Joe Lutz

Rollin Joseph Lutz

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.
• High School Keokuk High School
• Debut April 17, 1951
• Final Game May 6, 1951
• Born February 18, 1925 in Keokuk, IA USA
• Died October 20, 2008 in Sarasota, FL USA

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Biographical Information

Joe Lutz signed his first pro contract at 16. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Marines and missed the 1943-1945 seasons. His playing career spanned from 1941 to 1956. He managed the Hot Springs Bathers for part of 1955 and the Pocatello Bannocks for part of 1956.

Following his playing career, Lutz coached high school ball, winning the Iowa state championship. He coached at Southern Illinois University from 1966 to 1969. Lutz was then a Cleveland Indians coach from 1971 through 1973.

Lutz became the batting instructor for the Hiroshima Carp in 1974 and was promoted to manager the next year. The first American manager in Nippon Pro Baseball who was not Japanese-American, Lutz was the target of criticism for trying to use American methods with his club and was gone after 15 games. The team went 6-8-1 in his tenure. Takeshi Koba took over the team, which made it to the Nippon Series for the first time that year. After his baseball career ended, he became a counselor in Florida.