Phil Weintraub

Philip Weintraub [″Mickey″] (October 12, 1907 – June 21, 1987), often confused with businessman Mickey Weintraub,^[1] was an American baseball player who had, as of 2012, the second most runs batted in (RBIs) in a single game (11).

Weintraub was primarily a reserve outfielder, though he was platooned at first base in the last few years of his career. He posted a .295 career batting average, including a .398 on-base percentage.^[2]

Through 2008, he had the fourth-best career batting average of all Jewish major league baseball players, being surpassed only by Hank Greenberg, Buddy Myer, and Lou Boudreau.^[3] Blessed with an excellent eye and bat control, he walked 232 times in his career while striking out only 182 times for a 1.27 BB/K ratio.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Weintraub first played for the Loyola University of Chicago baseball team.

Minor leagues

Weintraub was a heavy hitter in the minors, hitting 194 career home runs.^[4]

In 1934, he was helped to the first .400 batting average season in Southern Association history by Nashville Vols manager Chuck Dressen's ability to tip him off to pitches.

In 1939, with the Minneapolis Millers in the American Association, he hit .331 with 33 home runs and 126 RBIs. He followed in 1940 by hitting .347 with 27 home runs and 109 RBIs.^[5]

Major league career

New York Giants (1933–35)

His professional debut was on September 5, 1933, for the New York Giants.

In 1934, he batted .351 and a .461 on-base percentage in 31 games.

St. Louis Cardinals

In December 1935 he was traded by the Giants with Roy Parmelee and cash to the St. Louis Cardinals for Burgess Whitehead.

Cincinnati Reds (1937)

In August 1936 he was purchased by the Cincinnati Reds from the Cardinals.

New York Giants (1937)

In July 1937 he was purchased by the New York Giants from the Reds. Late in November he was sold by the Giants to the Baltimore Orioles of the International League.

Philadelphia Phillies (1938)

In June 1938 he was traded by Baltimore to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Gene Corbett. In that season he finished 3rd in the National League in on-base percentage (.422), 9th in batting average (.311), and 10th in walks (64). Late in December 1938 he was purchased by the Boston Red Sox from the Phillies.

He did not play major league baseball from 1939 through 1943.

New York Giants (1944–45)

In November 1943 he was obtained by the New York Giants from the St. Louis Browns in the rule 5 draft.

In 1944, Weintraub returned to the majors with the Giants as a war-time player after a six-year absence. He ended 5th in the National League in OBP (.412), slugging percentage (.524) and at bats per home run (27.8); 6th in triples (9), 8th in batting average (.316), and 9th in home runs (13). On April 30, Weintraub had 11 RBIs, one short of the major league record, as the Giants defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers, 26–8. He had two doubles, a triple, and a home run. Amazingly, he missed the cycle because he didn't get a single.

Weintraub played his last game on August 5, 1945.

Through 2010, he was fifth all-time in batting average (behind Hank Greenberg, Ryan Braun, Buddy Myer, and Lou Boudreau) among Jewish major league baseball players.^[6]

Miscellaneous

• He had the last hit in Philadelphia's Baker Bowl.

• There was no level playing field at Nashville's Sulphur Dell. The right fielder, if standing at the base of the fence, stood 22-1/2 feet above the playing field. Weintraub, playing the 'porch' in the 1930s, ran down the slope to field a hard-hit ground ball, only to have it go between his legs. As he turned to run up the hill to retrieve the ball, it bounded off the fence, and once again went between his legs. Finally grabbing the ball on his way back down the hill, he overthrew the third baseman while attempting to make a play on the batter who had rounded second, allowing him to score. Weintraub took three errors on the play.^[7]

• In 1934, during spring training, a Florida hotel refused entry to Weintraub and fellow Jew Harry Danning. "Hibiscus" was a code word for Hebrew in Florida — as in "we don’t have hibiscus in our hotel." Giants manager and All-Star first baseman Bill Terry threatened to take the entire World Champion team to another hotel unless his Jewish players were given lodging. The hotel's management backed down.^[8][9]

• On Yom Kippur of 1938, Weintraub and his Phillies teammate Morrie Arnovich opted to take the day off.^[10]

• Called "baseball's best-dressed pinch hitter" by journalist Fred Lieb.

• One cold, windy afternoon in spring 1944, the Giants played at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station, and the Navy staged a sideshow by dropping baseballs from a blimp 400 feet (120 m) in the air to Giant players. Weintraub managed to make a catch.^[11]

• Later became a manager.

• Weintraub died on June 21, 1987, in Palm Springs, California.

See also

• List of select Jewish baseball players

External links

• Baseball Reference stats
• Baseball Cube stats
• Fangraphs stats
• BR Bullpen profile
• Baseball Library bio
• Baseball Almanac bio
• Jews in Sports bio

References

1. ↑ The Deadball Era – Milton "Mickey" Weintraub obituary
2. ↑ Baseball Reference – Phil Weintraub major league profile
3. ↑ Career Batting Leaders through 2008, Jewish Major Leaguers website. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
4. ↑ Baseball Reference – Phil Weintraub minor league career
5. ↑ "Minneapolis Millers Individual Statistics-1931-1940". Google.com. August 27, 2010. Retrieved September 11, 2010. 
6. ↑ "Career Batting Leaders through 2010". Career Leaders. Jewish Major Leaguers. Retrieved February 10, 2011. 
7. ↑ "Sulphur Dell, the Nashville Vols". Google.com. June 20, 2008. Retrieved September 11, 2010. 
8. ↑ JewishPress.com
9. ↑ TheJewishWeek.com
10. ↑ Haaretz.com article
11. ↑ ".". New York Times. Retrieved August 24, 2011.