Del Crandall
From BR Bullpen
Delmar Wesley Crandall
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 195 lb.
- Debut June 17, 1949
- Final Game September 14, 1966
- Born March 5, 1930 in Ontario, CA USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Del Crandall was a frequent All Star who was esteemed for his catching and also hit pretty well. Playing most of his sixteen-year major league career with the Boston / Milwaukee Braves starting at age 19, he was in the 1957-58 World Series.
In the 1957 Series he mostly hit eighth in the order, while in the 1958 Series he hit sixth or seventh. Given that he had hit .272 with 18 home runs during the regular 1958 season, he gave the Braves a strong bat in the lower part of the lineup.
Crandall came up originally in 1949 and so pre-dated the debuts of both Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron, but he was in the service in 1952 when Mathews made his debut. Warren Spahn was in his fifth year with the Braves when Crandall came up in 1949.
Because Crandall was in more games each season than you might expect from a catcher, the similarity scores method chooses players from a variety of positions as the most similar, and most of them don't seem good comparisons. Perhaps the best comparisons are his contemporaries Sherm Lollar and Elston Howard.
After stints as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners and a season as a California Angels coach (1977), Crandall was a radio broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox from 1985 to 1988.
Crandall missed the 1951-1952 seasons due to military service.
Del Crandall was born in Ontario, CA, later the birthplace of Prince Fielder.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 8-time NL All-Star (1953-1956, 1958-1960 & 1962)
- 4-time NL Gold Glove Winner (1958-1960 & 1962)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 3 (1954, 1955 & 1959)
- Won a World Series with the Milwaukee Braves in 1957
| Preceded by Dave Bristol | Milwaukee Brewers Manager 1972-1975 | Succeeded by Harvey Kuenn |
| Preceded by Rene Lachemann | Seattle Mariners Manager 1983-1984 | Succeeded by Chuck Cottier |
