Clyde King
Clyde Edward King
- Bats Both, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 175 lb.
- School University of North Carolina
- High School Goldsboro High School
- Debut June 21, 1944
- Final Game September 27, 1953
- Born May 23, 1924 in Goldsboro, NC USA
- Died November 2, 2010 in Goldsboro, NC USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Pitcher Clyde King played seven seasons in the majors, mostly with the Brooklyn Dodgers. After his playing days, he was a big league manager for several teams and spent time as the New York Yankees General Manager. Overall, his baseball career lasted over six decades.
Signed by the Dodgers prior to the 1944 season, 20-year-old King was in the majors with the team by June, going 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA in 14 outings as a rookie. He bounced between the majors and minors over the next several years and spent most of 1948 through 1950 with the Montreal Royals. He had his best big league season in 1951, going 14-7 while primarily pitching out of the bullpen. Following the 1952 campaign, he was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds for Dixie Howell. He played his final game in the majors with the Reds in 1953 and continued in the minors through 1955.
After his playing career ended, King was skipper of the Atlanta Crackers in 1955 and 1956, winning a Southern Association championship in the latter season. After two years managing in the Pittsburgh Pirates chain, he began 1959 as a Cincinnati Redlegs coach and ended the summer as the Rochester Red Wings manager, a post he held through 1962. He was then a St. Louis Cardinals pitching instructor in 1963 and 1964 and a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates coaching staff from 1965 to 1967.
Moving on to the San Francisco Giants organization, King managed the Phoenix Giants in 1968 before being promoted to skipper of the big league club in 1969. However, after a slow start in 1970, he was replaced as skipper by Charlie Fox on May 24th. He then joined the Atlanta Braves system as manager of the Richmond Braves for two summers before becoming a special assistant to the Atlanta GM of the Atlanta Braves in 1973. He replaced Eddie Mathews as the team's manager on July 25th, 1974 but was in turn succeeded by Connie Ryan a little over a year later.
King was then a member of the New York Yankees coaching staff in 1978 and 1981 and managed the team for part of the turbulent 1982 season. He served as Yankees General Manager in 1985 and 1986 and was a member of the team's coaching staff again in 1988. From 1998 to 2005, he was a special assistant to the GM of the Yankees.
King died in 2010 at age 86. His brother, Claude King, was a minor league pitcher.
| Preceded by Herman Franks |
San Francisco Giants Manager 1969-1970 |
Succeeded by Charlie Fox |
| Preceded by Eddie Mathews |
Atlanta Braves Manager 1974-1975 |
Succeeded by Connie Ryan |
| Preceded by Gene Michael |
New York Yankees Manager 1982 |
Succeeded by Billy Martin |
| Preceded by Murray Cook |
New York Yankees General Manager 1985-1986 |
Succeeded by Woody Woodward |
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
Record as a General Manager[edit]
Draft Picks[edit]
First Round Picks
- 1985: No Pick lost for signing Ed Whitson
- 1985: 28th overall P Rick Balabon - Conestoga High School
- 1986: No Pick lost for signing Al Holland
Other Notable Selections
- 1986: 8th round (210th overall) 1B Hal Morris - University of Michigan
- 1986: 14th round (366th overall) P Scott Kamieniecki - University of Michigan
- 1986: 22nd round (572nd overall) 1B Kevin Maas - University of California
Siginificant Trades[edit]
- December 4, 1984 traded Ray Fontenot and Brian Dayett to the Chicago Cubs for Henry Cotto, Rich Bordi, Ron Hassey and Porfi Altamirano
- December 5, 1984 traded Stan Javier, Jay Howell, Jose Rijo, Eric Plunk and Tim Birtsas to the Oakland A's for Rickey Henderson and Bert Bradley
- December 20, 1984 traded Steve Kemp and Tim Foli to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Dale Berra, Jay Buhner and Alfonso Pulido
- February 27, 1985 traded Toby Harrah to the Texas Rangers for Billy Sample and Eric Dersin
- September 15, 1985 traded Jim Deshaies, Dody Rather and Neder Horta to the Houston Astros for Joe Niekro
- February 13, 1986 traded Scott Bradley, Neil Allen and Glen Braxton to the Chicago White Sox for Ron Hassey, Matt Winters, Chris Alvarez and Eric Schmidt
- March 28, 1986 traded Don Baylor to the Boston Red Sox for Mike Easler
- July 9, 1986 traded Ed Whitson to the San Diego Padres for Tim Stoddard
- July 30, 1986 traded Ron Hassey, Carlos Martinez, Bill Lindsey to the Chicago White Sox for Ron Kittle, Wayne Tolleson and Joel Skinner.
Significant Signings[edit]
- December 27, 1984 signed Ed Whitson as a Free Agent from the San Diego Padres
- August 24, 1985 signed Jim Leyritz as a amateur free agent
- September 13, 1985 signed Bernie Williams as a amateur free agent
- October 31, 1985 signed Hensley Meulens as a amateur free agent
- February 6, 1986 signed Al Holland as a free agent from California Angels
- May 2, 1986 signed Tommy John as a free agent from Oakland A's
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