Ossie Bluege
Ossie Bluege spent five decades in the employment of the Griffith family, first as a ballplayer, then as a manager, and finally in the front office, where he served so long he moved with the franchise to Minnesota. Bluege was a slick third baseman who stayed in the major leagues for 18 seasons almost exclusively because of his glovework, and played in all three of the World Series that the Senators ever appeared in. At the hot corner, Bluege led the American League in double plays on three occasions, and assists four times.
Played For
Washington Senators (1922-1939)
Managed
Washington Senators (1943-1947)
All-Time Rankings
Ossie Bluege ranks #50 among the Top 50 all-time at 3B. Rankings ⇒
Factoids
From 1957 to 1971, Ossie Bluege served as the Senators/Twins controller, or comptroller, handling the budgetary processs and finances of the club. He retired in 1971 after having worked 50 years for the Griffith family.
"The Toughest Pitchers I Faced" by Ossie Bluege
In 1946, Bluege gave The Sporting News a list of the top ten toughest pitchers he ever faced, in no particular order:
Tommy Bridges, Bob Feller, Lefty Gomez, Lefty Grove, Waite Hoyt, Walter Johnson, Ted Lyons, Hal Newhouser, Herb Pennock and Red Ruffing.
As a Manager
A popular player, Bluege ascended from the coaching staff to become the Nats' manager in 1943, replacing Bucky Harris. In his first season, 1943, Bluege improved Washington's win total by 22 games. He coaxed two second place finishes out of his team, before becoming the Senators farm director in 1948. His biggest coup in that role was the scouting and signing of Harmon Killebrew.
Born
Oswald Louis Bluege was born on October 24, 1900, in Chicago, IL.
Died
October 14, 1985, Edina, MN
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: 3B
Primary Team: WS1
Major League Debut
April 24, 1922
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1922
Jim Bottomley
Gabby Hartnett
Ossie Bluege
Travis Jackson
Sparky Adams
George Grantham
Fats Fothergill
Fred Haney
Andy High
Nicknames
The Accountant
The famous movie came out in 1939, but as far as we can tell, no one ever thought to call Bluege "The Wizard of Oz," despite his defensive prowess. Because of his moonlight job, Bluege was sometimes known as "The Accountant."
Uniform Numbers
#7 (1931-1935), #27 (1936-1939)
Family Tree
Otto Bluege, Ossie's younger brother, played parts of two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds in the early 1930s. Otto, also a infielder, was a very good defensive player like his brother, but he coldn't hit a lick.
Similar Players
Milt Stock, Harry Steinfeldt, Ken Reitz
Related Players
Joe Judge and Sam Rice were Ossie's teammates for eight seasons apiece, during the heyday of the Nats... Second baseman Buddy Myer played with Bluege for 14 years... Bluege twice lost his starting job to Cecil Travis... The emergence of teenager Buddy Lewis in 1936 sent Bluege to the bench. The last four seasons of his career, Bluege was essentially a utlity man.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1948 |
BBWAA |
2 |
1.7% |
1949 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.7% |
1954 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.4% |
1956 |
BBWAA |
2 |
1.0% |
1958 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.8% |
1960 |
BBWAA |
3 |
1.1% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1924 World Series
1925 World Series
1933 World Series
Feats
Bluege, who was selective at the plate, walked five times on July 18, 1932, tying an American League record.
Transactions
Bluege spent 50 years on the payroll of the Senators, and then Twins.
All-Star Selections
1935 AL
Replaced
Bobby LaMotte and the veteran Howie Shanks, who shared the hot corner for Washington in 1922.
Replaced By
Ultimately, Buddy Lewis.
Best Strength as a Player
Walter Johnson, who was Bluege's teammate for several years and managed him for four seasons, said of Ossie: "He has the quickest hands of any infielder I've ever seen. He can get his glove in the dirt so fast, the batter doesn't have a chance."
Largest Weakness as a Player
Only once in his career was Bluege above league average offensively. That was in 1928, when his adjusted OPS was 101, or just barely better than an average AL hitter.
Learn More about Ossie Bluege
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