Babe Ganzel
From BR Bullpen
Foster Pirie Ganzel
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 10½", Weight 172 lb.
- Debut September 19, 1927
- Final Game May 10, 1928
- Born May 22, 1901 in Malden, MA USA
- Died February 6, 1978 in Jacksonville, FL USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Babe Ganzel had a great cup of coffee with the 1927 Washington Senators, hitting .438 and slugging .667 in 48 at-bats. He mostly played center field, on a team whose regular was the 39-year-old Tris Speaker in his last full season in the majors. Ganzel was already 26 in 1927, and later played for the Minneapolis Millers from 1932-35, leading the American Association in RBI in 1932.
Ganzel played in the Southern Association from 1924 to 1927 (as an OF) and the American Association from 1928 to 1935 (mostly as a 3B). Overall, his career stretched from 1922 to 1941, collecting 2,032 minor league hits and 421 2B to go with his .317 average.
His father Charlie Ganzel and uncle John Ganzel were major leaguers, and two brothers were minor league players. Babe debuted in the majors 43 years after Charlie, which is (through 2000 at least) the longest gap between first games played by a father and son in the majors. Charlie had been dead 13 years by the time Babe debuted.
His obituary claims that as manager of Selma, he rarely had his players bunt, which rankled some fans, so one day he had nine players in a row bunt. The obituary claims that all nine got on base.
He supposedly was removed from a game because of a dog while playing for Minneapolis. He chased a dog that came onto the field, got bit, and had to leave.
One source: thedeadballera.com/Obits/Ganzel.Babe.Obit.html
[edit] Year-by-Year Managerial Record
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Jacksonville Tars | South Atlantic League | 88-57 | 2nd | none | Lost League Finals | |
| 1937 | Selma Cloverleafs | Southeastern League | 75-87 | 2nd | Boston Red Sox & Washington Senators | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1938 | St. Paul Saints | American Association | 90-61 | 1st | Chicago White Sox | Lost League Finals | |
| 1939 | St. Paul Saints | American Association | 73-81 | 5th | Chicago White Sox | ||
| 1940 | St. Paul Saints | American Association | 69-79 | 5th | Chicago White Sox | ||
| 1941 | Gadsden Pilots | Southeastern League | -- | none | -- | replaced by Andy Reese | |
| Jacksonville Tars | South Atlantic League | 5th | none | replaced Nellie Leach | |||
| 1942 | Jacksonville Tars | South Atlantic League | 75-59 | 3rd | New York Giants | Lost in 1st round |
