Milt Graff
| Milt Graff | |
|---|---|
| Second baseman | |
| Born: December 30, 1930 Jefferson Center, Pennsylvania | |
| Died: August 2, 2005 (aged 74) Rockdale, Texas | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 16, 1957, for the Kansas City Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 21, 1958, for the Kansas City Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .179 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| RBI | 10 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
Milton Edward Graff (December 30, 1930 - August 2, 2005) was a Major League Baseball second baseman. He was born on Tuesday, December 30, 1930 in Jefferson Center, Pennsylvania. He was listed at a height of 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) and a weight of 158 pounds. Graff attended Butler Senior High School[1] and then attended Pennsylvania State University and Lycoming College. At Lycoming, he got a degree in accounting. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Playing career
[edit]Around 1949, Graff was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent. Around eight years later, during which his baseball career was interrupted when he enlisted in the Army to fight in the Korean War, Graff made his major league debut on April 16, 1957 at the age of 26 with the Kansas City Athletics (he was sent to the Athletics from the New York Yankees, by whom he'd been drafted in 1955). He wore the number 4.
In 61 major league games, Graff batted .179 with 4 doubles, 3 triples and 0 home runs. He showed a good eye at the plate by walking 15 times and striking out only 10 times. In the field, Graff committed 3 errors for a .988 fielding percentage. He also was involved in 36 double plays.
Graff played his final game on September 21, 1958.
- On February 19, 1957, the New York Yankees sent Graff, Rip Coleman, Billy Hunter, Mickey McDermott, Tom Morgan and Irv Noren to the Kansas City Athletics for Art Ditmar, Bobby Shantz, Jack McMahan and Wayne Belardi.[2]
Life after baseball
[edit]After baseball, Graff held several jobs in the field of accounting and was involved in baseball as scouting director and infield coach for the Pirates and director of stadium operations for Three Rivers Stadium. He was involved in the building of Three Rivers Stadium. He also was a scout for the Pirates, San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds. He also held multiple front office jobs.
In 1987, Lycoming honored Graff with a distinguished alumni award.
On August 2, 2005, Graff died in Rockdale, Texas of complications from Alzheimers. He chose to be cremated.
References
[edit]- ^ Meyer, Paul (August 25, 2005). "Obituary: Milton E. Graff / Former Pirates player, scout and front-office man | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ Yankees obtain Ditmar and Shantz in thirteen-player deal with Athletics
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference
- 1930 births
- 2005 deaths
- Asheville Tourists players
- Baseball players from Butler County, Pennsylvania
- Birmingham Barons players
- Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
- Burlington Bees (Carolina League) players
- Charleston Rebels players
- Dallas Rangers players
- Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Texas
- Hutchinson Elks players
- Kansas City Athletics players
- Lycoming Warriors baseball players
- Major League Baseball second basemen
- New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players
- Penn State Nittany Lions baseball players
- Pittsburgh Pirates coaches
- Pittsburgh Pirates scouts
- Portland Beavers players
- Richmond Virginians (minor league) players
- Tacoma Giants players
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