Joe Kuhel

Joseph Anthony Kuhel

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
• High School Brooklyn (OH) High School
• Debut July 31, 1930
• Final Game May 11, 1947
• Born June 25, 1906 in Cleveland, OH USA
• Died February 26, 1984 in Kansas City, KS USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Joe Kuhel played 18 years in the majors, always at first base. In 1936 he finished sixth in the MVP voting. The Washington Senators had used Joe Judge for many years at first base, and then they had Joe Kuhel for many more years at the position, as two men manned the position without interruption from 1916 to 1937.

Although Kuhel had a long major league career, he played for quite a while in the minors before he became a major league regular with the Senators in 1931. He broke in at age 18 in the minors with the Flint Vehicles in 1924. In 1928 he was a teammate of the young Joe Cronin with the Kansas City Blues. Kuhel was a year older than Cronin. The two would go on to be teammates for several years with the Senators.

Kuhel came to the majors for 18 games in 1930 and then became a regular the following year. In 1933 he had one of his best years, hitting .322 with 107 RBI as the Senators won 99 games and went to the World Series. In the Series, Kuhel batted sixth in the lineup, while the number 2, 3, and 4 batters were Goose Goslin, Heinie Manush and Cronin. The Senators lost the Series to the New York Giants in five games.

Kuhel sometimes showed power, as when he hit 27 home runs with the Chicago White Sox in 1940. He also stole some bases with 178 in his major league career, posting a high of 22 in 1942 when he was 36 years old.

Joe spent 1938 to 1943 with the White Sox, then came back to the Senators in 1944, 1945 and part of 1946, and then finished up with the White Sox in 1946 and 1947. He was a teammate of Luke Appling during his stints with the White Sox.

Afterwards he came back again to the Senators as manager in 1948 and 1949.

Notable Achievements

• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1940)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 2 (1933 & 1936)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 3 (1936 & 1939-1940)

Preceded by Ossie Bluege

Washington Senators Manager 1948-1949

Succeeded by Bucky Harris

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1947	Hot Springs Bathers	Cotton States League	43-62	5th	Chicago White Sox		replaced Joe Santomauro (6-19)
1948	Washington Senators	American League	56-97	7th	Washington Senators
1949	Washington Senators	American League	50-104	8th	Washington Senators
1950	Kansas City Blues	American Association	54-99	8th	New York Yankees

Related Sites

• Joe Kuhel at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Manager page