| Bill Werber | |
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| Third baseman | |
| Born: June 20, 1908 Berwyn Heights, Maryland |
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| Died: January 22, 2009 (aged 100) Charlotte, North Carolina |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| June 25, 1930 for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 5, 1942 for the New York Giants | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .271 |
| Home runs | 78 |
| Runs batted in | 539 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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William Murray Werber (June 20, 1908 – January 22, 2009) was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees (1930, 1933), Boston Red Sox (1933–1936), Philadelphia Athletics (1937–1938), Cincinnati Reds (1939–1941) and New York Giants (1942). He led American League third basemen in putouts and assists once each, and also led National League third basemen in assists, double plays and fielding percentage once each. A strong baserunner, he led the AL in stolen bases three times and led the NL in runs in 1939 as the Reds won the pennant. He was born in Berwyn Heights, Maryland and batted and threw right-handed.
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A 5'10", 170-pound infielder, Werber was at spring training and toured for several weeks in July with the Yankees in 1927. He returned to North Carolina to attend school at Duke University, where he was the first Duke basketball player to earn All-America honors. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and a recipient of the Significant Sig Award. He played with Duke in spring and semi-pro ball in summers until 1930 when he officially becoming a Yankee rookie in 1930. He appeared in only four games that season, and was sent to the minors. In his first game he reached base five times including his first at bat where, according to Ford Frick (then a sportswriter, later commissioner of baseball): "Werber, in his first time at bat in big league competition, with two strikes on him watched the next four balls with the coolness of a veteran." Decades later, Werber enjoyed admitting that he was so frozen by fear that he was unable to move his arms to make a swing at the ball. In 1933, Frankie Crosetti was the obvious choice as the Yankees' shortstop, and with Tony Lazzeri at second base and Joe Sewell on third, Werber was expendable. Then, after playing only three games he was sold to the Boston Red Sox. The rest of the year he appeared in 108 games with Boston as a utility infielder at shortstop, second and third bases.
In 1934, Werber became the starting third baseman of the Red Sox. He responded with a career-high .321 batting average, including 200 hits; led the American League with 40 stolen bases, and posted double digits in doubles (41), triples (10) and home runs (11). He led the league in stolen bases in 1935 (29) and 1937 (35). Boston traded him to the Philadelphia Athletics for the 1937 season, and he joined the Cincinnati Reds in 1939.
In his first National League season, Werber became the first player ever to bat on television during a game between Cincinnati and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field (August 26, 1939). He ended with a .289 average in 147 games and led the league with 115 runs as Cincinnati faced the Yankees in the 1939 World Series, losing in four games. The next season belonged to Werber and the Reds, though, and although his batting numbers were generally down from 1939, he led the league with a .962 fielding average and finished 10th in voting for the NL's MVP Award. The 1940 World Series was the only Series in a six-year span that the Yankees did not win. Cincinnati beat the Detroit Tigers in seven games as Werber led his team with a .370 average (10-for-27). Werber still holds one Major League record, as he is the only player to hit four consecutive doubles in both leagues (with Boston in the A.L. and with the Reds in the N.L.) After that, he played with the New York Giants in 1942, his last major league season.
In an 11-season career, Werber was a .271 hitter with 78 home runs and 539 RBI in 1,295 games. One of the most aggressive baserunners of the 1930s, probably the most aggressive next to Ben Chapman, he stole 215 bases. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1961.
Werber had a very successful business career following his retirement from baseball. He began selling pension plans, and his work ethic and good communication skills yielded outstanding results. He ultimately oversaw the operations of the Werber Insurance Agency, started by his father in 1904. He was a top producer until his retirement in the early 1970s. He retired to Naples, Florida, but lived in a retirement home in Charlotte, North Carolina until the time of his passing. Werber authored three books over the years; "Circling the Bases", "Hunting is for the Birds" and at age 96 saw his last book published, "Memories of a Ballplayer". Before he died he said that he no longer watched baseball; one of his stated reasons was that he was dismayed to see Johnny Damon's long hair and beard.[1] In 2008, Werber said, "I don't like the appearance of a lot of the players. The hair's too long. Their beards are too evident. They're a grubby-looking bunch of caterwaulers."[2]
Werber died on January 22, 2009, in Charlotte, North Carolina, at age 100.
At the time of his death, Werber was recognized as the oldest living player in Major League Baseball. Werber was also both the final surviving teammate of Babe Ruth as well as the last living opponent of Ruth (while Ruth was with the Yankees).
| Preceded by Ben Chapman Lyn Lary |
American League Stolen Base Champion 1934-1935 1937 (with Ben Chapman) |
Succeeded by Lyn Lary Frankie Crosetti |
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