Stu Martin

Stuart McGuire Martin

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 155 lb.
• School Guilford College
• Debut April 14, 1936
• Final Game September 6, 1943
• Born November 17, 1913 in Rich Square, NC USA
• Died January 11, 1997 in Severn, NC USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Stu Martin played eight years in the National League, from 1936 to 1943. He made the All-Star team as a rookie in 1936. Most of Stu's career was with the St. Louis Cardinals during 1936-1940, in the years between their pennants of 1934 and 1942. The Cards finished second in the National League twice during the years Stu was with them.

Stu was born in Rich Square, NC, in northeastern North Carolina not far from Virginia. He attended college in the same state, at Guilford College. He began in the minors at age 21 in 1934, playing for four different teams that year and appearing with two teams in 1935. The 1935 season was good for him, as he hit .335, primarily with the Asheville Tourists of Asheville, NC.

When he broke into the majors with the Cardinals in 1936, he had to fight player-manager Frankie Frisch, who was 38 years old, for playing time. He hit better than Frisch and got the bulk of the playing time at second base. It was his best year with the bat, and he made the All-Star team.

Martin stayed with the team for five years, averaging around 400 plate appearances per year, and when his batting average slumped under .250 in 1940, he was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates. That led to his second-best year with the bat, playing for the Pirates in 1941, when he hit .305, albeit with little power. He stayed with the team in 1942 but spent the second half of the season with the Minneapolis Millers. In the off-season, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs, for whom he hit .220 as a backup in 1943.

He served in the Navy and then came back to play ball in the minors three more years, from 1946 to 1948. In 1947 and 1948 he was a player-manager.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (1936)