St. Louis Browns shortstop, Sig Gryska, was born on November 4, 1914 in Chicago, Illinois. He would spend most of his early years within the Browns organization, before moving on with his career. He would spend just 25 games in the major leagues, but all were with St. Louis. Although his fielding percentage may have kept him out of the ma
St. Louis Browns shortstop, Sig Gryska, was born on November 4, 1914 in Chicago, Illinois. He would spend most of his early years within the Browns organization, before moving on with his career. He would spend just 25 games in the major leagues, but all were with St. Louis. Although his fielding percentage may have kept him out of the majors, there was little doubt of his offensive skills.
Sig Gryska signed his first contract at the age of 20 with the Davenport Blue Sox in 1935. There is little known if he played any high school or semipro baseball before signing with the Blue Sox. He would join the Browns minor league affiliate, San Antonio Missions, in 1936 and would average 125 games over the next four seasons (1936-39). In his first three seasons with the Missions, Gryska showed some power numbers (48 HRs, 292 RBIs, .465 Slug), the ability to get on base (396 hits, 250 walks, .830 OPS), and slick base running (49 stolen bases).
Sig Gryska made his MLB debut on September 28, 1938 against the Detroit Tigers. His first hit came in the ninth inning with a single off George Gill. He would play six games over the final three days of the season (three double headers), getting a hit in four of the six games. His .476 average in the sample size gave the idea of what he could accomplish.
He started the 1939 season with San Antonio, but would have two stints with the Browns in the season. Overall Gryska would appear in 25 games with the Browns. His 23 hits, four doubles, a triple, 12 RBIs, three stolen bases, and a .329 average would be some of the best from a Browns' prospect that season.
Unfortunately, Gryska's fielding may have kept him out of the big leagues. He would have a dismal .887 fielding percentage with 11 errors in these 25 games. The Browns had Don Heffner and Mark Christman at shortstop, which made Gryska's time with the Browns limited.
The New York Yankees would purchase his contract on April 10, 1940, and Gryska would spend the rest of his career in the minor leagues. He saw action with the Hollywood Stars (1940), Newark Bears (1940), Toledo Mud Hens (1941), St. Paul Saints (1941-42), and the Oklahoma City Indians (1942).
After the 1942 season, Gryska would enlist in the US Navy for the last half of World War II. He returned to his native Illinois after the war, and settle down in Hines, Illinois. He would spend a long life sharing stories of his Browns baseball career.
TOP 100 Browns Countdown
This website has the only Top 100 list of famous St Louis Browns players. Please feel free to free to visit the tab about for the complete list. Here is a brief portion of the list that recognizes some of the best players in the history of the St. Louis Browns.
Players #46-50
46) Harry Rice, OF, 1923-27 - 2x T
TOP 100 Browns Countdown
This website has the only Top 100 list of famous St Louis Browns players. Please feel free to free to visit the tab about for the complete list. Here is a brief portion of the list that recognizes some of the best players in the history of the St. Louis Browns.
Players #46-50
46) Harry Rice, OF, 1923-27 - 2x Top 10 AL MVP Voting (1925, 26), Played all 8 defensive fielding positions during his MLB career
47) Fred Glade, P, 1904-07 - "Lucky", Hold the Browns Rookie franchise record for 18 wins in 1904, Knowns as the "Millionaire Ball Player" because his family was incredibly wealthy. His pitching delivery included "twirling around' toward 2nd base before delivering the pitch.
48) Milt Byrnes, OF, 1943-45 - St Louis native, Considered to be a good War-time player, Hit .274 over 390 games in 3 years, led the AL in Fielding Percentage in 1943 (.997)
49) Roy Cullenbine, OF, 1940-42 - American League All Star (1941), Top 10 AL MVP Voting (1941), His 17.8% Walks per plate appearances ranks 7th All Time. Known to rather earn a walk than try to hit.
50) Sherman Lollar, C, 1949-51 - American League All Star (1950), Led the AL in Fielding Percentage in 1951 (.995), Collected only 14 errors in 3 years with the Browns, Averaged catching 47% of base stealers while with Browns
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BROWNS BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1873 - SS Bobby Wallace (1902-16)
1889 - Catcher George O'Brien (1915)
1914 - SS Sig Gryska (1938-39)
The St. Louis Browns would finish the 1920 with a 76-77 record, but this team would begin to display the offensive skills that would take them to the top of the American League for most of the 1920s. With one of the best hitting outfields in baseball history, the Browns team batting average would be 25 points higher than the American Leag
The St. Louis Browns would finish the 1920 with a 76-77 record, but this team would begin to display the offensive skills that would take them to the top of the American League for most of the 1920s. With one of the best hitting outfields in baseball history, the Browns team batting average would be 25 points higher than the American League average. LF Ken Williams (.307), CF Baby Doll Jacobson (.355), and RF Jack Tobin (.341) would have four consecutive seasons where all three star outfielders hit over .300 (only time in MLB history). Browns 1B George Sisler would lead the league with a batting average 19 points higher than Babe Ruth's .388 average. He would also record 257 hits, which would set an MLB reocrd that would stand for 64 years. Another amazing statistic about George Sisler in 1920 is that he only had 19 strikeouts the entire season (154 games). Browns catcher Hank Severeid was even better at the plate with just 11 strikeouts in just 123 games.
This Browns lineup would continue to represent the best in the league for the next five seasons.
Batting Leaders with A.L. rankings in (#)
Team Statistics:
Player Statistics