George Altman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids George Altman |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: March 20, 1933 Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: April 11, 1959, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| NPB: April 6, 1968, for the Tokyo Orions | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: October 1, 1967, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| NPB: October 16, 1975, for the Hanshin Tigers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .269 | ||
| Home runs | 101 | ||
| Runs batted in | 403 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .309 | ||
| Home runs | 205 | ||
| Runs batted in | 656 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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George Lee Altman, born on March 20, 1933, is a former professional baseball player from America. He was an outfielder and played for many years in both Major League Baseball (MLB) in the U.S. and Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.
He was chosen as a National League All-Star three times. George played in 991 games over nine seasons in the major leagues. When he was 35, he started playing baseball in Japan for eight years. There, he hit 205 home runs and had a batting average of .309. George batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg).
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George Altman's Early Life and College
George Altman went to Dillard High School in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He was the captain of his school's basketball team in 1950-51. He was a great center who could shoot well.
When he was young, George worked in tobacco fields. In high school, he decided to focus on his studies. He wanted to go to college so he wouldn't have to work in the tobacco fields or factories in his hometown.
College Sports and Studies
An assistant coach from George's high school suggested he go to Tennessee State University. This school, then called Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial College, is an historically black college (HBCU) in Nashville. George played baseball and basketball there. He graduated with honors in 1955. He was an honor roll student and a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha sports fraternity.
At first, Tennessee State only had a basketball team. George played basketball there until his junior year. That's when the school started a baseball team. His basketball coach was John McLendon, who is now in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. George's Tennessee State team was the first HBCU to play in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national basketball tournament.
George started playing baseball in his junior year. One of his teammates was Fred Valentine, who also became a major league player. They played against other college teams, Army base teams, and even Negro League teams.
Awards and Recognition
In February 1960, Goldsboro celebrated "George Altman Day" to honor him. In 1961, he was put into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. Later, in 1983, he was also inducted into the Tennessee State University Hall of Fame.
George Altman's Baseball Career
Playing in North America
Kansas City Monarchs and Chicago Cubs
After college, George Altman first planned to be a basketball coach. He even had a job offer at Memphis’ Lemoyne College. But an official from Tennessee A & I suggested he try out for the Kansas City Monarchs. This team was part of the Negro American League.
George joined the Monarchs right away and played for them for three months in 1955. Then, in August 1955, the Chicago Cubs signed him. This happened because Buck O'Neil, a future Hall of Famer who was the Monarchs' player-manager, recommended him. Buck O'Neil later became a scout for the Cubs.
The Cubs bought George's contract from the Monarchs. He joined the Cubs' main team in 1959. Before that, he spent two years in the minor leagues and two years in the United States Army. In the Army, he played baseball and basketball for the Fort Carson team. He also played winter league baseball in Panama in 1958-59.
In 1959, George started 102 games in center field. On Opening Day, he got two hits in three at-bats against Don Drysdale. The Cubs won that game 6–1. As a rookie, he batted .245, but he hit 12 home runs and had 47 runs batted in (RBI). He also scored 54 runs. The sportswriters in Chicago chose him as the team's rookie-of-the-year. George's first hitting coach in the major leagues was Rogers Hornsby, who helped him a lot.
In 1960, George played a bit less because of an ankle injury. He also had been sick with mononucleosis. He played all three outfield positions and first base. Even with fewer plate appearances, he improved his batting average to .266. He also hit 13 home runs and had 51 RBI. His slugging percentage went up from .383 in 1959 to .455 in 1960.
In 1961, George became the Cubs' main right field player. By the All-Star break, he was batting .349, almost as high as Roberto Clemente's .357. George was named an All-Star in 1961 and played in both All-Star games that year. (MLB played two All-Star games from 1959 to 1962). In his first All-Star at bat, during the first game on July 11, George hit a pinch hit home run. The National League won that game 5–4.
For the whole year, George batted .303 in 138 games. He hit 27 home runs and led the National League with 12 triples. He was among the top ten hitters in the NL for home runs, batting average, and RBI. He also won "player of the month" honors. George was also known for his good defense. He led NL right fielders in fielding percentage in 1961 with .981.
He had another strong season in 1962. He was again chosen for the All-Star team for the second game that year. George played in 147 games, which was his personal best. He also had his best numbers for hits (170), batting average (.318), and stolen bases (19). He was among the top players in the NL for batting average, on-base percentage, and stolen bases. He also hit 22 home runs.
However, the Cubs had a tough season in 1962, losing over 100 games. After the 1962 season, George was part of a big trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs traded him to get pitchers Larry Jackson and Lindy McDaniel. This was a major trade because the Cubs were giving up their best hitter to make their pitching stronger. But after this, George did not reach the same high hitting levels he had in 1961-62.
St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and Back to Cubs
In 1963, George became the starting right fielder for the Cardinals. He helped them in a pennant race against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cardinals finished second, six games behind the Dodgers. George started 111 games in right field.
But George's performance went down. He was often platooned, meaning he only started against right-handed pitchers. His batting average dropped to .274, and he hit only nine home runs. He still had one of the best fielding percentages among NL right fielders.
Again, he was traded after the season. In November, he went to the New York Mets for pitcher Roger Craig. George played four more years in the major leagues. Only in 1964, his only season with the Mets, did he play regularly. But he hurt his shoulder in spring training and struggled with hitting. He batted .230 in 124 games and hit only nine home runs. In January 1965, he was traded back to the Cubs.
He played three more years for the Cubs as a spare outfielder. He appeared in 90 games in 1965, 88 games in 1966, and only 15 in 1967. This was his last MLB season.
George spent most of the 1967 season with the Triple-A Tacoma Cubs. There, at age 34, he played regularly and started hitting well again. He batted .280, with 15 home runs and 70 RBI in just 108 games.
Playing in Japan
George's good performance in Tacoma helped him the next season. He started his career in Japanese baseball. He played from 1968 to 1975. He played for the Tokyo/Lotte Orions (1968-74) and the Hanshin Tigers (1975). In Japan, he had seasons with 39, 34, and 30 home runs. He also had four more years with 20 or more home runs. He batted over .300 six times.
Some highlights from his NPB career include leading the Pacific League in hits (170), runs (84), and RBI (100) in 1968. He was also named to the "Best Nine" Pacific League team in 1968, 1970, and 1971. He said that martial arts training helped him succeed in baseball in Japan.
George Altman's MLB Career Totals
In his nine years in Major League Baseball with the Cubs, Cardinals, and Mets, George Altman batted .269. He had 832 hits, including 132 doubles, 34 triples, and 101 home runs. He had 403 RBI in 991 games played. He had a .981 fielding percentage playing all three outfield positions and first base.
In his three All-Star Game appearances, his 1961 home run was his only hit. He played without an error in the field for three innings as the National League's right fielder in the second All-Star game on July 31.
George Altman was one of only three players to hit two home runs in a game against the famous Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax. The other two were Hall of Famer Ernie Banks and three-time All-Star Felipe Alou.
George Altman's Personal Life
During the baseball offseason, George worked as a substitute elementary school teacher.
When he was 42, while playing baseball in Japan, George overcame colon cancer.
After he stopped playing professional baseball, George Altman became a commodities trader at the Chicago Board of Trade.
George Altman retired with his wife Etta to O'Fallon, Missouri. He became interested in horseshoe competitions. In 2012, he was on a team that won a national horseshoe event.
In 2013, George Altman helped write his autobiography. It was called George Altman: My Baseball Journey from the Negro Leagues to the Majors and Beyond.
See Also
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
- List of Negro league baseball players who played in Major League Baseball
