Stan Benjamin
Stan Benjamin | |
---|---|
Right fielder | |
Born: Framingham, Massachusetts, U.S. | May 20, 1914|
Died: December 24, 2009 Harwich, Massachusetts, U.S. | (aged 95)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 16, 1939, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 16, 1945, for the Cleveland Indians | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .229 |
Home runs | 5 |
Runs batted in | 41 |
Teams | |
|
Alfred Stanley Benjamin (May 20, 1914 – December 24, 2009) was a
In addition to his major league playing career, he played in
Starting in 1948, he was the head baseball coach and assistant football coach for Greenfield High School in Greenfield, Massachusetts, and took over the head football coaching duties in 1958. He held both positions, in addition to being a physical education teacher for a local middle school and part-time basketball referee until 1964. In 1965, he was hired as a talent scout for the Houston Astros, a job he held for nearly 40 years. It was his evaluation of Jeff Bagwell that led the Astros to acquire him from the Boston Red Sox for Larry Andersen.
Early life
Born on May 20, 1914, in Framingham, Massachusetts, Benjamin graduated from
Career
Minor leagues
Benjamin signed his first professional baseball contract with the
Major leagues
Benjamin made his Major League Baseball debut on September 16, 1939, with the Phillies, and appeared in 12 games, fielding a variety of positions, including all three outfield positions, and third base as well.[4] He had 50 at bats that season, and collected seven hits for a .140 batting average.[4]
The next season, he was optioned by the Phillies to the Baltimore Orioles of the Class AA International League, one of their minor league affiliates, as an outfielder.[2][5] During the 1940 season, he played in 108 games, batted .304, and hit 16 doubles, seven triples, and 11 home runs.[2] At the conclusion of this season, he was a late-season call-up by the Phillies. He played in eight games and had two hits in nine at bats for a .222 batting average.[4]
His most productive major league season came in 1941, when he played a full season with the Phillies. He posted career-highs in home runs (3),
Return to the minors
Benjamin finished the 1942 season with the Colonels as their third baseman. He appeared in 38 games, hit three home runs, and had a .303 batting average.[2] Before the 1943 season, the Red Sox were in need of more outfielders, so manager Joe Cronin gave Benjamin a tryout in mid-March; however, he was not signed, and he continued to play with the Colonels, moving back to the outfield.[9] In 123 games played, he hit just .237, and did not hit a home run.[2]
He returned to the Baltimore Orioles of the International League for the 1944 season, which had switched its major league affiliation to the
He played for and
Post-playing career
High school athletics
After his baseball playing career ended, he moved to Greenfield, Massachusetts, and became an assistant football coach at Greenfield High School, while also working as a physical education teacher at a nearby middle school.[3] Benjamin was Greenfield's head football coach from 1958 to 1964, as well as the head baseball coach from 1948 to 1964. He coached the baseball team to several Western Massachusetts championships.[3] Among the other duties, he also refereed high school and college basketball games in New England, as well as working as an assistant football coach at Deerfield Academy in 1964 and 1965.[3] He was also an assistant football coach for Northeastern University in the early 1940s.[3]
Scouting career
Benjamin began his career as a talent
In 1970, Mike Flanagan was suffering arm problems, and many scouts decided that he did not have a future baseball career, but he could hit well, so Benjamin suggested to the Astros that they could use him in that capacity and wait to see if his arm would recuperate.[11] The Astros drafted Flanagan, but he decided not to sign, and instead attended University of Massachusetts Amherst on a baseball scholarship.[11] During the 1990 season, the Astros were approached by the Boston Red Sox, who needed pitching and were interested in Larry Andersen.[12] Benjamin recommended that they ask for Red Sox minor leaguer Jeff Bagwell in return.[12] The Astros were hesitant initially due to Bagwell's low home run totals, but Benjamin convinced them by explaining that his numbers were deceiving due to the large ballpark that he played in.[12]
Personal life
Benjamin was married to his wife Barbara, maiden name Hall, from 1941 until her death 54 years later in 1995.
Benjamin died at the age of 95, of heart failure, in his daughter's home on December 24, 2009, in Harwich, Massachusetts.[3] He is interred at Green River Cemetery in Greenfield, Massachusetts.[3]
Benjamin was a member of both the McDaniel College and Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association
References
- ^ a b "Stan Benjamin". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Stan Benjamin (minors)". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Pave, Marvin (December 30, 2009). "Stan Benjamin, 95; coach and Major League scout". www.boston.com. Globe Newspaper Company. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Stan Benjamin". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
- ^ "Phillies Sign Berger". The Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. May 17, 1940. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
- ^ "Phillies Score In 12th Inning To Beat Giants". The Hartford Courant. Associated Press. June 29, 1941. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
- ^ "Stan Benjamin's Single In Tenth Beats Dodgers". The Hartford Courant. Associated Press. July 2, 1941. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
- ^ "Phils Sell Benjamin To Louisville Club". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 6, 1942. p. 14. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Stan Benjamin Works With Red Sox, To Get Tryout In Outfield". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Associated Press. March 17, 1943. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
- ^ a b Associated Press (December 24, 2009). "Longtime Astros scout Stan Benjamin dies at 95". ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- ^ a b Steadman, John F. (January 1980). Mike Flanagan: A Career That Almost Wasn't. Lakeside Publishing Co. p. 31. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b c Brown, Garry (January 1, 2010). "Remembering Greenfield coach and Major League Baseball scout Stan Benjamin". The Republican. MassLive.com LLC. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet