Al Federoff

Alfred Federoff
(Whitey)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10½", Weight 165 lb.
• School Duquesne University
• High School Bairdford High School
• Debut September 27, 1951
• Final Game September 28, 1952
• Born July 11, 1924 in Bairdford, PA USA
• Died August 2, 2011 in Gilbert, AZ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Al Federoff played briefly in the majors, but was active as a player and manager in the minors for over two decades.

Federoff was a football and baseball player in high school. He served in the US military during World War II and then went on to Duquesne University. After two years at Duquesne, he was signed by Ed Katalinas, a scout for the Detroit Tigers. He debuted in 1946 with the Jamestown Falcons, hitting .270/~.338/.344 and stealing 18 bases. He led PONY League second basemen with 70+ games in fielding percentage (.956). In 1947, Al was back with Jamestown, batting .308; he led the league in fielding percentage and assists at second base.

Federoff played for the Flint Arrows in 1948 and hit .291. He led the Central League in steals and again paced his circuit's second sackers in fielding percentage and assists. The smooth-fielding Federoff spent 1949 with the Little Rock Travelers, for whom he batted .294 and made the Southern League All-Star team.

Federoff made it to AAA with the 1950 Toledo Mud Hens and hit .279/~.340/.321 with 14 steals. He led the American Association's second basemen in assists (435) and double plays (134) but also in errors (30). His 344 assists were one behind leader Jack Cassini. He also had two triple plays in addition to his average of over one double play per game.

The Pennsylvanian returned to Toledo in 1951 and hit .274. He was called up to Detroit at the end of the season and got 4 at-bats, his playing time being limited due to illness.

Federoff began 1952 with the Buffalo Bisons and batted .285/~.354/.351 in 91 games. When Don Kolloway struggled as a fill-in for the injured Jerry Priddy, Detroit called up Al and made him their starting second baseman for the second half of the campaign. He hit .242/.292/.277 in 74 games for the Tigers, producing just 30 runs. He only attempted one steal (a success). His .976 fielding percentage at second base was around league average. Federoff had the final putout in Virgil Trucks' August 25th no-hitter against the New York Yankees.

Federoff began a long stretch in the Pacific Coast League in 1953, hitting .279/~.300/.318 as the second baseman for the San Diego Padres; he sometimes formed a double play tandem with another Jewish middle infielder, Moe Franklin. In 1954, Al developed a much better batting eye and hit .278/.389/.311 with 108 walks (to 34 strikeouts) and 15 steals for San Diego. He was 4th in the PCL in OBP behind Earl Rapp, Harry Elliott and Ted Beard, 1st in runs (110) and first in walks (7 ahead of Rapp).

For the 1955 Padres, Federoff batted .274/.341/.298 as his walk total fell back down (to 52). With San Diego in 1956, Federoff produced at a .290/.350/.326 clip and scored 101 runs, 6th in the PCL. In 1957, Al hit only .226/~.280/.259 while splitting time between the Padres and Seattle Rainiers.

Federoff stayed with Seattle in 1958, but continued to hit poorly at .237. He played five games with the Louisville Colonels in 1959 then was traded to the Atlanta Crackers, for whom he hit .278 with a career-high 4 home runs. It would be his final season as a player.

Retiring from playing, Federoff became a manager in 1960. He took a one-year hiatus in 1962 to scout for the Detroit Tigers, then managed in the minors from 1963-1970, all but the last year in the Detroit chain.

Federoff bought a share in a film-processing lab while a baseball player and remained active with the company. Off the field, he also was a hunter and fisherman. He died in Arizona in 2011, aged 87.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1960	Decatur Commodores	Midwest League	51-71	8th	Detroit Tigers	none
1961	Jamestown Tigers	New York-Penn League	58-68	6th	Detroit Tigers
1963	Thomasville Tigers	Georgia-Florida League	65-54	1st	Detroit Tigers	none League Champs
1964	Lakeland Tigers	Florida State League	67-69	3rd	Detroit Tigers
1965	Daytona Beach Islanders	Florida State League	67-74	6th	Detroit Tigers	none
1966	Rocky Mount Leafs	Carolina League		4th	Detroit Tigers	League Champs	replaced by Bob Mavis from May 28-June 19
1967	Rocky Mount Leafs	Carolina League	74-68	4th	Detroit Tigers	Lost in 1st round
1968	Rocky Mount Leafs	Carolina League	70-70	6th	Detroit Tigers
1969	Rocky Mount Leafs	Carolina League	82-62	1st	Detroit Tigers	Lost in 1st round
1970	Portland Beavers	Pacific Coast League	68-78	5th	Milwaukee Brewers

Sources

• The Big Book of Jewish Baseball by Peter Horvitz and Joachim Horvitz
• Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database
• 1947, 1951, 1953, 1954 and 1958 Baseball Guides
• 1954-1956 PCL seasons for Diamond Mind Baseball by Stephen Davis