Whitey Herzog
Dorrel Norman Elvert Herzog
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 5' 11", Weight 182 lb.
- High School New Athens Township High School
- Debut April 17, 1956
- Final Game September 28, 1963
- Born November 9, 1931 in New Athens, IL USA
Inducted into Hall of Fame in 2010
Biographical Information[edit]
"Baseball has been good to me since I quit trying to play it." - Whitey Herzog
Although Whitey Herzog had an eight-year career as a major league player, he is much better known for the 19 years that he managed in the major leagues. He missed being elected to the Hall of Fame in 2007 by the Veterans Committee by only one vote, and was elected in 2009.
In the minors, Herzog missed the 1953 and 1954 seasons while serving in the military. His minor league career spanned six seasons, and he hit .291.
Herzog was an outfielder who broke in with the Washington Senators in 1956, hitting only .245 but getting 7 triples. He stole 8 bases, and undoubtedly could have stolen more but base-stealing was not then in fashion (the league leader, Luis Aparicio, had 21). He was eventually relegated to back-up duties, and then sold to another perennial doormat team, the Kansas City Athletics, in the days when Roger Maris was an outfielder there. Herzog hit a personal-best .293 in 1959. In 1960, he had a chance to compare notes with another future manager on the team, Dick Williams.
He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 1961, and was able to get 323 at-bats, hitting .291 on a team that finished third in the league. Dick Williams also moved to the Orioles in a separate trade. Herzog was the third outfielder on the team, while Williams was the # 5 outfielder. In 1962, though, Herzog hit a bit lower, .266, and was relegated to being a back-up outfielder, while the Orioles finished 7th. He finished out his career in 1963 with the Detroit Tigers.
After retiring, Herzog moved to the Kansas City A's as a scout (1964) and coach (1965) and the New York Mets (1966-1972) as a coach, scout, and eventually as the farm director.
Whitey was successful as a manager both with the Kansas City Royals of the 1970s and the St. Louis Cardinals of the 1980s. His teams had six division championships, three pennants and one World Series title. His top player with Kansas City was George Brett and his best-known players with St. Louis were probably Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee.
In addition to managing the Texas Rangers, California Angels, Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals, Whitey Herzog was General Manager of the Cardinals from 1980 to 1982 and of the Angels in 1993 and 1994.
Herzog was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on December 7, 2009 in a vote of the Veterans Committee for managers and umpires. His induction took place the following July.
His grandson, John Urick, played in the minor and independent leagues from 2003 to 2010 and then became a minor league coach.
"Great manager - he was a player's manager. Whitey surrounded himself with good baseball people . . ." - pitcher Bill Gogolewski about Herzog's first year as a big league manager
Notable Achievements[edit]
- 2-time Manager of the Year Award (1982/ML & 1985/NL)
- Division Titles: 6 (1976-1978, 1982, 1985 & 1987)
- NL Pennants: 3 (1982, 1985 & 1987)
- Managed one World Series Champion with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982
- 100 Wins Seasons as Manager: 2 (1977 & 1985)
- Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 2010
| Preceded by Ted Williams |
Texas Rangers Manager 1973 |
Succeeded by Billy Martin |
| Preceded by Bobby Winkles |
California Angels Manager 1974 |
Succeeded by Dick Williams |
| Preceded by Jack McKeon |
Kansas City Royals Manager 1975-1979 |
Succeeded by Jim Frey |
| Preceded by Ken Boyer |
St. Louis Cardinals Manager 1980 |
Succeeded by Red Schoendienst |
| Preceded by John Claiborne |
St. Louis Cardinals General Manager 1980-1982 |
Succeeded by Joe McDonald |
| Preceded by Red Schoendienst |
St. Louis Cardinals Manager 1981-1990 |
Succeeded by Red Schoendienst |
| Preceded by Dan O'Brien, Sr |
California Angels General Manager 1993-1994 |
Succeeded by Bill Bavasi |
Year-By-Year Managerial Record[edit]
Further Reading[edit]
- Thomas Boswell: "Trader Jack, Whitey the Rat and Other Good Ideas", in Why Time Begins on Opening Day, Penguin Books, New York, NY, 1984, pp. 61-76.
- Doug Feldmann: Whitey Herzog Builds a Winner: The St. Louis Cardinals, 1979–1982, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2018. ISBN 978-1-4766-6780-5
- Whitey Herzog (as told to George Vass): "The Game I'll Never Forget", Baseball Digest, September 1994, pp. 61-63. [1]
- Mike Shropshire: Seasons in Hell: With Billy Martin, Whitey Herzog and 'The Worst Team in History' - The 1973-1975 Texas Rangers, Dutton Books, New York, NY, 1996. ISBN 978-1556114953
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