Alex Garbowski

Alexander Garbowski

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut April 16, 1952
• Final Game May 9, 1952
• Born June 25, 1922 in Yonkers, NY USA
• Died June 27, 2008 in Putnam Valley, NY USA

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Biographical Information

Alex Garbowski was briefly in the major leagues and spent nearly a decade in the minors.

Before the 1946 season, Garbowski signed with the Nyack Rocklands of the class D North Atlantic League. The 21-year-old shortstop made a fine debut as he led the league in runs with 124, RBI with 105, home runs with 12 and tied for the lead in base hits with 170. He also hit for a .390 average, busted 12 home runs and slugged at a .615 percentage. Alex was with the class C Vandergrift Pioneers of the Middle Atlantic League in 1947 and led the league in hitting with a .396 batting average. He hit 11 home runs and slugged at a .607 pace.

In 1948, Alex was with the Utica Blue Sox of the class A Eastern League; he hit for a .301 average and led the league in runs scored with an even 100. He was with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League in 1949and 1950, hitting at a .266 clip in 1949 and a .242 in 1950.

Alex was the shortstop of the pennant-winning Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League that were managed by Rogers Hornsby in 1951, appearing in 122 games, but his batting average fell to .222. On November 19th he was drafted from Seattle by the Detroit Tigers in the 1951 Rule V Draft.

Garbowski was with the Tigers in 1952 just long enough to appear in two games as as a pinch-runner, his only major league action. He made the team out of spring training and pinch-ran for catcher Matt Batts.

Alex spent the balance of 1952 and all of 1953 in the PCL with the Rainiers as a back-up infielder, hitting only a combined .213 in 76 appearances. He wound up his pro baseball career in 1954 with the Charleston Senators of the American Association in 128 games with a .251 batting average.

Garbowski had spent nine years in pro baseball, was approaching 30 years of age and decided to look for other opportunities. During his time in the game, he had appeared in 944 contests, went to bat 3,247 times, had 941 base hits with 45 home runs and finished with a .289 career minor league batting average.

After baseball Alex worked as a pipe fitter for a sugar refinery in his native Yonkers, NY. Garbowski's death occured on June 27, 2008 at his home in Putnam Valley, NY.