Birdie Tebbetts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Birdie Tebbetts |
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Tebbetts in 1947
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| Catcher / Manager | |||
| Born: November 10, 1912 Burlington, Vermont, U.S. |
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| Died: March 24, 1999 (aged 86) Bradenton Beach, Florida, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 16, 1936, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 14, 1952, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .270 | ||
| Home runs | 38 | ||
| Runs batted in | 469 | ||
| Managerial record | 748–705 | ||
| Winning % | .515 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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George Robert "Birdie" Tebbetts (born November 10, 1912 – died March 24, 1999) was a famous American baseball player. He was also a manager, a scout, and worked in the front office for baseball teams. Birdie played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher from 1936 to 1952. He played for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians. Many people thought Tebbetts was the best catcher in the American League in the late 1940s.
Even though he wasn't super fast and didn't hit many home runs, Tebbetts was an amazing defensive catcher. He was also a very smart player who knew how to guide his pitchers. These skills helped him a lot later in his career. He became a manager for the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Braves, and the Cleveland Indians. Birdie Tebbetts spent 14 years as a player, 11 years as a manager, and 28 years as a scout in Major League Baseball.
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Birdie Tebbetts' Early Life
Tebbetts was born in Burlington, Vermont. A few months later, his family moved to Nashua, New Hampshire. Sadly, his father passed away soon after, and his mother raised the family. Some stories say he got his nickname "Birdie" because his aunt thought his voice sounded like a bird. Other stories say he got the nickname while he was at Providence College.
Birdie was a star athlete at Nashua High School. He was an All-State player in both football (as a quarterback) and baseball (as a catcher). The Detroit Tigers signed him to a contract after they agreed to pay for his college tuition. He went to Providence College and became an All-American in baseball. He graduated in 1934 with a degree in philosophy.
Birdie Tebbetts' Baseball Career
In December 1933, the Tigers bought a great catcher named Mickey Cochrane. This meant there wasn't a spot for Tebbetts on the main team yet. So, he played in the minor leagues for three seasons. He finally made his MLB debut with the Tigers on September 16, 1936, when he was 23 years old.
In 1937, Mickey Cochrane's playing career ended after he was hit by a pitch. Rudy York took over as catcher, but he wasn't very good at defense. By 1939, the new Tigers manager, Del Baker, gave Tebbetts a chance to play. That season, Tebbetts had a .261 batting average. He also led all American League (AL) catchers in assists and in catching runners trying to steal bases.
Becoming a Regular Catcher
In 1940, Rudy York moved to first baseman, making Tebbetts the main catcher. Birdie had a great season, hitting .296. The Tigers won the American League title, beating the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees in a close race. However, Tebbetts didn't get any hits in the 1940 World Series. The Tigers lost to the Cincinnati Reds in seven games. He again led AL catchers in assists and in catching stolen bases.
Birdie Tebbetts was known for trying to get under the skin of opposing players. He would talk to them a lot, hoping they would make mistakes and give his team an advantage.
In 1941, Tebbetts was hitting .296 by the middle of the season. This earned him a spot as a reserve player for the American League in the 1941 All-Star Game. He led American League catchers in assists for the third year in a row. Tebbetts was chosen as the starting catcher for the American League in the 1942 All-Star Game.
Military Service and Return to Baseball
Even though he didn't have to join the military because he was taking care of his mother, Tebbetts volunteered for the United States Army Air Corps. He joined in August 1942 during World War II. He was assigned to help with recruiting in Waco, Texas. During this time, Tebbetts got to practice his managing skills. He was a player-manager for the Waco Army Flying School's baseball team. He missed three years of his baseball career because of his military service.
After leaving the military, Tebbetts returned to play for the Tigers in 1946. He had a .243 batting average in 86 games. In May 1947, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. After the trade, Tebbetts hit much better, with a .299 average for the rest of the season.
Playing for the Red Sox and Indians
In 1948, Tebbetts was hitting .286 by mid-season. He was named a reserve catcher for the American League in the 1948 All-Star Game. The Red Sox finished the season tied for first place with the Cleveland Indians. However, they lost the pennant in a special one-game playoff.
Tebbetts was chosen to be the starting catcher for the American League in the 1949 All-Star Game. He hit .270 in 1949. The Red Sox were in another close race for the pennant with the New York Yankees. The race wasn't decided until the very last game of the season. The Red Sox lost their last two games and finished in second place again.
In 1950, Tebbetts, who was 37, shared catching duties with Matt Batts. He had his best batting average of his career that year, hitting .310 in 84 games. The Red Sox were in another tight pennant race but ended up in third place. After the season, Tebbetts criticized some of his teammates for how they talked about their manager. This caused some problems within the team. Two months later, his contract was sold to the Cleveland Indians.
He spent his last two seasons as a backup catcher for the great Jim Hegan. Tebbetts played his final major league game on September 14, 1952, when he was 38 years old.
Career Highlights as a Player
In his fourteen-year Major League career, Tebbetts played in 1,162 games. He had 1,000 hits and a .270 career batting average. He also hit 38 home runs and had 469 runs batted in. He was a four-time All-Star. Tebbetts was known for his great defense. He led American League catchers four times in a stat called range factor. He also led them three times in assists and twice in catching runners stealing bases. Before the famous catcher Carlton Fisk came along, Birdie Tebbetts was voted the Red Sox's best catcher of all time by fans in 1969. This was amazing because he only played four years with the Red Sox.
Birdie Tebbetts as a Manager
In December 1952, the Cleveland Indians' General Manager, Hank Greenberg, made Tebbetts the manager of the Indianapolis Indians, a minor league team. After Tebbetts led Indianapolis to a good finish in 1953, he was hired to manage the Cincinnati Reds.
Managing the Cincinnati Reds
After two fifth-place finishes, Tebbetts led the Reds to a surprising third-place finish in 1956. The Reds were in first place in the middle of the season and stayed in the pennant race until the very last day. They finished with 91 wins and 63 losses, just two games behind the Brooklyn Dodgers. Because of his great work, the Baseball Writers' Association of America voted Tebbetts the 1956 Manager of the Year. The Reds gave him a new three-year contract.
In 1957, Tebbetts had the Reds in first place again by mid-season. He even appeared on the cover of Time magazine in July! The Reds didn't play as well in the second half of the season and finished in fourth place. Star player Frank Robinson gave Tebbetts credit for helping him that year, saying, "He kept after me all year and that's what a young ball player needs." In 1958, the Reds fell into last place, and Tebbetts decided to resign on August 14.
Managing the Milwaukee Braves and Cleveland Indians
In October 1958, Tebbetts became an executive vice president for the Milwaukee Braves. He worked in the Braves' front office from 1959 to September 1961. But he missed the excitement of being on the field. When the team fired their manager in September 1961, Tebbetts returned to manage for the last month of the season. Even with talented players like Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews, Tebbetts's team finished in fifth place in 1962.
In October 1962, Tebbetts signed a three-year contract to manage the Cleveland Indians. He felt he owed a lot to the new Indians General Manager, Gabe Paul. After managing the Indians to a fifth-place finish in 1963, he had a heart attack during spring training on April 1, 1964. Just three months later, he bravely returned to manage the team.
After another fifth-place finish in 1965, Tebbetts led the Indians to 14 wins in their first 15 games of the 1966 season. But the team struggled later and fell far behind. He resigned as manager in August. Pitcher Tommy John remembered Tebbetts's interesting advice for pitchers: sometimes, tell the hitter exactly what pitch you're going to throw. This was meant to confuse the hitter, who wouldn't know whether to believe the pitcher or not!
In his eleven seasons as a Major League manager, Tebbetts had a record of 748 wins and 705 losses. He returned to the minor leagues as a manager in 1967. From 1968 to 1997, Tebbetts worked as a scout for several teams, including the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and Florida Marlins. He was known as one of the most respected scouts in baseball because he was so good at understanding the game. Reggie Jackson said Tebbetts's scouting reports helped him hit three home runs in a World Series game in 1977. Birdie Tebbetts retired in 1997, after spending 60 years in baseball.
Later Life and Legacy
Tebbetts moved to Anna Maria, Florida in the early 1960s. He was chosen to be on the Veterans Committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame in February 1979. In 1986, he received an award for his long and excellent service in baseball.
Birdie Tebbetts passed away on March 24, 1999, in Bradenton, Florida, at 86 years old. On May 28, 2009, Birdie was honored as a Local Legend of Nashua, New Hampshire. A special plaque was placed in Holman Stadium to remember him.
Images for kids
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Tebbetts during his time as Cincinnati Reds manager.
