Paul Krichell

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Paul Krichell
A photo of a man standing up wearing his baseball uniform. He has a baseball in his right hand, and his catcher's mitt in his left. He is in the middle of the field, while two other ballplayers are talking in the background. His facial expression indicates that he did not expect to be photographed.
Paul Krichell during the 1911 season
Catcher
Born: (1882-12-19)December 19, 1882
Paris, France
Died: June 4, 1957(1957-06-04) (aged 74)
New York City, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 12, 1911, for the St. Louis Browns
Last MLB appearance
September 22, 1912, for the St. Louis Browns
MLB statistics
Batting average.222
Home runs0
RBIs16
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Paul Bernard Krichell (December 19, 1882 – June 4, 1957) was a French Major League Baseball catcher, best known for being the head scout for the New York Yankees for 37 years until his death. Krichell's talent evaluations and signings played a key role in building up the Yankees' run of success from the Murderers' Row teams of the 1920s to the 1950s teams led by Casey Stengel.[2]

Krichell began his professional career in the minor leagues, playing as the reserve catcher for the

Baseball Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig, Hank Greenberg, Phil Rizzuto, Whitey Ford, and Tony Lazzeri. His recommendation of Stengel as the Yankees manager was instrumental in Stengel's appointment in 1948. Barrow called Krichell "the best judge of baseball players he ever saw".[4]

Early life

Krichell was born in

Ossining, New York, club in the Hudson River League's inaugural season.[1] He moved to the Hartford Senators of the Connecticut League in 1906 and spent most of the following three years with the Newark Indians of the Eastern League. For the latter part of the 1909 season and the whole of 1910, Krichell played for the Montreal Royals at third base. In 1910, he played 102 games for the team, achieving a batting average of .249 and hitting 14 doubles.[5][6] Krichell began his long association with manager Ed Barrow that year when the latter took charge of the Royals.[5]

Playing and managing career

home plate in the same inning of a game while Krichell was catching.[9]
In a later game, a famous photograph captures Cobb appearing to Intentionally be flying foot-first into Krichell’s crotch while the catcher squints in pained anticipation. There is a 1950s interview with Krichell, and by his own testimony, Cobb was aiming his foot at the ball in Krichell’s glove, and succeeded in knocking it to the backstop. “The ball hit the grandstand on the fly. I was mad and stunned. Cobb was mad and shaken. In a way it was really my fault. I was standing in front of the plate, instead of on the side, where I could tag Ty as he slid in. But out of that mix-up I learned one thing: never stand directly in front of the plate when Cobb was roaring for home.”

After the 1912 season, the Browns released Krichell, but after recovering from his injury, he played six seasons in the minor leagues. He was the starting catcher for the

scout for the Boston Red Sox in the following season.[14]

Scouting career

A photo of a man in his baseball uniform. smiling.
Krichell's most significant signing for the Yankees was Lou Gehrig, when he was a player at Columbia University.

Prior to the 1921 season, Barrow was appointed

Penn State University.[1] He signed catcher Benny Bengough from Buffalo of the International League,[3] and Charlie Caldwell, a Princeton University graduate. Caldwell was used mainly as a batting practice pitcher, appearing in just three games in his major league career. During one practice, Caldwell fractured Wally Pipp's skull with a high fastball,[15] allowing Lou Gehrig to assume Pipp's place in the starting lineup.[16]

Discovery of Gehrig

Early in the 1923 season, while traveling to New Brunswick, New Jersey, for a baseball game between Columbia University and Rutgers University,[17] Krichell shared a train with the manager of the Columbia squad, Andy Coakley.[18] They discussed Lou Gehrig, a left-handed pitcher on his squad who could also hit,[1][18] and later that day, Gehrig hit two home runs in three at-bats.[18] Following the game, Krichell spoke with Barrow, saying he had found the "next Babe Ruth".[19] Skeptical, Barrow sent Krichell to watch Columbia's next game against New York University,[18] where Gehrig hit a home run that reportedly went out of the stadium.[20] After the game, Krichell persuaded Gehrig to sign for the Yankees for $2,000 ($30,000 in 2010) for the remainder of 1923, with a $1,500 bonus ($20,000 in 2010).[19] Krichell also asked Gehrig to give up pitching to focus on being a hitter.[21]

After joining up with the team for batting practice in June 1923, Gehrig was sent by Yankees manager Miller Huggins to the Hartford Senators. After a good start, Gehrig went through a long slump and suffered depression which led him to consider quitting baseball.[22] Upon hearing this, Krichell was sent to Hartford to speak with the star player. He discovered that Gehrig was drinking, boosted his confidence and gave him batting advice, including one of Ty Cobb's batting tricks.[23] Gehrig started hitting again, and eventually joined the Yankees.

Later signings

1920s

A black-and-white photo of a man posting in front of the camera. He is wearing his uniform, holding a baseball bat. He is posing for the camera but looking away slightly from it. An autograph of the subject is also seen in the middle of the picture.
Krichell was with Babe Ruth, when Ruth had the "bellyache heard around the world". Krichell's fast timing to take him to the hospital potentially saved Ruth's life.

Before the 1925 New York Yankees season, Babe Ruth collapsed at a train station in Asheville, North Carolina. Krichell's actions may have saved Ruth's life. On the instructions of Huggins, Krichell drove Ruth to hospital,[24] before traveling with Ruth by train to New York, where Ruth had emergency surgery for an "intestinal abscess" that left him hospitalized for six weeks.[25]

The same year, Krichell went to Hartford, Connecticut, to sign shortstop Leo Durocher for a $7,500 bonus ($90,000 in 2010).[26] When the deal was concluded, Barrow sent Krichell to Salt Lake City to watch young second baseman Tony Lazzeri, who played for the Salt Lake Bees of the Pacific Coast League and hit 60 home runs and achieved over 200 RBIs the previous season.[27] The Bees were asking for $50,000 ($620,000 in 2010), but several scouts placed his value ten times lower.[3] The Chicago Cubs were given the option to sign him for a discounted rate, but declined because he had epilepsy.[3][28] Krichell saw promise in the player and convinced Barrow to buy him.[3] Around the same time, he helped acquire shortstop Mark Koenig from the Minneapolis Millers.[29] These Krichell signings formed part of the 1927 New York Yankees team, considered by many to be the greatest team ever assembled.[30] Four of the starters in this squad were signed by Krichell, including three-quarters of its infield and Mike Gazella, its main backup, who signed for $500 in 1923 ($10,000 in 2010).[31] The Yankees took just four games to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates and win the 1927 World Series.[32]

To assist at practice for the

backup outfielder, and the Yankees gave up on both Cooke and Werber. After the 1933 season, the two were traded to the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations.[3]

In the summer of 1929, Krichell discovered Hank Greenberg while on a scouting trip in Massachusetts. Krichell believed Greenberg would be the next Lou Gehrig.[34] Krichell offered Greenberg a $10,000 contract ($130,000 in 2010) on the spot based on his potential and knowing the Yankees were looking for Jewish players to increase their Jewish fanbase.[34] Greenberg discussed the deal with his father but declined it because he knew his opportunities would be limited by the presence of Gehrig as first baseman.[35] Subsequently, he signed with the Detroit Tigers.

1930s

In the early 1930s, Krichell focused on

The Sporting News, Krichell said while he signed Allen, he did not discover him.[10]

Aside from his Ivy League pitcher focus, Krichell also unearthed several position players. He signed

New York Giants, but was dismissed by them on the grounds that he was too small.[41] Even so, Krichell decided to look at the infielder and was impressed by the way Rizzuto accomplished double plays; his technique reminded Krichell of Leo Durocher, one of his favorite players.[3] He signed Rizzuto for $75 a month and sent him to the Yankees' farm club in Bassett, Virginia.[42]

1940s–1950s

Krichell's next target was

sandlot ball championship, and was signed by Krichell for $7,000 in 1947 ($70,000 in 2010).[44]
Ford later became a Hall of Famer and an ace of the Yankees for most of the 1950s and 1960s.

Krichell played a factor in signing future All-Star Tommy Byrne.[45] He was referred by one of his scouts, Gene McCann, to see Byrne pitch for Wake Forest University.[45] Impressed with what he saw, Krichell signed him for $10,000 ($160,000 in 2010).[46] He also signed Red Rolfe and Vic Raschi.[1] Krichell oversaw the expansion of the New York Yankees scouting staff from two men to more than twenty part-time scouts by 1957.[1] Among the scouts he hired for the Yankees were former players Babe Herman, Atley Donald, Jake Flowers and Johnny Neun.[47] As he hired more scouts, Krichell reduced his own role, becoming the chief scout and regional scout for the New England area.[47]

Paul Krichell in 1957.

In 1948, Krichell was involved in a minor scandal. Harry Nicolas was a high school baseball star in

Commissioner of Baseball.[48] Nicolas never reached the Majors. However, Krichell's recommendation of Casey Stengel for manager of the Yankees in 1948 was instrumental in their front office hiring him.[4]

Final days

In 1954, Krichell was honored by the

Notre Dame University and Frank Leja, an 18-year-old first baseman. Krichell advised the Yankees staff to sign Carroll for $30,000 ($240,000 in 2010)[1] and he thought Leja could be the next Gehrig, but both flopped.[49] By the time he retired, he was the most experienced employee still working for the Yankees.[1]

Krichell died on June 4, 1957, at his home in the

Bronx after a lengthy illness.[1] He had surgery for Crohn's disease in 1955 after losing 60 pounds in 60 days.[3] His wife of 50 years, Mary, died earlier in the year.[1] He had one daughter, Caroline, and four grandchildren at the time of his death.[1]

Scouting style

When he first started his scouting career, Krichell followed the example of early baseball scouts. He traveled with the Yankees for spring training to view his signees playing baseball. When the Yankees traveled north to begin their season, Krichell usually followed.[17] He also scouted the local newspapers to look for games in which potential prospects were playing.[18]

Later, his style of scouting was used as a blueprint by scouts to evaluate players. He usually ignored the obvious tools such as

fielder.[3] Krichell also was one of the first to notice that intelligence mattered in a game filled with uneducated people. Most of his signings were college graduates who Krichell believed could take advantage of their ability to think.[52]

At other times, Krichell collected some of the best

Minor League hierarchy.[3]

Legacy

Krichell is considered one of the greatest scouts in baseball history.

Baseball Hall of Fame.[55] Under Hall of Fame rules, scouts are not eligible for induction.[56] Tibbets appealed to the Hall of Fame Board of Directors every year from 1981 to 1986 to make the three scouts members of the Hall of Fame, but with no success.[55] In The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, James awards the sarcastically-named "Paul Krichell Talent Scout Award" to an example of a team that has a good chance of signing a player who later becomes a star, who they end up passing on as the result of poor scouting.[57]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Paul. B. Krichell of Yankees dies". The New York Times. June 5, 1957. Retrieved February 4, 2010. (subscription required)
  2. ^ James (1995), p. 217
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Caremer, Dave (July 1957). "36 Years as a Yankee". Baseball Digest. pp. 27–39. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  4. ^ a b Gallagher, p. 343
  5. ^ a b Levitt, p. 75
  6. ^ "Paul Krichell Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  7. ^ a b c "Paul Krichell". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  8. ^ "1912 St. Louis Browns". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
  9. ^ Eig, p. 38-40
  10. ^ a b c J. G. Taylor Spink (April 20, 1939). "Criss Crossing Talent Trails With Krichell". The Sporting News. p. 8.
  11. ^ a b Levitt, p. 188
  12. ^ "Yanks's Lose in 9th, Fall Back on Race". Hartford Courant. June 18, 1918. p. 10.
  13. ^ a b Meany, Thomas (1951). Baseball's greatest pitchers. A.S. Barnes. p. 101.
  14. ISBN 978-0-471-77812-7
    .
  15. ^ Eig, p. 66
  16. ^ Eig, p. 67
  17. ^ a b Eig, p. 38
  18. ^ a b c d e Eig, p. 39
  19. ^ a b Frommer, p. 44
  20. ^ Eig, p. 40
  21. ^ Maisel, Ivan (April 12, 1982). "Scouts Stay Persona Non Grata To Baseball's Hall Of Fame Committee". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
  22. ^ Eig, pp. 41, 44, 48
  23. ^ Eig, p. 49
  24. ISBN 978-0-385-51437-8
    .
  25. ^ Spector, Jessie (June 19, 2005). "Touching Base. Close Calls. One-run games make big difference to even best teams". New York Daily News.
  26. ISBN 978-0-8032-2453-7
    .
  27. ^ Frommer, p. 49
  28. ISBN 0-393-04894-2
    .
  29. ^ Gallagher, p. 123
  30. ^ Gallagher, p. 5
  31. ^ Frommer, p. 56
  32. ^ "1927 World Series – New York Yankees Over Pittsburgh Pirates (4–0)". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
  33. ^ Cranston, Mike (June 14, 2008). "Oldest living ex-major leaguer has stories to tell". USA Today. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
  34. ^ a b Eig, p. 133
  35. ^ Eig, p. 134
  36. ^ Gallagher, p. 38
  37. ISBN 0-446-69269-7
    .
  38. ^ a b Madden, p. 27
  39. ^ Daniel M. Daniel (September 16, 1937). "Grandma Murphy Patches Up Yankee Pitching Staff". The Sporting News. p. 3.
  40. ISBN 0-8032-6359-7
    .
  41. ^ Gallagher, p. 342
  42. ^ Madden, p. 4
  43. ^ Dexter, Charles (January 1948). "Bronx Express:Snuffy Stirnweiss". Baseball Digest. p. 4. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  44. ISBN 978-0-7573-0626-6
    .
  45. ^ a b Staples, p. 45
  46. ^ Staples, p. 46
  47. ^ a b Shaplen, Robert (September 20, 1954). "New York Yankee Organization". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
  48. ^ Jack Lang (January 28, 1948). "Harry Nicolas to Decide on Graduation January 30". The Sporting News. p. 3.
  49. ^ Gallagher, p. 250
  50. ^ Voigt, p. 177
  51. ^ Berger, p. 99
  52. ^ Graham, p. 141
  53. ^ Madden, p. 5
  54. ^ Tranchtenburg, p. 175
  55. ^ a b Feldman, Jay (February 5, 1990). "Make Scouts Eligible For Cooperstown". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
  56. ^ Kuenster, John (December 1992). "Scouts and Coaches Should Be Eligible for the Hall of Fame". Baseball Digest. p. 17.
  57. ^ James (2003), p. 256

Bibliography

External links

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