Art Ceccarelli
From BR Bullpen
Arthur Edward Ceccarelli (Chic)
- Bats Right, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
[edit] Biographical Information
The Brooklyn Dodgers signed Art Ceccarelli, a young 18-year-old left-handed pitcher as an amateur free agent before the 1948 season. Art would spend his first three years in pro baseball with the Olean Oilers, the Valdosta Dodgers and the Elmira Pioneers, amassing a 24-20 record and a 4.83 ERA.
Ceccarelli would then spend the next two years (1951-52) in the United States Military Service during the Korean War. He would spend the next two seasons (1953-54) again in the minors preparing for a stint in he majors with the Kansas City Athletics who had acquired him in the 1954 Rule V Draft. He would go 4-7 for the 1955 Athletics with a 5.31 ERA. Art would appear in three games with the 1956 Kansas City team with no decisions and go 2-6 for the Columbus Jets and 0-3 for the Birmingham Barons in the same season.
The Baltimore Orioles would acquire Art in a multi-player trade on October 11, 1956. He would go 0-5 for the Birds in 20 appearances and 2-0 for the Vancouver Mounties in 1957. The Chicago Cubs then drafted Art from the Orioles on December 1, in the 1958 Rule V Draft. Ceccarelli had his best year in the majors for the 1958 Cubs, going 5-5 with a 4.76 ERA. In 1960, Art made seven appearances went 0-0 and this wound up his major league aspirations. His five-year major league totals showed 9 wins and 18 losses in 79 games with a career 5.05 ERA.
Art was also with the Richmond Virginians in 1960, where he won 9 and lost 4 with a 3.96 ERA. He spent three more years in pro ball, all in the International League, winning 25 and losing 21 with a strong 3.04 ERA. Art had been in professional baseball for 14 active seasons from 1948 through 1963. His minor league record shows that he appeared in 272 games, pitching 1,588 innings, winning 100 games and losing 88 with a career 3.75 ERA.
Ceccarelli had this to say about his baseball career. "I did not mature as a pitcher," confessed Art. "I threw too many fastballs. I lacked maturity on the mound but I had a good arm. My biggest thrill was shutting out the Dodgers at the Los Angeles Coliseum. My biggest disappointment was not playing in the majors longer. If Lou Boudreau hadn't taken over the Cubs in 1960, I would have been with them two or three more years."
On the subject of Wrigley Field he said, "It wears pitchers down. The winds are unbelievable. Willie Kirkland once hit a homerun off me that Ernie Banks called for at shortstop."
Art earned a degree at New Haven State Teacher's College, now Southern Connecticut State University. The native of New Haven coached the baseball team at SCSU for a time and taught at Milford High School for many years. He currently makes his home in Orange, Connecticut.
[edit] Sources
Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page
