Dutch Zwilling

Edward Harrison Zwilling

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 6½", Weight 160 lb.

• Debut August 14, 1910
• Final Game July 12, 1916
• Born November 2, 1888 in St. Louis, MO USA
• Died March 27, 1978 in La Crescenta, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Despite finding no real success in the majors beforehand or afterwards, outfielder Dutch Zwilling was one of the biggest stars of the short-lived Federal League. After a cup of coffee with the Chicago White Sox in 1910, he joined the Chicago Whales of the Federal League in 1914. He hit .313 and led the circuit with 16 home runs as the club finished second that year. His numbers fell a bit in 1915 to .286 and 13 homers, but he still led the league with 94 RBIs as the Whales captured the league title. He holds the Federal League record for most career home runs, with 29. After the league folded, he joined the Chicago Cubs (who had just been purchased by Whales owner Charles Weeghman), but Zwilling failed to hit his weight in 35 games with them in 1916.

In addition to his time in the majors, he had 17 years as a minor league player and 15 as a minor league manager.

Zwilling spent many years as a scout and minor league manager after his playing career ended. He was skipper of the Kansas City Blues of the American Association for nine seasons (1927-1932 and 1935-1937), including 1929, when they won the Junior World Series. He also was a member of the 1941 Cleveland Indians coaching staff.

Zwilling is one of only two men (Rollie Zeider is the other) to play for all three Chicago major league teams: the Cubs, the White Sox, and the Whales.

Famous Last

Starting with his major league debut in 1910, Dutch Zwilling appeared last in the alphabetical list of all major league players, until displaced by Tony Zych in 2015. He still appears last in the alphabetical list of coaches.

Zwilling, as of 2015, is the only player in Major League history with a last name that starts with "Zwi". Minor leaguer Andrew Zwirchitz, who last played in 2006, was the most recent person who had a shot at threatening his title.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1926	Lincoln Links	Western League	64-101	7th		none
1927	Kansas City Blues	American Association	99-69	2nd		none
1928	Kansas City Blues	American Association	88-80	4th		none
1929	Kansas City Blues	American Association	111-56	1st		none League Champs
1930	Kansas City Blues	American Association	75-79	5th		none
1931	Kansas City Blues	American Association	90-77	2nd		none
1932	Kansas City Blues	American Association	81-86	6th	none	none
1933	St. Joseph Saints	Western League	77-47	2nd	none	League Champs
1934	Sioux City Cowboys	Western League	74-50	1st	none	Lost in 1st round
1935	Kansas City Blues	American Association	84-70	3rd (t)	none	none
1936	Kansas City Blues	American Association	84-69	3rd	New York Yankees	Lost in 1st round
1937	Kansas City Blues	American Association	72-82	5th	New York Yankees
1938	Oakland Oaks	Pacific Coast League	65-113	8th	none
1939	Birmingham Barons	Southern Association	64-89	7th	Cincinnati Reds
1942	Appleton Papermakers	Wisconsin State League	33-33	4th	Cleveland Indians	Lost in 1st round	Replaced Hal Irelan (3-1) on June 26
1951	Quincy Gems	Three-I League	65-65	3rd	New York Yankees	League Champs
Totals	16 Seasons		1,226-1,166			3 League Championships