Andy Pafko 1921-2013

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Andy Pafko, NL outfielder for 3 teams in 1940s and 1950s, passed away this week. A four-time All-Star, Pafko compiled over 36 WAR in a 17-year career of over 7000 PAs. Pafko’s career was also notable for the galaxy of star teammates he played with and some of the memorable teams and games he was a part of.

More on Andy Pafko after the jump.

For the years he was active (1943-59) Pafko ranked in the top 10 for NL Games, PA, Hits and RBI, and in the NL top 20 for WAR, HR, 2B, 3B, BB and Runs. His 117 career OPS+ placed him in the top 50 for both leagues (min. 3000 PA).

For his prime years of 1947-53, Pafko was one of only 4 players in baseball (all were in the NL) to qualify for the batting title each year with an OPS+ of 112 or better. Included were 3 seasons with 25+ home runs and 4 seasons with 90+ RBI. In Pafko’s career peak of 1948-50, he had two seasons over 6 WAR and was one of five NLers with OPS+ above 140 over those seasons.

In his years in Chicago, Brooklyn and Milwaukee, Pafko played with a dazzling array of star teammates, including 10 future HOFers (Snider, Robinson, Campanella, Reese, Aaron, Spahn and Mathews among them). Pafko was a regular on pennant-winning teams for the Cubs (1945) and Dodgers (1952), and was a useful reserve for the Braves in their two championship seasons (1957, 1958).

With Pafko’s passing there is only Lennie Merullo still living among the members of the last Cubs team to win a pennant. Pafko is also remembered as the Dodger left-fielder reduced to watching forlornly as Bobby Thomson‘s famous 1951 pennant-winning home run sailed over his head. Of the players who appeared in that game, there are now only 5 who are still living.

Finally, for an HHS exclusive to be found nowhere else, Pafko appeared for the Braves in their game of June 12, 1957 in Ebbets Field against the Dodgers. In the 9th inning of the Dodgers 11-9 win, Eddie Mathews hit the 200th home run of his career, joining Pafko, Bobby Thomson, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges and Roy Campanella as players in that game who had then reached the 200 HR plateau, the first time that six 200 HR players had appeared in the same game.

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Jeff Harris

10 years ago

Wow, I had never heard of the guy.

no statistician but

10 years ago

Reply to Jeff Harris

Jeff:

Pafko was a real presence, a hustling, serious guy on the field and, from all indications, a very nice person off it— the type of player worthy of remembrance. Of middle European extraction like Stan Musial his contemporary, he was a similar type of player but on a lesser scale.

Pafko is one of the few players to earn All Star status in the infield (3B—1948) and the outfield, his normal position at his peak being center.

Editor

birtelcom

10 years ago

Over the 10-year period from 1944 through 1953, the top WAR in the majors among players whose primary position during the period was center field: 1. Andy Pafko 33.8 2. Larry Doby 32.4 3. Joe DiMaggio 29.5 4. Duke Snider 28.5 5. Richie Ashburn 26.5 It’s true that Pafko over these particular 10 years played in over 1,300 MLB games, while the other four guys on this list all played in fewer than 900. This was the core of Pafko’s career, but not that of the other four guys. But that’s the point — during this period Pafko was a… Read more »

Paul E

10 years ago

Doug:
I don’t know if it’s true, but apparently Lenny Merullo, at age 96, is still with us and is the last survivor of the ’45 Cubs (per a Pafko obituary).
That full season at 3B that NSB points out in comment #3 came without any experience at the position in organized ball (at age 27, no less)!
Pafko had to be one of the first guys to play in the World Series with three different organizations

Richard Chester

10 years ago

Reply to Paul E

Paul E: You are right about Merullo being the last surviving member of the 1945 Cubs.
The following players played in a WS for three different teams prior to Pafko:
Stuffy McInnis
Wally Schang
Bullet Joe Bush

Author

Doug

10 years ago

Reply to Paul E

Thanks Paul, I’ve updated the post.

Paul E

10 years ago

Richard:
Thanks for the info. Wally Schang is 13th all-time in WAR amongst catchers; in the top 25 in WAR amongst switch hitters, and is behind only Ted Simmons and ahead of Jorge Posada in switch hitting catcher WAR……not even a sniff of Cooperstown in balloting

Richard Chester

10 years ago

Reply to Paul E

Schang seems to be a forgotten player. According to the record books he was, since 1901, the first player to hit HR right-handed and left-handed in the same game.

Hartvig

10 years ago

Pafko exited baseball just before I started taking an interest in it but for some of the reasons that Doug mentioned I became familiar with him fairly early on. I’ve been trying to think of a recent retiree who might be viewed in a similar light by someone in the same circumstances today and I’ve been having a hard time coming up with anyone. Rondell White was never that good. Bernie Williams was probably too good for too long plus he’s only associated with the Yankees. Tim Salmon would be closer but you’ve got the Angels thing with him. I… Read more »

Author

Doug

10 years ago

Reply to Hartvig

Chili Davis, maybe. Or, Torii Hunter.

10 years ago

Reply to Doug

How about another Andy…Andy Van Slyke?

Similar triple slash lines and OPS+:

Pafko: .285/.350/.449; OPS+ of 117
Van Slyke: .274/.349/.443: OPS+ of 119

Both played all 3 outfield positions plus a little 3b. Both finished 4th in the MVP voting (Pafko once, Van Slyke twice). Pafko played in 4 All-Star games, Van slyke in 3.

Both were dreadful in the postseason: Pafko had a .542 OPS in 77 PAs; Van Slyke .575 in 110 PAs.

Van Slyke has a bit more career WAR mainly due to superior baserunning but their peak WARs were quite similar.

Author

Doug

10 years ago

Reply to Ed

Nice find, Ed.

I think Van Slyke is our man.

Hartvig

10 years ago

Reply to Ed

I agree.

Hard to imagine a better match plus except Van Slyke was a little more quotable. He was even born not too long after Pafko hung up his glove.

Editor

birtelcom

10 years ago

Reply to Hartvig

Reggie Sanders or Ron Gant? They traveled around to more teams than Pafko. Ray Lankford or, going back further, Rick Monday?

Richard Chester

10 years ago

Pafko’s debut in Wrigley Field on 9-24-43 wasn’t seen by many people. There were 314 folks in the stands that day.

Editor

John Autin

10 years ago

Nice remembrance, Doug. Interesting that #4 on Pafko’s Similarity Scores is Bobby Thomson. Their WAR value and career length were pretty similar, too.

no statistician but

10 years ago

Reply to John Autin

They also were teammates for four years on the Aaron-Matthews-Spahn Braves.

JasonZ

10 years ago

Noticed that Gates Brown recently passed away.

His career represents another bygone era in baseball.

He played his entire 13 year career with Detroit.

What I find fascinating is that he only averaged about 80 games and 190 AB ‘s per season.

The thought is this, I wonder how common it used to be for a spot starter and mid game replacement to play an entire career for one team.

Would love to hear thoughts and remembrances as to how Mr. Brown achieved this.

Congrats Detroit.

Richard Chester

10 years ago

Reply to JasonZ

I have found two non-catchers with careers of 10+ years, all with 1 team. Pat Mullin of the Tigers, 10 years and 864 G, and Joe Collins of the Yankees, 10 years and 908 G.

Richard Chester

10 years ago

Reply to JasonZ

JasonZ: During Brown’s tenure with the Tigers they really seemed to hold onto their players. For the ten year period from 1964-1973 nine Tigers played together. Besides Brown there were Freehan, Horton, Lolich, Kaline, Cash, McAuliffe, Northrup and Stanley.

Editor

John Autin

10 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

Richard, don’t forget John Hiller in that group!!! (Although maybe you left him out for missing all of ’71?)

Richard Chester

10 years ago

Reply to John Autin

I extracted that list from “The SABR Baseball List & Record Book”.

Editor

John Autin

10 years ago

Reply to JasonZ

JasonZ — Since Gates Brown played 1,051 games, all for Detroit, I gathered all players with 1,000+ games all with one team, and then checked for the most seasons with less than 300 PAs: 11 — Gates Brown, Tigers (1963-75) 8 — Sibby Sisti, Braves (1939-54) 7 — Bill Russell, Dodgers (1969-86) 7 — Mickey Stanley, Tigers (1964-78) Of the 119 modern players with 1,000+ games all with one team, Brown’s 2,544 PAs were the fewest by far. Sisti was next with 3,370. BTW, those 1960s-70s Tigers were one of the most stable teams in MLB history: Al Kaline, 1953-74… Read more »

Author

Doug

10 years ago

Reply to JasonZ

How did Gates Brown do it?

He was generally regarded as being one of the top pinch-hitters of his time. Same as the last 10 years or so of Matt Stairs’ career.

Another similar one-team player was Tim Flannery. Going further back, Sibby Sisti of the Braves and Gene Alley of the Pirates were one-team players with the second half of their careers like Brown’s (so, more like a one-team Matt Stairs).

Editor

John Autin

10 years ago

Reply to Doug

Gator was one of the top pinch-hitters and substitutes of his time. For 1960-79:

— Out of 20 players with 300+ pinch-hit PAs, he ranked 4th in OPS (after Rettenmund, Burgess and Lynch), 2nd in SLG.

— Out of 22 players with 400+ PAs as a substitute, he was 1st in OPS and SLG, 3rd in OBP.

Author

Doug

10 years ago

Reply to John Autin

There’s a note on Gator’s B-R page that he had walk-off base hits in both end of a double-header on 8-11-68.

The first was a two-out pinch-hit HR in the 14th inning. Brown played the second game in LF and delivered the 5th consecutive Tiger single off 4 Red Sox pitchers to plate 4 runs in the 9th for a 6-5 win.

JasonZ

10 years ago

Thanks Richard. I assume it is a rare achievement regardless of era.

JasonZ

10 years ago

Richard:

It appears that Detroit during Browns career believed in continuity.

Thanks for that perspective.

JasonZ

10 years ago

Thanks John.

Your research proves to me that Gates Brown was far more unique than I imagined two hours ago.

Sibby Sisti is way before my time, so I have no recollections.

On the other hand, both Mickey Stanley and Bill Russell had many seasons as starters and therefore further guarantee Browns unique status in my mind.

Truly a special and rare accomplishment.

JasonZ

10 years ago

Thanks also Doug for pointing out the pinch hitting aspect.

I started gorging on baseball in 1976.

So I never saw Gates Brown play.

I remember Rusty Staub being a stellar pinch hitter for the Mets at the end of his career.

Also, Manny Mota and Jerry Morales who if memory serves, set the seasonal pinch hit record at 25 in 1976.

I seem to recall a baseball card from 1977 about this fact.

JasonZ

10 years ago

It is late and I confused my Morales’.

I meant Jose Morales.

Doug

10 years ago

Surprised nobody has commented on the unusual baseball card with the package of wieners logo in the corner.

It’s card #13 from the 1954 “Wilson Franks” set.

PaulE

10 years ago

Doug:
Regarding “Wilson Franks”, I’m pretty sure that’s a H&B Louisville Slugger with the logo “amended” to reflect the Wilson name…..and, most likely, not Wilson Sporting Goods.
I’m just thinking H&B had to have close to 100% of the baseball bat market in 1954, no?

Doug

10 years ago

Reply to PaulE

Could be. Before my time.

no statistician but

10 years ago

Reply to PaulE

With Armour and Swift, Wilson was one of the big 3 national meatpackers up through the 1950s. They’re all pretty much forgotten now.

Richard Chester

10 years ago

Here’s a couple of videos you might enjoy. Andy Pafko makes a brief appearance in the first one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7AL3e3Vlos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQcHPw0lqpI