Philadelphia Phillies - The World War II Era (1940-1949)

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1940

103

Decade

111

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109

108

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Titles:

Top Phillies Players of the Forties

None

Pitchers:

Ballpark:

Schoolboy Rowe (11.34) - 37

Shibe Park

Dutch Leonard (12.96) - 25

Tommy Hughes (6.03) - 21

Team Name:

Ken Heintzelman (9.15) - 19

Phillies (1940-1942,1945-1949)

Dick Barrett (5.08) - 19

Blue Jays (1943-1944)

Ken Raffensberger (6.73) - 17

Si Johnson (2.74) - 16

Owners:

Robin Roberts (6.51) - 15

Gerald P Nugent (1940-1942)

Kirby Higbe (4.43) - 13

William D Cox (1943)

Russ Meyer (4.35) - 12

Bob Carpenter Jr (1944-1949)

Andy Karl (4.53) - 9

Blix Donnelly (6.42) - 6

General Managers:

Herb Pennock (1944-1947)

Catchers:

Bob Carpenter Jr (1948-1949)

Andy Seminick (10.18) - 37

Managers:

First Basemen:

Doc Prothro (1940-1941)

Nick Etten (5.13) - 10

Hans Lobert (1942)

Bucky Harris (1943)

Second Basemen:

Fred FitzSimmons (1943-1945)

Danny Murtaugh (2.2) - 13

Ben Chapman (1945-1948)

Dusty Cooke (1948)

ShortStop:

Eddie Sawyer (1948-1949)

Granny Hamner (1.96) - 12

Hall of Famers:

Third Base:

Richie Ashburn

Pinky May (10.55) - 16

Robin Roberts

Outfield:

Rookie of the Year:

Del Ennis (16.21) - 40

None

Richie Ashburn (6.83) - 27

Ron Northey (8.55) - 24

MVP

Buster Adams (6.06) - 19

None

Harry Walker (7.11) - 18

Jimmy Wasdell (2.96) - 17

No Hitters:

Danny Litwhiler (7.88) - 15

None

Johnny Wyrostek (5.19) - 14

Vince DiMaggio (1.91) - 13

Notable Events:

Coaker Triplett (1.52) - 12

1942 - NL owners oust Gerald P Nugent. The club has averaged

Notable Events:

a 45-107 record over the previous five years. Enough was enough.

In comes 33 year old entrepreneur William D Cox

1944 - Bob Carpenter Jr enlists into the army and Herb Pennock

takes over the operation of the club. Pennock, who had a terrific eye for

1943 - NL owners oust William D Cox who was betting on his own

talent, invests a million dollars (a lot in those days) signing youngsters

team. It was the manager he fired, Bucky Harris, who ratted him out.

who would eventually become the NL champion Whiz kids in 1950.

Pennock's strategy was similar to that of the Dodgers' Branch Rickey,

1943 - Bob Carpenter Sr. buys the club and makes his son, Bob Jr.

signing youngsters who were military eligible. Most GMs were staying

team president. The Carpenter's were friends of the Connie Mack

away from those as potentially risky investments.

family and Mack recommended that the Carpenters hire Herb Pennock

as their GM. Pennock had been director of Minor League operations

The signings:

for the Red Sox and was a brilliant baseball mind.

□ Andy Seminick, c, 23, 1943 - purchased from Dodgers

□ Del Ennis, of, 18, 1943

1944 - Pennock tries to name the team "Blue Jays", but no one

□ Granny Hamner, ss, 19 1944

is interested. The name lingers thru the end of the decade

□ Steve Ridzik, p, 16, 1945

before it is put to rest for good. The idea was for the team to distance

□ Richie Ashburn, of, 18, 1945

itself from it's woeful Phillies roots of the previous three decades.

□ Stan Lopata, c, 21 1946

□ Curt Simmons, p, 18, 1947

□ Willie Jones, 3b, 22, 1947

□ Jim Konstanty, p, 31, 1948 - picked up as free agent

□ Robin Roberts, p, 22 1948

1948 - Herb Pennock dies. This franchise is definitely jinxed.

They finally find a top level baseball man who leads them out of the

wilderness and he dies suddenly, the picture of health at the

time, at the age of fifty three, with a cerebral hemmorhage.

Bob Carpenter Jr retakes the reigns of the club, but he's not

a savvy baseball guy and makes no significat additions to the

club until he finally gives up the reigns in 1954.