Mel Queen (queenme02)

Melvin Douglas Queen

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 197 lb.
• High School San Luis Obispo High School
• Debut April 13, 1964
• Final Game July 21, 1972
• Born March 26, 1942 in Johnson City, NY USA
• Died May 11, 2011 in Morro Bay, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

The son of big league pitcher Mel Queen, Mel Queen was signed by the Cincinnati Reds in 1960. In high school, he had been a teammate of Jim Lonborg, and married his sister. He began his career as a third baseman before being moved to the outfield in 1963. Queen reached the majors with the Reds the following year (1964). He struggled at the plate in the big leagues and was converted to a pitcher during the 1966 season. The next year, in his first full season on the mound, he had his best season, going 14-8 with a 2.76 ERA for Cincinnati. However, he struggled with shoulder problems, missed most of 1968, and spent most of the next year in the minors. After the 1969 season, he was sent to the California Angels, and he spent three seasons in the club's bullpen before ending his career.

After his playing career ended, Queen spent several years as a minor league coach and was a member of the Cleveland Indians coaching staff in 1982. He was the Toronto Blue Jays pitching coach from 1996 to 1999. During four years in that role, members of his pitching staff won three Cy Young Awards: Pat Hentgen in 1996, and Roger Clemens in 1997 and 1998. He was also interim manager of the team at the end of the 1997 campaign, going 4-1 in 5 games at the helm. After a stint as a scout, he worked in the Jays front office from 2008 until his death in 2011.

Preceded by Cito Gaston

Toronto Blue Jays Manager 1997

Succeeded by Tim Johnson

Preceded by Galen Cisco

Toronto Blue Jays Pitching Coaches 1996 to 1999

Succeeded by Rick Langford

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1985	Bakersfield Dodgers	California League	65-80	6th	Los Angeles Dodgers
1997	Toronto Blue Jays	American League	4-1	5th	Toronto Blue Jays		replaced Cito Gaston (72-85) on September 24
2000	Syracuse SkyChiefs	International League	58-47	7th	Toronto Blue Jays		replaced Omar Malavé on May 23
2004	High Desert Mavericks	California League	49-91	10th	Milwaukee Brewers

Related Sites

• Mel Queen at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Manager page