Jerry Priddy
Encyclopedia
Gerald Edward "Jerry" Priddy (November 9, 1919 - March 3, 1980), was a second baseman
in Major League Baseball
for 11 years. He played for the New York Yankees
(1941-1942), Washington Senators
(1943, 1946-1947), St. Louis Browns
(1948-1949), and Detroit Tigers
(1950-1953).
Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto
later said of Priddy's playing career: "I'll never understand what happened with him, other than bad luck and some injuries. Gerry was a better player than I was. He had more power and could play the heck out of second base." (Bill Madden, Pride of October, p. 11.)
Baseball historian Bill James
wrote an entire chapter about Priddy in his book The Politics of Glory. He concluded that Priddy hit relatively well, was one of the greatest defensive players in history, and had "essentially the same skills as Mazeroski
and Bolling
." James ranked Priddy as the 73rd best second baseman of all time. (The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, p. 525.)
, Priddy was signed by the New York Yankees' Southern California scouting chief, Bill Essick
. In 1938, Priddy was paired with shortstop
Phil Rizzuto
as a double play combination for three years in the Yankees' minor league organization. In 1938, Priddy and Rizzuto played beside each other on the Norfolk Tars
championship team. (Amy Walters Yarsinske, Summer on the Southside(Arcadia 1998), p. 63.) http://books.google.com/books?id=BxO54SmCjWgC&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=gerry+priddy&source=web&ots=R6uKu6zMDe&sig=bo1rBK1ug7Eh64UKdEgs7UbfKw4.
The following year, they were promoted together to the American Association's Kansas City Blues
. With Priddy, Rizzuto, and Vince DiMaggio
, the 1939 Blues went 107-47 and have been ranked as the 12th best minor league team of all-time according to MinorLeagueBaseball.com. http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/history/top100.jsp?idx=12 Rizzuto and the 19-year-old Priddy were two of the league's best players in 1939. Priddy hit .333 with 24 home runs and 107 RBIs, leading the American Association with 44 doubles (44); he was second in hits (193), total bases (339), and triples (15), third in batting average, and fourth in RBIs. He also led the league's second basemen in putouts (372), assists (456), and double plays (126). http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/history/top100.jsp?idx=12
By 1940, the exploits of Priddy and Rizzuto drew attention in New York as the Yankees' double play combination of the future. Mel Allen
gave regular reports about their performance in Kansas City during his New York radio broadcasts. Allen predicted they would become "the best the Yankees ever had." (Bill Madden, Pride of October: What It Was to Be Young and a Yankee [Warner Books 2003], p. 10.) http://books.google.com/books?id=H2q4F-xf8IkC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=gerry+priddy&source=web&ots=zgX2YetSE0&sig=p1VIXjnjSDe6otUhVYBg-Om8bbs
Rizzuto recalled Priddy as: "That huckleberry. He was something else. We were close even though we were opposites in a lot of ways. He was cocky.... oh he was sure of himself. Me, on the other hand, I was shy and always worried. He took me under his wing, but he loved playing tricks on me too.... like nailing my shoes to the floor, ripping up all my fan letters, all those things." (Bill Madden, Pride of October, p. 10.)
One book states that Priddy played in the late 1930s with Babe Herman
's All Stars, a touring team that staged exhibitions against all-stars from the Negro Leagues. Charlie Biot, an outfielder who played against Priddy, recalled in old age how impressive a ballplayer Priddy was in those games. http://books.google.com/books?id=aGGlTmcmB2gC&pg=PA157&lpg=PA157&dq=gerry+priddy&source=web&ots=83eXgGuvEr&sig=zjJuvvPtRLesHm5pyjOSg3Jn9Q4#PPA157,M1
On April 14, 1941, Time magazine wrote: "Last year these Keystone Kids led Kansas City to its second consecutive pennant and set a new league record for double plays: 130. Both are extraordinary hitters, extraordinary fielders." http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,932228,00.html?promoid=googlep
After McCarthy announced his plan, Priddy reportedly walked up to the future Hall of Famer Gordon, telling him, "I'm the better second baseman. I can make the double play better than you. ... do everything better than you." (Bill Madden, Pride of October, p. 10.)
By the middle of May, Priddy was batting only .204, and McCarthy benched him, putting Gordon back at second base. Rizzuto recalled that Priddy's disrespect of Gordon got him off to a rocky start with the Yankee veterans. As a result, Priddy got no sympathy when he failed to live up to expectations and his own cocky predictions.
In 1941, Priddy batted only .213 in 56 games, while Gordon hit 24 home runs and scored 104 runs. In 1942, matters got worse for Priddy, as they got better for Gordon. Gordon hit .322 with 103 RBIs and was chosen the American League
's Most Valuable Player. Priddy played in only 59 games in 1942, mostly at third base, and only eight games at his natural second base spot. He also fought with manager Joe McCarthy, and during the winter of 1942-1943, Priddy complained publicly about his lack of playing time, saying that he was being "wasted" by the Yankees. He also asked to be traded.
to the Washington Senators
for Bill Zuber
and cash.
That year, Priddy was the Senators' starting second baseman. He batted .271 with 31 doubles, 67 walks, and 62 runs scored; he finished 16th in the AL MVP voting.
Priddy entered the Army in December 1943 and was not discharged until January 1946.
When he returned in 1946, Priddy's average dropped to .254 and then dropped even further to .214 in 1947. As had been the case in New York, Priddy did not get along with the Senators' manager, Ossie Bluege
.
. Wills later recalled that Priddy was sent by the Senators to help with a playground baseball clinic in the African American section of Washington. Wills recalled: "It was the very first time I had ever looked a white guy in the eyes." Wills was impressed that Priddy didn't just stay for 15 minutes and leave. "The man talked to us for at least two hours, and I just couldn't believe it. Priddy even singled me out. He told the other kids to move back and said, 'Watch this kid.' He bounced a grounder to me, and I got my little feet in place, grabbed the ball, and I took a little hop - just like the guys I'd seen playing on Sundays. I threw it overhand to him, and the ball made a loud pop in his mitt. I still remember what he said: 'Wow!'" http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/jackie/news/story?id=2833099 Priddy looked down at Wills' feet and said, "Hey, kid, you've got a chance to be a good baseball player one day. Where's your shoes?" Wills recalled that he was barefoot. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/jackie/news/story?id=2833099
‚ but Berardino announced he was retiring to devote himself to his movie career. Commissioner Happy Chandler
cancelled the trade, and Berardino then un-retired. Priddy ended up with the Browns anyway, as the Senators sold him to the Browns for $25‚000 on December 8, 1947.
Priddy had two strong seasons for St. Louis. In 1948, he hit .296 with a .391 on-base percentage and led the AL's second basemen in putouts, assists, double plays, and chances per game. He was 16th in the 1948 AL MVP voting.
He had another good year in 1949, batting .290 with a .382 on-base percentage and finishing 22nd in the AL MVP voting.
The Browns' attendance dropped to 270,000 in 1949 (compared with more than 2 million in New York and Cleveland), and the team was forced to sell their best players to raise $200,000 to make ends meet. On December 14, 1949, the Browns traded Priddy to the Detroit Tigers for Lou Kretlow
and $100,000. (Tom Deveaux, The Washington Senators, 1901-1971 (McFarland 2001), p. 157.) http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Gerry_Priddy_1919&page=chronology
Priddy led the league in games played again in 1951, but his offensive output dropped to 73 runs scored, 22 doubles, 8 home runs, and 57 RBIs.
In 1952, Priddy's playing time was reduced to 75 games, and reduced even further in 1953 to 65 games. Priddy played his last major league game on September 27, 1953.
Phil Rizzuto later said the he could never believe "that whole extortion thing." He said: "That wasn't the Gerry I knew. He was outspoken, and hotheaded ... but outside of baseball he was a regular guy. He knew a lot of prominent businesspeople. It just didn't make sense. He called me when he got out of prison and told me if he'd have to spend one more day in there he'd have been a hardened criminal." (Bill Madden, Pride of October, p. 12.)
In 1980, Priddy died of a heart attack at his home in North Hollywood, California.
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...
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...
for 11 years. He played for the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
(1941-1942), Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
(1943, 1946-1947), St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(1948-1949), and Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1950-1953).
Career overview
Priddy appeared in 1,296 major league baseball games. He had a career batting average of .265 with 1,252 hits, 612 runs scored, 541 RBIs, 232 doubles, 624 walks, 639 strikeouts, and 61 home runs.Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto
Phil Rizzuto
Philip Francis Rizzuto , nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
later said of Priddy's playing career: "I'll never understand what happened with him, other than bad luck and some injuries. Gerry was a better player than I was. He had more power and could play the heck out of second base." (Bill Madden, Pride of October, p. 11.)
Baseball historian Bill James
Bill James
George William “Bill” James is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics...
wrote an entire chapter about Priddy in his book The Politics of Glory. He concluded that Priddy hit relatively well, was one of the greatest defensive players in history, and had "essentially the same skills as Mazeroski
Bill Mazeroski
William Stanley Mazeroski , nicknamed "Maz", is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
and Bolling
Frank Bolling
Frank Elmore Bolling is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Detroit Tigers and with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves . Bolling batted and threw right-handed...
." James ranked Priddy as the 73rd best second baseman of all time. (The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, p. 525.)
Minor league career with Phil Rizzuto (1938-1940)
Born in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Priddy was signed by the New York Yankees' Southern California scouting chief, Bill Essick
Bill Essick
William Earl Essick was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues. He attended Knox College and Lombard College.-External links:...
. In 1938, Priddy was paired with shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
Phil Rizzuto
Phil Rizzuto
Philip Francis Rizzuto , nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
as a double play combination for three years in the Yankees' minor league organization. In 1938, Priddy and Rizzuto played beside each other on the Norfolk Tars
Norfolk Tars
The Norfolk Tars were a minor league baseball team that existed on and off from 1906 to 1955. Based in Norfolk, Virginia, they played in the Virginia League from 1906 to 1918 and from 1921 to 1928, in the Eastern League from 1931 to 1932 and in the Piedmont League from 1934 to 1955, and from 1934...
championship team. (Amy Walters Yarsinske, Summer on the Southside(Arcadia 1998), p. 63.) http://books.google.com/books?id=BxO54SmCjWgC&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=gerry+priddy&source=web&ots=R6uKu6zMDe&sig=bo1rBK1ug7Eh64UKdEgs7UbfKw4.
The following year, they were promoted together to the American Association's Kansas City Blues
Kansas City Blues (American Association)
The Kansas City Blues are a former minor league baseball team located in Kansas City, Missouri, in the Midwestern United States. The team was one of the eight founding members of the American Association....
. With Priddy, Rizzuto, and Vince DiMaggio
Vince DiMaggio
Vincent Paul "Vince" DiMaggio was a Major League Baseball center fielder. During a 10-year baseball career, he played for the Boston Bees , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates , Philadelphia Phillies , and New York Giants...
, the 1939 Blues went 107-47 and have been ranked as the 12th best minor league team of all-time according to MinorLeagueBaseball.com. http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/history/top100.jsp?idx=12 Rizzuto and the 19-year-old Priddy were two of the league's best players in 1939. Priddy hit .333 with 24 home runs and 107 RBIs, leading the American Association with 44 doubles (44); he was second in hits (193), total bases (339), and triples (15), third in batting average, and fourth in RBIs. He also led the league's second basemen in putouts (372), assists (456), and double plays (126). http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/history/top100.jsp?idx=12
By 1940, the exploits of Priddy and Rizzuto drew attention in New York as the Yankees' double play combination of the future. Mel Allen
Mel Allen
Mel Allen was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Allen was arguably the most prominent member of his profession, his voice familiar to millions...
gave regular reports about their performance in Kansas City during his New York radio broadcasts. Allen predicted they would become "the best the Yankees ever had." (Bill Madden, Pride of October: What It Was to Be Young and a Yankee [Warner Books 2003], p. 10.) http://books.google.com/books?id=H2q4F-xf8IkC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=gerry+priddy&source=web&ots=zgX2YetSE0&sig=p1VIXjnjSDe6otUhVYBg-Om8bbs
Rizzuto recalled Priddy as: "That huckleberry. He was something else. We were close even though we were opposites in a lot of ways. He was cocky.... oh he was sure of himself. Me, on the other hand, I was shy and always worried. He took me under his wing, but he loved playing tricks on me too.... like nailing my shoes to the floor, ripping up all my fan letters, all those things." (Bill Madden, Pride of October, p. 10.)
One book states that Priddy played in the late 1930s with Babe Herman
Babe Herman
Floyd Caves "Babe" Herman was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who was best known for his several seasons with the Brooklyn Robins ....
's All Stars, a touring team that staged exhibitions against all-stars from the Negro Leagues. Charlie Biot, an outfielder who played against Priddy, recalled in old age how impressive a ballplayer Priddy was in those games. http://books.google.com/books?id=aGGlTmcmB2gC&pg=PA157&lpg=PA157&dq=gerry+priddy&source=web&ots=83eXgGuvEr&sig=zjJuvvPtRLesHm5pyjOSg3Jn9Q4#PPA157,M1
The New York Yankees (1941-1942)
When spring training arrived in 1941, Yankee manager Joe McCarthy announced that Rizzuto and Priddy would start at shortstop and second base, with Joe "Flash" Gordon moving to first base to make room for Priddy. McCarthy said, "We don't want to break up Rizzuto and Priddy, so my plan is to move Gordon to first base." (Bill Madden, Pride of October, p. 10.)On April 14, 1941, Time magazine wrote: "Last year these Keystone Kids led Kansas City to its second consecutive pennant and set a new league record for double plays: 130. Both are extraordinary hitters, extraordinary fielders." http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,932228,00.html?promoid=googlep
After McCarthy announced his plan, Priddy reportedly walked up to the future Hall of Famer Gordon, telling him, "I'm the better second baseman. I can make the double play better than you. ... do everything better than you." (Bill Madden, Pride of October, p. 10.)
By the middle of May, Priddy was batting only .204, and McCarthy benched him, putting Gordon back at second base. Rizzuto recalled that Priddy's disrespect of Gordon got him off to a rocky start with the Yankee veterans. As a result, Priddy got no sympathy when he failed to live up to expectations and his own cocky predictions.
In 1941, Priddy batted only .213 in 56 games, while Gordon hit 24 home runs and scored 104 runs. In 1942, matters got worse for Priddy, as they got better for Gordon. Gordon hit .322 with 103 RBIs and was chosen the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
's Most Valuable Player. Priddy played in only 59 games in 1942, mostly at third base, and only eight games at his natural second base spot. He also fought with manager Joe McCarthy, and during the winter of 1942-1943, Priddy complained publicly about his lack of playing time, saying that he was being "wasted" by the Yankees. He also asked to be traded.
Washington Senators and World War II (1943-1947)
On January 29, 1943, Priddy was traded with Milo CandiniMilo Candini
Mario Cain "Milo" Candini was a professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball, between 1943 and 1951, for the Washington Senators and Philadelphia Phillies. After his major league career, he continued to pitch in the Pacific Coast League until 1957,...
to the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
for Bill Zuber
Bill Zuber
William Henry Zuber was a Major League Baseball pitcher who had an 11 year career in the American League from 1936 to 1947...
and cash.
That year, Priddy was the Senators' starting second baseman. He batted .271 with 31 doubles, 67 walks, and 62 runs scored; he finished 16th in the AL MVP voting.
Priddy entered the Army in December 1943 and was not discharged until January 1946.
When he returned in 1946, Priddy's average dropped to .254 and then dropped even further to .214 in 1947. As had been the case in New York, Priddy did not get along with the Senators' manager, Ossie Bluege
Ossie Bluege
Oswald Louis "Ossie" Bluege was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Washington Senators from 1922 through 1939...
.
Inspiration for Maury Wills
While playing for the Senators in 1943, Priddy met an 11-year old Maury WillsMaury Wills
Maurice Morning "Maury" Wills is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and switch-hitting batter who played most prominently with the Los Angeles Dodgers , and also with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Montreal Expos...
. Wills later recalled that Priddy was sent by the Senators to help with a playground baseball clinic in the African American section of Washington. Wills recalled: "It was the very first time I had ever looked a white guy in the eyes." Wills was impressed that Priddy didn't just stay for 15 minutes and leave. "The man talked to us for at least two hours, and I just couldn't believe it. Priddy even singled me out. He told the other kids to move back and said, 'Watch this kid.' He bounced a grounder to me, and I got my little feet in place, grabbed the ball, and I took a little hop - just like the guys I'd seen playing on Sundays. I threw it overhand to him, and the ball made a loud pop in his mitt. I still remember what he said: 'Wow!'" http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/jackie/news/story?id=2833099 Priddy looked down at Wills' feet and said, "Hey, kid, you've got a chance to be a good baseball player one day. Where's your shoes?" Wills recalled that he was barefoot. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/jackie/news/story?id=2833099
St. Louis Browns (1948-1949)
On November 22, 1947, the Senators traded Priddy to the St. Louis Browns for Johnny BerardinoJohn Beradino
John Beradino was an American infielder in Major League Baseball and an actor. Known as Johnny Berardino during his baseball career, he was also credited during his acting career as John Baradino, John Barardino or John Barradino.-Early life and education:He was born Giovanni Berardino in Los...
‚ but Berardino announced he was retiring to devote himself to his movie career. Commissioner Happy Chandler
Happy Chandler
Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. Senate and served as its 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his political positions, he also served as the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1951 and...
cancelled the trade, and Berardino then un-retired. Priddy ended up with the Browns anyway, as the Senators sold him to the Browns for $25‚000 on December 8, 1947.
Priddy had two strong seasons for St. Louis. In 1948, he hit .296 with a .391 on-base percentage and led the AL's second basemen in putouts, assists, double plays, and chances per game. He was 16th in the 1948 AL MVP voting.
He had another good year in 1949, batting .290 with a .382 on-base percentage and finishing 22nd in the AL MVP voting.
The Browns' attendance dropped to 270,000 in 1949 (compared with more than 2 million in New York and Cleveland), and the team was forced to sell their best players to raise $200,000 to make ends meet. On December 14, 1949, the Browns traded Priddy to the Detroit Tigers for Lou Kretlow
Lou Kretlow
Louis Henry Kretlow was an American baseball pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers , St...
and $100,000. (Tom Deveaux, The Washington Senators, 1901-1971 (McFarland 2001), p. 157.) http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Gerry_Priddy_1919&page=chronology
Detroit Tigers (1950-1953)
In 1950, Priddy played a career- and AL-high 157 games, all at second base, for Detroit. He hit .277 with a .376 on-base percentage, 13 home runs, and 75 RBIs; he was among the AL leaders with 104 runs scored (10th), 95 walks (7th), 126 singles (7th), 253 times on base (10th), 13 sacrifice hits (6th), and 618 at-bats (4th). He finished 17th in the 1950 AL MVP voting.Priddy led the league in games played again in 1951, but his offensive output dropped to 73 runs scored, 22 doubles, 8 home runs, and 57 RBIs.
In 1952, Priddy's playing time was reduced to 75 games, and reduced even further in 1953 to 65 games. Priddy played his last major league game on September 27, 1953.
Life after Major League Baseball
Priddy returned to the minor leagues after the 1953 season to play and manage for a few more years. He later tried his hand as a professional golfer with little success. (Mike Robbins, Ninety Feet from Fame: Close Calls with Baseball Immortality [Carroll & Graf 2004]) http://books.google.com/books?id=dgE6gFL-FjMC&pg=PA232&lpg=PA232&dq=gerry+priddy&source=web&ots=LfmzRxLwUG&sig=EEOdzv8aLtNJrDfh7Gi9PjojRdY#PPA233,M1Conviction for extortion
On June 6, 1973, Priddy was arrested by the FBI in California and charged with trying to extort $250,000 from a steamship company by threatening to put a bomb aboard one of its vessels, the Island Princess. He was convicted and sentenced to nine months in prison.Phil Rizzuto later said the he could never believe "that whole extortion thing." He said: "That wasn't the Gerry I knew. He was outspoken, and hotheaded ... but outside of baseball he was a regular guy. He knew a lot of prominent businesspeople. It just didn't make sense. He called me when he got out of prison and told me if he'd have to spend one more day in there he'd have been a hardened criminal." (Bill Madden, Pride of October, p. 12.)
In 1980, Priddy died of a heart attack at his home in North Hollywood, California.
External links
- Photograph of Priddy and Rizzuto in 1938 with the Norfolk Tars
- Jerry Priddy at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...