Lennie Merullo
Lennie Merullo | ||
---|---|---|
Runs batted in | 152 | |
Teams | ||
Career highlights and awards | ||
|
Leonard Richard Merullo (May 5, 1917 – May 30, 2015) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) shortstop who played for the Chicago Cubs from 1941 to 1947, and scouted for MLB from 1950 to 2003.
Chicago Cubs
A native of
Scout
After retiring from professional baseball, Merullo was chief scout for the Cubs from 1950–72, signing, among others, relief pitcher Moe Drabowsky. He left the Cubs in 1973 to join the then-fledgling Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau, where he served until his retirement at the age of 85 in 2003.
Personal life
Merullo had four sons, the eldest is nicknamed "Boots" because Merullo famously made four errors in a single inning, on September 13, 1942,[1] having been informed by the club's owner,
Boots went on to play in the Pittsburgh Pirates' minor league system for three seasons[5] and Merullo's grandson Matt had a six-year career playing for major league teams, mainly the Chicago White Sox. Matt Merullo was a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks and is now manager of the Aberdeen IronBirds.
Death
On May 30, 2015 in the early morning, Merullo had died, due to complications following a stroke a few weeks prior, aged 98, as announced by the Chicago Cubs.[6] The team did not reveal details pertaining to his death.[7]
Accolades
In 2000, Merullo was named a member of the inaugural class of the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame,[8] having led the Barnstable Townies to the old Cape League title in 1935. He was awarded Scout of the Year in 1990, and the prestigious Judge Emil Fuchs Award for long and meritorious service to baseball in 2006.
References
- ^ "Lennie Merullo Stats".
- ^ "A Punch Line For Lennie Merullo". philly-archives.
- ^ Krider, Dave (April 30, 2010). "Another Merullo could be on path to Major Leagues". MaxPreps. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ^ Ashway, Denton (May 27, 2014). "Merullo the last link to Cubs World Series days". Gainesville Times. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ^ "Leonard Merullo Minor League Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Oldest living Cubs player Lennie Merullo dies at 98". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 30, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
- ^ "Oldest Living Ex-Cubs Player Lennie Merullo Dies At 98". npr.org. Associated Press. 31 May 2015.
- ^ "Hall of Fame Ceremony 20 January 2001". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Lennie Merullo at Find a Grave