Bobby Sturgeon

From BR Bullpen

Robert Harwood Sturgeon

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut April 16, 1940
• Final Game October 3, 1948
• Born August 6, 1919 in Clinton, IN USA
• Died March 10, 2007 in San Dimas, CA USA

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[edit] Biographical Information

Infielder Bobby Sturgeon was signed as an amateur free agent by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1937. He played his first year of seventeen seasons in pro ball with the Albuquerque Cardinals of the class D Arizona-Texas League. Bobby spent three seasons in the minors (1937-1939) before getting his first chance at the major league game, when he was sold by the Cardinals to the Chicago Cubs, on December 27, 1939.

He debuted with the Cubs on April 16, 1940, appeared in seven games with not much success and spent the rest of the 1940 season with the Jersey City Giants of the International League. Sturgeon spent the next two years with the Wrigley Field team, hitting .245 in 1941 and .247 in 1942 before serving the next three seasons (1943-1945) with the United States Navy during World War II.

After returning from Military Service Sturgeon was back with the Cubs in 1946 and had his best batting average while in the majors, when he hit at a .296 clip for the season. Bobby's production fell the following year and on March 1, 1948 the Cubs traded him to the Boston Braves for Dick Culler and Walt Lanfranconi. He hit .218 in 28 games for the Braves and this signaled the end of Sturgeon's time in the big leagues. He finished out appearing in 420 games with a .277 batting average and fielded the six seasons at a .959 percentage.

Sturgeon would go back to the minors where he spent the next seven seasons with eight different clubs, all the way from AAA to class C. Looking at his numbers it appears that his most productive year came early on in the 1939 season, with the Columbus Red Birds of the American Association, when he appeared in 151 games and hit .297. This gave him a minor league career record, showing a .270 batting average, while appearing in 1,168 games. Bobby also served as a player-manager in minor league baseball for five years (1951-1955), in the Western International League, California League and the Pioneer League.

After baseball Robert Harwood Sturgeon made his home in San Dimas, CA, where he worked and lived until his death on March 10, 2007.

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