St. Louis Browns 2B/3B Cass Michaels was born on March 4, 1926 in Detroit, Michigan. He was born "Casimir Kwietniewski", and would enjoy a 12-year MLB career before being forced to retire at the age of 28. Throughout his career he would collect 1142 hits, play in 1288 games, record a .262 lifetime batting average, and appear in two All-St
St. Louis Browns 2B/3B Cass Michaels was born on March 4, 1926 in Detroit, Michigan. He was born "Casimir Kwietniewski", and would enjoy a 12-year MLB career before being forced to retire at the age of 28. Throughout his career he would collect 1142 hits, play in 1288 games, record a .262 lifetime batting average, and appear in two All-Star games.
Casimir Kwietniewski would jump directly from Hamtramck High School to the Chicago White Sox in 1943. With World War II in full swing, many teams were signing young players in order to fill their rosters. He made his MLB debut on August 19, 1943, and would go 0-for-2 against the Washington Nationals.
Kwietniewski would start the 1944 season by first shortening his name to "Cass Kwiet" as he began spring training with the White Sox. Kwiet would split the season between the White Sox and the Little Rock Travelers, where he would bat .356 in 54 games. The following season saw Kwiet shorten his name again to "Cass Michaels", as he began a six year run as the ChiSox starting second baseman. Michaels would be named to the American League All-Star team in 1949 and 1950.
Michaels would be traded to the Washington Nationals in May of 1950, and continued his successful play. On May 12, 1952, the Browns traded INF Fred Marsh and LHP Lou Sleater to the Nationals for Cass Michaels. Prior to the trade, Michaels played two games with the Browns to see how he would fit into the lineup. He came in a defensive replacement for 2B Bobby Young on April 20, and replaced 3B Leo Thomas on April 27. Between these games, Michaels return to play games for Washington. Once the trade became official, Michaels settled into the primary third baseman role for the team.
Over the next 55 games, Michaels would tally 44 hits, including eight doubles, two triples, and three home runs. He would drive in 25 runs, while scoring 21 himself, and had a solid .265 average. With the Browns facing a losing season, Cass Michaels was placed on waivers August 5, 1952, where he was quickly picked up by the Philadelphia Athletics.
Michales would play two seasons for the Athletics before returning to the Chicago White Sox in 1954. On August 27, 1954, Michaels would face Athletics pitcher Marion Fricano in the top of the third inning. A Fricano fastball would strike Michaels in the head, and he was forced from the game. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where he was even read his "last rights". He recovered from the trauma, but he was left with severe vision issues that ended his career at the age of 28.
He continued to be a part of the baseball family, as he became a White Sox scout for the Detroit area. He would work for the Grosse Point Department of Public Works in the offseason, and operate a popular local bar in Warren, Michigan.
Today's Browns Quote
“He seems to be one of those hard luck pitchers. Many of the games he dropped were of the 2 to 1 or 3 to 2 variety. He pitched well enough to win several times only to have his teammates fail to get him any runs. That’s why his record is somewhat deceiving unless you analyze it carefully."
~ Boston Red Sox General Manag
Today's Browns Quote
“He seems to be one of those hard luck pitchers. Many of the games he dropped were of the 2 to 1 or 3 to 2 variety. He pitched well enough to win several times only to have his teammates fail to get him any runs. That’s why his record is somewhat deceiving unless you analyze it carefully."
~ Boston Red Sox General Manager, Joe Cronin, on the career record of Browns' pitcher Jim Suchecki. January 29, 1950
BROWNS' BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1888 - RHP Edward Pfeffer (1911)
1926 - INF Cass Michaels (1952)
TRANSACTION
1952 - Pittsburgh Pirates purchased the contract of RHP Jim Suchecki from the Browns. Suchecki had only pitched one season with the Browns, and tallied an 0-6 record in 29 games. The Browns had acquired Suchecki in a 4 player deal with the Boston Red Sox in May of 1951. To that point, he had only seen action in four MLB games with Boston and was not involved in any decisions. Fror he rest of the 1951 season with the Browns, he gave up 113 hits, 64 runs, 42 walks, 47 strikeouts, and recorded a 5.42 ERA. His 0-6 record with the Browns would be his only decisions in his career.
The Browns lineup in 1951 was full of younger players that were competing against established dynasties and superstars on other American League teams. The offensive numbers showed they did their best to compete, but did not have the production of other teams. There was no clear offensive leader on the team, which gave several players oppo
The Browns lineup in 1951 was full of younger players that were competing against established dynasties and superstars on other American League teams. The offensive numbers showed they did their best to compete, but did not have the production of other teams. There was no clear offensive leader on the team, which gave several players opportunities to excel in different categories.
Batting Leaders - 1951 season
A.L. rankings in (#)
Team Statistics:
Player Statistics