Eddie Joost
| Eddie Joost | |||
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Joost in 1954
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| Shortstop / Manager | |||
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Born: June 5, 1916 San Francisco, California |
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Died: April 12, 2011 (aged 94) Fair Oaks, California |
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| MLB debut | |||
| September 11, 1936, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 25, 1955, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .239 | ||
| Home runs | 134 | ||
| Runs batted in | 601 | ||
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As player
As manager |
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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As player
As manager
Edwin David Joost (June 5, 1916 – April 12, 2011) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1955. In 1954, Joost became the third and last manager in the 54-year history of the Philadelphia Athletics. Under Joost, the A's finished last in the American League and lost over 100 games. After that season, they relocated to Kansas City.
An outstanding defensive player, the right-handed-hitting Joost hit for power but struck out at a higher rate for his era. In a 17-year major league playing career (1936–37; 1939–43; 1945; 1947–55) for the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, Athletics and Boston Red Sox, Joost smashed 134 home runs, with a batting average of .239.
During a 1941 game with the Reds, Joost fielded 19 balls at shortstop, recording 9 put-outs and 10 assists. In 1943, as a Boston Brave, Joost batted .185 in 421 at bats.
His somewhat high strikeout rate notwithstanding, Joost was a central figure in the brief revival of the Athletics in the late 1940s. For three seasons — 1947 through 1949 — the A's, after over a decade of futility, played over .500 baseball. Joost was their regular shortstop and one of the team's leaders. He twice hit over 20 home runs, and batted .289 in 1951.
Joost was an integral part of an Athletics' infield that registered the still-unmatched feat of turning more than 200 double plays in three consecutive seasons, between 1949–51. The Athletics' 1949 season mark of 217 double plays remains the all-time best in Major League history. One factor contributing to Joost's performance with the A's was his decision to wear eyeglasses on the field, which he had avoided earlier in his career because of the negative stereotype of athletes with eyewear at the time. After speaking with A's manager Connie Mack, Joost began to wear his glasses while playing — and improved his hitting.
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Wikipedia