Whitey Kurowski

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George John Kurowski

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Biographical Information[edit]

Whitey Kurowski played nine seasons in the major leagues, all for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1940's. He hit over .300 several times and posted a career Adjusted OPS+ of 125, equal to that of Ron Santo and Bobby Grich. He was a third baseman who appeared in four World Series and five All Star games in his relatively short career.

In 1945 he was fifth in the league in batting average and also fifth in the MVP voting and second in slugging percentage. In 1947 he was second in the league in OBP. He was once third in the league in doubles, once fourth in the league in RBI and twice fourth in the league in homers. He led the league in hit-by-pitch in 1947.

None of the most similar players (by the similarity scores method) has as high an Adjusted OPS+ as Kurowski does.

His minor league playing career ran from 1937 to 1949 with some appearances after that as a player-manager through 1959.

After retiring, Kurowski became a minor league manager in the St. Louis Cardinals chain from 1950 to 1962. He also managed the Buffalo Bisons for the New York Mets in 1964, the Cleveland Indians with the Reading Indians in 1965, and for the Washington Senators from 1970 to 1971 with the Denver Bears in 1970 and Burlington Senators in 1970 and 1971. Overall his teams were 983-916 in 15 years.

Notable Achievements[edit]

  • 5-time NL All-Star (1943-1947)
  • 20-Home Run Seasons: 3 (1944, 1945 & 1947)
  • 100 RBI Seasons: 2 (1945 & 1947)
  • 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1947)
  • Won three World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals (1942, 1944 & 1946)

Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]

Year Team League Record Finish Organization Playoffs Notes
1950 Lynchburg Cardinals Piedmont League 76-61 3rd St. Louis Cardinals Lost in 1st round
1951 Allentown Cardinals Interstate League 91-47 2nd St. Louis Cardinals Lost in 1st round
1952 Allentown Cardinals Interstate League 82-57 2nd St. Louis Cardinals Lost in 1st round
1953 Peoria Chiefs Three-I League 63-65 5th St. Louis Cardinals
1954 Peoria Chiefs Three-I League 73-63 3rd St. Louis Cardinals Lost League Finals
1955 Peoria Chiefs Three-I League 63-63 3rd St. Louis Cardinals Lost in 1st round
1958 Wytheville Cardinals Appalachian League 44-28 2nd St. Louis Cardinals none
1959 Billings Mustangs Pioneer League 68-62 2nd St. Louis Cardinals League Champs
1960 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 72-51 1st St. Louis Cardinals League Champs
1961 Tulsa Oilers Texas League 83-55 2nd St. Louis Cardinals Lost in 1st round
1962 Tulsa Oilers Texas League 77-63 2nd St. Louis Cardinals League Champs
1964 Buffalo Bisons International League 80-69 3rd New York Mets Lost in 1st round
1965 Reading Indians Eastern League 53-86 6th Cleveland Indians none
1970 Denver Bears American Association 28-36 -- Washington Senators -- replaced by Art Fowler (2-0) on June 25
Burlington Senators Carolina League 38-26 3rd (t) Washington Senators Lost League Finals replaced Bill Vickery (1-1) on June 28
1971 Burlington Senators Carolina League 54-84 8th Washington Senators

Further Reading[edit]

  • Rick Swaine: "Whitey Kurowski", in Bill Nowlin, ed.: Van Lingle Mungo: The Man, The Song, The Players, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2014, pp. 55-58. ISBN 978-1-933599-76-2

Related Sites[edit]