Mel Queen (queenme02)

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Melvin Douglas Queen

BR page

Biographical Information[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]