Branch Rickey
Branch Rickey is one of the most important figures in American sports history. In 1947 he put Jackie Robinson on his Brooklyn Dodgers' roster, thus integrating baseball. Even had he not been involved in that monumental event, Rickey's creation of the farm system and his eye for talent would have made him a Hall of Fame baseball executive. He won pennants in both St. Louis and Brooklyn, and developed hundreds of major league players.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 120 |
343 |
82 |
38 |
3 |
39 |
8 |
.239 |
.324 |
.304 |
.628 |
100.9 |
|
Teams Branch Rickey Managed
St. Louis Browns (1913-1915)
St. Louis Cardinals (1919-1925)
Best Season: 1955
It was finally "next year" for Brooklyn.
The Continental League
In 1959. Rickey launched an effort to form the Continental League - a third major league. MLB reacted quickly and decisively. They could not confront the new venture directly without raising antitrust concerns, so they preempted the new league's prime franchises (New York and Houston) in the expansion of 1961-62. Rickey had supported an expansion in MLB for many years but had failed to gain support until after he left MLB's ranks. Despite his effort to challenge MLB's control of the sport, Rickey was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1967 by the Veterans Committee.
Rickey's Best Team: 1930-1931 Cardinals
I'm not sure why this team is overlooked so much. Over the two years the Cardinals won 193 games and were 19 ahead of their closest rivals. They were either first or second in runs scored and ERA and were first in fielding both years. In 1930 each of the eight regulars hit at least .300, and in 1931 Chick Hafey and Jim Bottomley battled for the batting title until the final day of the season. Of course hitting .300 was commonplace at that time, but the Cards were loaded with talent on the bat side. On the mound side six pitchers won in double digits over the two years, led by Wild Bill Hallahan and the ageless Burleigh Grimes and Jesse Haines. The 1934-1935 Cardinals are still written about, mostly because of Dizzy's braggadocio, but the 1930-1931 club was just as good, or better.
Born
Wesley Branch Rickey was born on December 20, 1881, in Flat, OH.
Died
December 9, 1965, Columbia, MO
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
6 16,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1905
Ty Cobb
Hal Chase
Mickey Doolan
Otto Knabe
Al Bridwell
Rube Oldring
Eddie Cicotte
Ed Reulbach
George Gibson
Nicknames
The Mahatma
Related Players
Chick Hafey, Rogers Hornsby, Jackie Robinson, Joe Medwick, Johnny Mize
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1942 |
BBWAA |
3 |
1.3% |
1945 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.8% |
1967 |
Veterans |
|
% |
|
Notes
As an executive, Rickey helped guide teams to the World Series in 1926, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1947 and 1949. His team's won four World Series titles.
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