Dick Bartell
| Birthdate | 11/22/1907 |
| Death Date | 8/4/1995 |
| Debut Year | 1923 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Cubs, Giants, Phillies, Pirates, Tigers |
| Position | Shortstop |
Nicknamed “Rowdy Richard”, shortstop Dick Bartell played from 1927-1946; he received support in MVP balloting in 6 seasons and amassed over 2,000 hits.
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Dick Bartell played in three World Series and was the National League's starting shortstop in the first All Star Game
Dick Bartell played in three World Series and was the National League's starting shortstop in the first All Star Game
Dick Bartell was one of the most competitive and combative players of his era. Never one to back down, he enjoyed an 18-year big league career.
Bartell broke in with the NL champion Pirates in 1927 and became their everyday shortstop two years later. That 1929 campaign was a good for the 21-year old. Bartell hit .302 with 184 hits, 40 doubles, 13 triples and 101 runs scored.
A holdout for the first month of 1930, Bartell nonetheless tallied a career-high 75 runs batted to go along with a .320 batting average. Defensively he led all National League shortstops in chances per game. His time in Pittsburgh was short lived. Stung by the Bartell’s choices in contract negotiations, Pittsburgh owner Barney Dreyfus shipped him to the Phillies after the season.
This began a pattern of short stays for the fiery Bartell.
The shortstop spent four seasons in Philadelphia highlighted by a league-leading 154 games played in ’31, a .308 average in ’32, and a start in MLB’s first All Star Game in ’33.
Bartell’s legendary aggression angered fans around the league, especially in Brooklyn. In the opening series of 1933 he spiked Dodger first baseman Joe Judge who called it intentional. Later in the season things escalated. Brooklyn pitchers repeatedly knocked him down; Bartell responded by spiking Dodger shortstop Lonny Frey.
The Phillies traded Bartell to the New York Giants in ’34 for four players and cash. Knowing Bartell’s history with Brooklyn, New York skipper Bill Terry was happy to add him to the Giant-Dodger rivalry.
Bartell’s stay in the Big Apple lasted from 1935-1938 and included World Series appearances in ’36 and ’37.
In 1936 Bartell got into another scrape with the Dodgers. After getting knocked down by Van Lingle Mungo, Bartell bunted toward first base hoping to tangle with the pitcher. Mungo complied, hip checking Bartell to the ground. When he got to his feet, Bartell exchanged punches with Mungo as the benches empties. During the melee an errant Bartell haymaker connected with one of Bill Terry’s eye sockets.
In ’37 Bartell had a career-best 6.6 WAR, his second straight season over 6.0. He also continued to agitate and fight opponents.
In an early-June contest in Chicago, Bartell got caught in a rundown and took exception to Cubs shortstop Billy Jurges’ hard tag. The next game Bartell responded with a tag of equal force as Jurges slid into second. Punches followed and both were ejected.
The Giants and their fans loved his ferocity. On June 30 the team showered their shortstop with gifts on Dick Bartell Day at the Polo Grounds. A week later he played in his second All Star Game.
At the conclusion of the 1938 season, Bartell was part of a six-player swap that included his former punching partner Jurges. Bartell wrote in his autobiography Rowdy Richard, “I was shocked…I’d had an off year, but I was only 31…Maybe the fact that…I was traded for Billy Jurges rankled me. I outhit him and was his equal in the field.”
After just one season in Chicago, the Cubs flipped Bartell to Detroit for shortstop Billy Rogell. With the Tigers Bartell appeared in his third Fall Classic in 1940.
After hitting .233 in 1940, Bartell got off to a slow start in ’41. With just two hits in his first 12 at bats, he earned his release five games into his 15th season.
The Giants snapped him up and installed him as their third baseman. Bartell responded by hitting .303 with a .394 on-base percentage in 104 games.
In 1943 the 36-year old Bartell was drafted into the Army. The next two years were spent coaching an Army baseball team. When he returned in 1946, Bartell coached third base for the Giants and played in five games before ending his playing career.
His career statistics include 2,165 hits, 442 doubles, 1,130 runs scored and a .284 average.
In The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, the author summed up Bartell.
“Bartell didn’t drink a lot; he didn’t carouse a lot. But he had a big mouth, and he took pride in not backing away from people. Although he was an outstanding player, he bounced from the Pirates to the Phillies to the Giants to the Cubs to the Tigers and back to the Giants. The second half of his career he was a player who was routinely booed in almost every city.”
The image above shows a government postcard signed by Bartell in 1955.
After an 18-year playing career ended in 1946, Bartell remained in professional baseball for another decade
After an 18-year playing career ended in 1946, Bartell remained in professional baseball for another decade
When his playing career ended, Bartell took the manager’s job for the PCL’s Sacremento club in 1947. After the season he moved on as skipper for the Yankees’ farm team in Kansas City for one year.
In 1950, Bartell returned to the bigs as the third-base coach for the Tigers – a position he held for three seasons.
When he was let go in Detroit Bartell sat out one year before assuming his familiar role as third-base coach, this time for the Reds. He stayed in Cincinnati for the 1954 and ’55 campaigns.
His final job in pro baseball was as skipper for the South Atlantic League’s team in Montgomery, Alabama. He was fired in mid-season and gave up the game for good.
Shown here is the back of the government postcard that Bartell signed. Notice the USPS postmark from New York City dated April 26, 1955.
Bartell was a coach for the Cincinnati Reds in ’55. That day their game scheduled in Brooklyn was postponed due to inclement weather.
The two teams made up the contest the following day. The Dodgers beat the Reds 7-2 behind Pee Wee Reese and Carl Furillo who combined for four hits, and two RBI. Each man also scored a run.
The loss dropped the Reds to a woeful 2-11 mark. In the year of their only World Series championship in Brooklyn, the Dodgers improved to 12-2.
Bartell was fired as skipper of the Montogmery Rebels in his final season in organized baseball and replaced by Earl Weaver
Bartell was fired as skipper of the Montogmery Rebels in his final season in organized baseball and replaced by Earl Weaver
Dick Bartell started in pro baseball as a fresh-faced teenager in 1927. His last association as a professional came as the 49-year old manager Class-A Montgomery Rebels in 1956.
Fired in midseason, Bartell was replaced by his own second baseman, 25-year old career minor leaguer Earl Weaver.
It was Weaver’s first managerial job at any level. The fiery skipper went on to manage the Baltimore Orioles for 17 seasons, winning four American League pennants and the 1970 World Series title. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996.
Shown here is a government postcard signed by Weaver in 1952, four years before succeeding Bartell. More on Weaver can be found by clicking here.
After leaving baseball, Bartell returned to his offseason home in Alameda, California. The former infielder remained there for the rest of his life. In his twilight years Bartell suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. He passed away at the age of 87 in 1995.
