Tag: Roberto Clemente

Branch Rickey: One of baseball’s best GM’s?

April 25, 2014

A couple days ago, I received an email from Dorian (thanks, Dorian!) linking me to the infographic you see below.  With it, he asks, “Do you think Branch Rickey deserves his place here?”

Yes, I do.

As a player, his career never amounted to much.  Nevertheless, the name Branch Rickey resonates far and wide, especially in association with the name Jackie Robinson.  And while the breaking of the color barrier blazed the trail to integration, both in baseball and throughout America, Rickey’s contributions do not stop there.  We can also thank Rickey for drafting Roberto Clemente in the 1950s.  Clemente went on to become Major League Baseball’s first Latino player to win a World Series as a starting player, to win the World Series MVP award, and to win the National League MVP award.  Clemente also became the first Latino player inducted into the Hall of Fame.

In addition to these integral changes, Branch Rickey also created baseball’s minor league farm system while serving as president of the St. Louis Cardinals.  This innovation allowed him to develop players within the organization to get them ready for Major League competition.  St. Louis became one of baseball’s best teams during this period, and before long, teams throughout Major League Baseball adopted his system.  It revolutionized the game as people knew it.

When he moved on to Brooklyn, Rickey also created the first full-time spring training facility, which allowed the Dodgers to train and analyze prospective players in one place.  This system also went on to get adopted by teams throughout baseball.

One could argue that all these changes would have occurred in baseball eventually, with or without Rickey.  And yes, I agree that they were all bound to happen.  But change always has to start somewhere, and in the world of baseball, Branch Rickey served as the catalyst for these revolutionary developments.

Sports-Management-Degrees.com

This day in baseball: RIP Clemente

December 31, 2013

On December 31, 1972, a cargo plane crashed en route to Nicaragua.  The plane had been carrying much-needed supplies to the survivors of an earthquake.  Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente died in the crash at the age of 38.  The following year, Clemente was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

clemente-roberto

This day in baseball: Pittsburgh’s no. 21

April 6, 2013

On 6 April 1973, Opening Day at Three Rivers Stadium, the Pittsburgh Pirates posthumously retired Roberto Clemente’s jersey number 21.  Clemente died in a plane crash on 31 December 1972, on his way to Managua, Nicaragua to bring aid and supplies to earthquake survivors.  As the first Latin American to be elected into the Hall of Fame, Clemente was also only the second player in history for which the five-year waiting period had been waived, following Lou Gehrig.

During his career, Clemente won four batting titles and won twelve consecutive Gold Glove awards.  He was a twelve-time All Star and helped the Pirates win two World Series.  On 30 September 1972, Clemente also accumulated his 3,000th hit, becoming the eleventh player in history to do so: