Joe Kracher

Joseph Peter Kracher (Jug)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 185 lb.
• Debut September 17, 1939
• Final Game September 30, 1939
• Born November 4, 1915 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died December 24, 1981 in San Angelo, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Joe Kracher caught 15 seasons (1936 to 1953), one in the Major Leagues and 15 in the minors, losing three years to the Military. He served in the U.S. Army for World War II (GB). After the war he mostly played in Texas.

He had a cup of coffee for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1939, posting an OBP of .429.

He played for the minor league Baltimore Orioles in 1940-41.

Kracher managed the Kilgore Drillers in 1947 and 1948, and also led the league with a .433 average in 1948. In 1950 and 1951 he managed at Tyler. His .433 hitting average was the highest in all organized baseball that year and for this achievement he was presented with the LOUISVILLE SLUGGER AWARD by the company that manufactured bats known by the same name.

He died at age 66 and is buried at Lawnhaven Memorial Gardens in San Angelo, TX.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1946	Texarkana Bears	East Texas League		2nd	Chicago White Sox	Lost League Finals	replaced Gabby Lusk
1947	Kilgore Drillers	Lone Star League	78-60	1st	none	League Champs
1948	Kilgore Drillers	Lone Star League	94-44	1st	none	League Champs
1949	Kilgore Drillers	East Texas League	75-65	4th	none	Lost League Finals
1950	Hammond Berries	Evangeline League	50-48	--	none	--	replaced by Joe Powers (21-17) on July 28
	Tyler Trojans	East Texas League		5th	none		replaced Stan Goletz July 31
1951	Tyler East Texans	Big State League	31-45	--	none	--	replaced Harold Epps (11-39) on June 4 / replaced by Gale Pringle (5-16) on August 17
1952	Lake Charles Lakers	Gulf Coast League	49-59	7th	none		replaced Sid Gautreaux (20-26) on June 2