Max Bishop

Max Frederick Bishop
(Tilly or Camera Eye)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8½", Weight 165 lb.
• School Baltimore City College
• High School Baltimore Polytechnic Institute,
• Debut April 15, 1924
• Final Game September 21, 1935
• Born September 5, 1899 in Waynesboro, PA USA
• Died February 25, 1962 in Waynesboro, PA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

“I can’t figure it out myself. This Bishop just stands there and takes ’em and the umpires call ’em balls. He doesn’t look or act any tougher to pitch to than anybody else.” - Lefty Gomez

Second baseman Max Bishop earned the nickname "Camera Eye" because of his great eye at the plate. He was a lifetime .271 hitter with little power or speed, but he drew huge numbers of walks and scored lots of runs. Seven times in his career did he walk more than 100 times in a season and four times he scored more than 100 runs. Twice, he drew eight walks in a doubleheader.

After playing in the minors with the great Baltimore Orioles, he joined Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics in 1924 and spent the majority of his big league career with the club. He was the lead-off man for the A's teams that went to the World Series in 1929, 1930, and 1931, winning the Series in 1929 and 1930. After the 1933 season, Bishop was traded to the Boston Red Sox, along with pitchers Lefty Grove and Rube Walberg. He played two years with them before ending his career back with the Orioles of the International League in 1936.

Following his playing career, Bishop was a Detroit Tigers scout briefly before serving 24 years as baseball coach at the United States Naval Academy from 1938 to 1961, compiling a 317-161-7 record. He died shortly before he planned to announce his retirement. He was in his hometown of Waynesboro, PA at the time to attend the funeral of his mother, who died just a few days before him. The Midshipmen today play home games at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.

Notable Achievements

• AL Bases on Balls Leader (1929)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 4 (1928-1931)
• Won two World Series with the Philadelphia Athletics (1929 & 1930)

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Playoffs	Notes
1936	Portland Beavers	Pacific Coast League	21-19	--	--	replaced by Bill Sweeney (75-60) on May 11

Related Sites

• Max Bishop at the SABR Bio Project
• Max Bishop's obituary