John Antonelli (baseball infielder)
Encyclopedia
John Lawrence Antonelli (July 15, 1915 – April 18, 1990) was an American
third baseman
in Major League Baseball
in 1944-45 and a longtime coach
and manager
at the minor league level. The native of Memphis, Tennessee
, batted and threw right-handed, stood 5'11" (180 cm) tall and weighed 165 pounds (75 kg).
Antonelli was one of the youngest and least-experienced managers in minor league baseball annals. In , he signed his first professional contract with his hometown Memphis Chicks
of the Southern Association
, played in three games, batted
11 times, and garnered two hit
s for a .182 batting average
. He was then assigned, at age 19, to be the playing manager of the Lexington Giants of the Class D KITTY League, where he batted .326 and led the Giants to a 42-44 won/loss mark. Antonelli remained a playing skipper in the KITTY League through , where in his final season he managed the Union City Greyhounds
, a farm club of the St. Louis Cardinals
, to a first-place finish. After 1937, he suspended his managing career and was purely a second baseman
and third baseman with the Cardinals' Houston Buffaloes
and Columbus Red Birds
farm clubs for almost seven full seasons. Antonelli batted over .300 only once, but led his leagues in fielding percentage
as both a second- and third baseman.
On September 16, 1944, at age 29, Antonelli was recalled by the Cardinals and played his first National League
game. He appeared in eight games for the Cardinals and two more in the beginning of before St. Louis swapped him to the Philadelphia Phillies
on May 8. Antonelli played 125 games for the 1945 Phils and batted .256. With the end of the World War II
manpower shortage, Antonelli's major league playing career ended. In 135 games and 528 at bats, he batted .252 with one home run
and 29 runs batted in.
Antonelli's minor league playing career ended in 1950 as a playing manager, when he led the Hot Springs Bathers
to the championship of the Class C Cotton States League
. He briefly scouted for the Chicago White Sox
in the years following, but largely spent the period of 1951-67 out of professional baseball. In , the New York Mets
established a Class AA Texas League
farm team, the Memphis Blues, in Antonelli's hometown and Antonelli returned to uniform as a coach. But in August , Antonelli succeeded Pete Pavlick
as the Memphis manager, and led the Blues to six wins in eight games and the Texas League playoff championship. In he was named fulltime pilot of the Blues, and he continued as a manager in the Mets farm system through 1976 with Memphis (1970-72), the Class AAA Tidewater Tides (1973-74), and the Class AA Jackson Mets
(1975-76). His career record as a minor league manager was 745-688 (.520).
Antonelli then served as a roving minor league infield instructor in the Mets' system, through 1985. He died in 1990 in Memphis at the age of 74 and is buried at Calvary Cemetery.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
in 1944-45 and a longtime coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
and manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
at the minor league level. The native of Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, batted and threw right-handed, stood 5'11" (180 cm) tall and weighed 165 pounds (75 kg).
Antonelli was one of the youngest and least-experienced managers in minor league baseball annals. In , he signed his first professional contract with his hometown Memphis Chicks
Memphis Chicks
The Memphis Chicks were an American minor league baseball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Chicks were charter members of the Southern Association from 1901 until November 18, 1960, when the club folded and was transferred to Macon, Georgia for 1961.The Chicks suffered a...
of the Southern Association
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...
, played in three games, batted
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
11 times, and garnered two hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
s for a .182 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
. He was then assigned, at age 19, to be the playing manager of the Lexington Giants of the Class D KITTY League, where he batted .326 and led the Giants to a 42-44 won/loss mark. Antonelli remained a playing skipper in the KITTY League through , where in his final season he managed the Union City Greyhounds
Union City Greyhounds
The Union City Greyhounds were a summer collegiate baseball team based in Union City, Tennessee. The team, which played in the KIT League played its home games in Elam Stadium at LH Ladd Field, located in Union City, Tennessee....
, a farm club of the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, to a first-place finish. After 1937, he suspended his managing career and was purely a second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
and third baseman with the Cardinals' Houston Buffaloes
Houston Buffaloes
The Houston Buffaloes or Buffs were an American minor league baseball team that was founded in 1888, played in the Texas League in the years 1888-90, 1892, 1895-99, and 1907-1958 ; in the South Texas League in the years 1903-06; and in the American Association from 1959-61...
and Columbus Red Birds
Columbus Red Birds
The Columbus Red Birds was the name of a top-level minor league baseball team that played in Columbus, Ohio, in the American Association from 1931 through 1954. The Columbus club, a member of the Association continuously since 1902, was previously known as the Columbus Senators — a typical...
farm clubs for almost seven full seasons. Antonelli batted over .300 only once, but led his leagues in fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
as both a second- and third baseman.
On September 16, 1944, at age 29, Antonelli was recalled by the Cardinals and played his first National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
game. He appeared in eight games for the Cardinals and two more in the beginning of before St. Louis swapped him to the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
on May 8. Antonelli played 125 games for the 1945 Phils and batted .256. With the end of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
manpower shortage, Antonelli's major league playing career ended. In 135 games and 528 at bats, he batted .252 with one home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
and 29 runs batted in.
Antonelli's minor league playing career ended in 1950 as a playing manager, when he led the Hot Springs Bathers
Hot Springs Bathers
The Hot Springs Bathers were a Cotton States League baseball team based in Hot Springs, Arkansas that played from 1938 to 1941 and from 1947 to 1955. In 1938, they were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs. In 1939 and 1940, they were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers. From 1948 to 1951, they were...
to the championship of the Class C Cotton States League
Cotton States League
The Cotton States League name was used five different times in baseball history. The first Cotton States League ran from 1902 through 1908 as a class D league. After the league shut down, another Cotton States League was reformulated in 1910, with three of the six '08 members returning for the new...
. He briefly scouted for the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
in the years following, but largely spent the period of 1951-67 out of professional baseball. In , the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
established a Class AA Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
farm team, the Memphis Blues, in Antonelli's hometown and Antonelli returned to uniform as a coach. But in August , Antonelli succeeded Pete Pavlick
Pete Pavlick
Peter Pavlick, Jr. was a minor league baseball manager who is notable for leading the Georgia State League's Sandersville Giants to a co-league championship in 1955...
as the Memphis manager, and led the Blues to six wins in eight games and the Texas League playoff championship. In he was named fulltime pilot of the Blues, and he continued as a manager in the Mets farm system through 1976 with Memphis (1970-72), the Class AAA Tidewater Tides (1973-74), and the Class AA Jackson Mets
Jackson Mets
The Jackson Mets were a professional baseball team based in Jackson, Mississippi, from 1975 through 1990. As of 2010, they are the longest-tenured club to be based in the Jackson metropolitan area...
(1975-76). His career record as a minor league manager was 745-688 (.520).
Antonelli then served as a roving minor league infield instructor in the Mets' system, through 1985. He died in 1990 in Memphis at the age of 74 and is buried at Calvary Cemetery.