Billy Rogell
William George Rogell
- Bats Both, Throws Right
- Height 5' 10½", Weight 163 lb.
- High School Fenger High School
- Debut April 14, 1925
- Final Game August 25, 1940
- Born November 24, 1904 in Springfield, IL USA
- Died August 9, 2003 in Sterling Heights, MI USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Infielder Billy Rogell played 14 seasons in the big leagues, mostly for the Detroit Tigers. He appeared in two World Series. Rogell was in 1,235 games at shortstop, but also in 104 at third base and 78 at second base.
He came up originally at age 20 with the Boston Red Sox in 1925. After being out of the majors in 1929, he came back in 1930 with the Tigers. During his big league career, he was one of the best fielding shortstops in the league (despite committing as many as 51 errors in a season). From 1932 to 1938, he finished in the top five in shortstop fielding percentage, leading the league in that statistic twice.
He was with the St. Paul Saints in 1929 and the Montreal Royals in 1940.
Rogell's New York Times obituary remembered him as Charlie Gehringer's double-play mate, and also as part of an infield that drove in 462 runs in 1934 - 139 for Hank Greenberg, 127 for Gehringer, 100 for Rogell and 96 for Marv Owen.
In a strange play in the 1934 World Series, a throw by Rogell knocked out Dizzy Dean who was pinch-running. It led to the quite possibly apochryphal headline "X-Rays of Dean's Head Revealed Nothing".
Rogell worked as a minor league manager with the Lancaster (PA) Red Roses for part of the 1941 season
After his baseball days, states the Times, Rogell was on the Detroit City Council for 36 years of a 38-year period ending in 1980.
His brother, Ed Rogell, played in the minor leagues in 1930.
Miscellany[edit]
Rogell was the last surviving player from the 1925 season.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1934)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1934)
- Won a World Series with the Detroit Tigers in 1935
Further Reading[edit]
- Raymond Buzenski: "Billy Rogell", in Scott Ferkovich, ed.: Detroit the Unconquerable: the 1935 World Champion Tigers, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2014, pp. 111-115. ISBN 978-1-933599-78-6
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