fame".

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