Lou Stringer

Louis Bernard Stringer

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 173 lb.
• High School Washington Preparatory High School
• Debut April 15, 1941
• Final Game September 23, 1950
• Born May 13, 1917 in Grand Rapids, MI USA
• Died October 19, 2008 in Lake Forest, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Infielder Lou Stringer was signed by the Chicago Cubs and scout Jigger Statz as an amateur free agent before the 1937 season. The twenty-year-old was assigned to the class C Ponca City Angels for his first season and he responded by hitting .263 with 5 homers and fielded the second base position at a .960 clip. This performance got him back to the same club for the following year and Stringer helped his team win the 1938 Western Association League Championship and Playoff title by hitting .286 with 7 homers and tying for the league lead in runs scored with 126, plus playing second base for the All-Star team.

1939 saw Lou have another good year in the minors, hitting .272 with 16 four-baggers and fielding at a .976 clip for the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. He came back again with the same club in 1940, hitting .263 with 14 homers, paving his way for his first chance at the major leagues. Lou won the second base job with the Cubs in 1941, starting off a little shaky by committing 4 errors in his first major league game, but recovered to lead all major league second sackers in assists as a rookie. He played in 145 games for the Cubs, hitting .246 with 5 homers and fielded at a .960 clip, making only 34 errors in 845 chances.

Stringer was back at second base for the Cubs in 1942, hitting .236 but with 9 homers and fielding at his usual steady pace, making only 29 miscues for a .968 percentage. Lou entered the United States Army Air Force in October of 1942 and was discharged in December of 1945. Lou, now 29, stepped back into his old position with the Cubs in 1946 but got into only 80 games and hit .244. He was sent down to Los Angeles in 1947 and hit at a .293 clip with 13 homers and set PCL records by handling 353 chances in 64 games without an error. This got him selected off waivers on February 9, 1948 by the New York Giants who in turn sold Stringer to the Chicago White Sox on April 1st.

Stringer was with the Hollywood Stars in 1948 and was hitting .333 and had replaced Jimmy Dykes as manager during the season when he was acquired by the Boston Red Sox following an injury to Bobby Doerr. Lou played for the Red Sox briefly in the next two seasons as well and finished up his major league time with a career .242 average for his six-year run. Lou had 13 active seasons in the minors and finished up with the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Seals of the PCL in the early 1950s. Lou had a minor league career batting average of .288 with 136 home runs and a .966 fielding percentage.

Stringer also had five years of minor league managing through 1957 after retiring as an active player. Lou, who had roles as an extra in Hollywood films during his playing days, became an automobile salesman before his retirement in El Toro, CA. Stringer died on October 19, 2008 in Lake Forest, CA.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1948	Hollywood Stars	Pacific Coast League		--	Chicago White Sox	--	replaced Jimmie Dykes on August 28/ replaced by Mule Haas on September 20
1954	Yakima Bears	Western International League	80-57	2nd	none
1955	Boise Braves	Pioneer League	77-54	1st	Milwaukee Braves	Lost in 1st round
1956	Pocatello Bannocks	Pioneer League		8th	Kansas City Athletics		replaced Joe Lutz
1957	Des Moines Bruins	Western League	24-37	--	Chicago Cubs	--	replaced by Hersh Martin (36-55) on June 24

Sources

Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: Third Edition
Baseball Players of the 1950s
BR Minors page

Related Sites

• Lou Stringer at the SABR Bio Project
• Baseball in Wartime - Lou Stringer