Melvin Douglas Queen (March 26, 1942 – May 12, 2011) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player,

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

, scout and executive. He played all or part of nine seasons as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

and

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

, and also served for four seasons as a pitching coach. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Early life

Queen's father, Melvin Joseph Queen (1918–1982), was a Major League pitcher for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

and Pittsburgh Pirates for parts of eight seasons from 1942 to 1952. The younger Mel Queen was born in

Johnson City, New York Johnson City is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 15,174 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village of Johnson City is in the town of Union and is a part of t ...

and the family moved to California in the early 1950s when his father was playing for the

Hollywood Stars The Hollywood Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early- and mid-20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles-based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels. Hollywood Stars (192 ...

of the Pacific Coast League. He was signed to a bonus by the Reds after a stellar three-sport high school career at

San Luis Obispo High School San Luis Obispo High School, also referred to as "San Luis High" and "SLO High", is an American public high school in San Luis Obispo, California. It is the only non- continuation public high school within the city. The school is within the San ...

in San Luis Obispo, California, where he was a teammate of future Major League pitcher

Jim Lonborg James Reynold Lonborg (born April 16, 1942) is an American former professional baseball right-handed starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and Philadelphia Phillies. Though nickname ...

Professional career

Cincinnati Reds

Queen started his minor league career as a

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball 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 the scoring system us ...

with the

Palatka Redlegs The Palatka Redlegs were a minor league baseball team that existed from 1956 to 1962 as members of the Florida State League, as descendants from the Palatka Azaleas. The team began as an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers in 1956, as the Palatka Ti ...

of the Florida State League. The following year, Queen led Three-I League third basemen with 228 assists while playing for the Topeka Reds. After spending 1962 with the

Macon Peaches The Macon Peaches was the predominant name of the American minor league baseball franchise representing Macon, Georgia, during the 20th century. Although Macon did not field teams during and immediately after World War I, the height of the Great ...

, Queen was converted into an outfielder in 1963 while with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

, at the time the Reds' Triple-A affiliate in the Pacific Coast League. In 1964, Queen started the season with the major league Reds, making his MLB debut on Opening Day, April 13, as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning, lining out to center field off Houston Astros pitcher Ken Johnson. He got his first hit 11 days later with a single against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

, off future Hall of Famer

Juan Marichal Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez (born October 20, 1937), nicknamed "the Dominican Dandy", is a Dominican former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams from 1960 to 1975, almost entirely the San Francisco Giant ...

. He spent the entire season with the Reds, appearing in 46 games and batting .200.

Conversion to pitching

After spending nearly all of 1965 back with the minor league Padres, appearing in only five games for the Reds, Queen returned to the majors full-time in 1966. It was this season that he was again converted, this time into a pitcher. He made his pitching debut on July 15 against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, pitching the ninth inning of a blowout loss. Altogether, he appeared in 56 games for the Reds, 32 as an outfielder, seven as a pitcher, and the rest as a pinch-hitter. As a pitcher, he compiled a 6.43

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

in seven

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

appearances for the Reds and did not have a decision. Queen's most productive season came in 1967, when he posted a 14-8 record and a 2.76 ERA in 31 games,

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...

154 batters in a career-high 195.2 innings pitched, while allowing two or less earned runs in 15 of his 24 starts. His season highlights included a six-hit

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

against the

in his first career start on April 16, and a two-hit shutout against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

on September 8. Queen developed shoulder problems including a torn rotator cuff and missed most of the 1968 season, then spent much of 1969 in the minor leagues.

California Angels

Queen was purchased by the California Angels in October 1969. He appeared in 34 games in 1970, all but three in relief, posting a record of 3-6 and an ERA of 4.20 with nine saves. In 1971, he pitched in 44 games, all in relief, and posted a career-best 1.78 ERA. In 1972, he appeared in 17 games, posting a 4.35 ERA with no decisions, while spending part of the year back in the minor leagues. It was his last year as an active player.

Career overview

In a seven-season career, Queen went 20–17 with a 3.14 ERA and 14 saves in 140 games, giving up 154 runs (136 earned) on 336 hits and 143 walks while striking out 306 in 389.2 innings of work. As a pitcher, Queen relied almost entirely on his fastball. "I just went to the mound and threw as hard as I could", he said in an interview. Even after his conversion to pitching, he occasionally came off the bench to

pinch-hit In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

against right-handed pitchers, finishing his career with a collective .179

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...

with two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 21

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

in 269 games as a hitter.

Coaching career

Following his playing career, Queen managed a friend's seafood restaurant and was thus able to spend more time with his wife Gail and their three children. Queen joined the Indians' organization in 1979 as a minor league pitching coach after former manager

Dave Bristol James David Bristol (born June 23, 1933) is an American former manager in Major League Baseball in the 1960s and 1970s. He managed the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, and San Francisco Giants during this period. Success in th ...

recommended him, and had a stint on their major league staff in 1982. He later joined the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

organization, serving as

of the Bakersfield Dodgers in 1985. In 1986, Queen joined the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, where he would play a significant role in the development of the homegrown players during their 11 straight winning seasons. He started as a coach, being promoted as their farm director in 1990 and served as their major league pitching coach from 1996 through 1999. During his four seasons in that role, two Toronto hurlers won three consecutive Cy Young Awards as the top pitcher in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

—

Pat Hentgen Patrick George Hentgen (born November 13, 1968) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, and currently a special assistant with the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Blue Jays, St. Louis C ...

in 1996 and

Roger Clemens William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Boston Red Sox. Clemens was one of the most dominant pi ...

in the 1997 and 1998 seasons. In addition, Queen was instrumental in helping shape the careers of several Blue Jays players. They included pitchers

Chris Carpenter Christopher John Carpenter (born April 27, 1975) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals from 1997 to 2012. A Cy Young Award win ...

Todd Stottlemyre Todd Vernon Stottlemyre (born May 20, 1965) is an American former professional baseball player. He played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball as a starting pitcher from to , most notably as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays with whom he won t ...

Mike Timlin Michael August Timlin (; born March 10, 1966) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Timlin played on four World Series championship teams in an 18-year career; the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays, 1993 Toronto Blue Jays, 2004 Bost ...

, David Wells and

Woody Williams Woody may refer to: Biology * Pertaining to wood, a plant tissue and material * Woody plant, a plant with a rigid stem containing wood * Pertaining to woodland, land covered with trees * Woody, slang for a penile erection People and fictional c ...

; infielders Alex Gonzalez and

Jeff Kent Jeffrey Franklin Kent (born March 7, 1968) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1992–2008 for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Francis ...

, as well as outfielders

Shawn Green Shawn David Green (born November 10, 1972) is an American former Major League Baseball right fielder. Green was a 1st round draft pick and a two-time major league All-Star. He drove in 100 runs four times and scored 100 runs four times, hit ...

and Shannon Stewart, among others. Queen also served as the Blue Jays interim

for the final five games of the 1997 season after

Cito Gaston Clarence Edwin "Cito" Gaston (; born March 17, 1944) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. His major league career as a player lasted from 1967 to 1978, most notably with the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves. He spent his en ...

was fired, and later became a scout for the organization. Nevertheless, one of his major achievements came in 2000, when the Jays coaxed him out of retirement to help revive the sagging career of

Roy Halladay Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III (May 14, 1977 – November 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies between 1998 and 2013. His nicknam ...

, by then a 23-year-old pitcher. Queen met Halladay in Dunedin, Florida, where the Jays had sent their once-promising hurler after his ERA had soared to 10.64 in the major leagues. Then he ran a virtual boot camp for Halladay, rebuilding his delivery, teaching him new grips for his pitches and helping him develop a new mental approach. "There's no one I made that drastic a change to and verbally abused the way I did Doc", Queen explained after Halladay won his first Cy Young Award in 2003. "There aren’t many people that would have gone through what I put him through. I had to make him understand that he was very unintelligent about baseball. He had no idea about the game", he added. In 2009, then Toronto's

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

J. P. Ricciardi brought Queen out of retirement again to serve as a senior advisor, working on special assignments with minor league pitchers. Queen held that position for the rest of his life.

Managerial record

Personal life

Queen's brother-in-law was Jim Lonborg, whose sister Celia Lonborg, Queen married and with whom he had a son Steven Queen. Lonborg had also been Queen's high school teammate. Lonborg pitched from 1965 to 1979 for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

, Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies. Mel Queen was a longtime resident of

Morro Bay, California Morro Bay (''Morro'', Spanish for "Hill") is a seaside city in San Luis Obispo County, California. Located on the Central Coast of California, the city population was 10,757 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,234 at the 2010 census. The town ...

, where he died at age 69 on May 12, 2011, of complications from cancer. He was survived by his wife of 44 years, Gail, his daughter Shirlee and her two children, Tanner and Rocky as well as his son Jeffrey Todd Queen and his two children, Ashley and Jeffrey as well as his son Steven from his first marriage. He is also survived by 2 stepsons and 7 step-grandchildren .

Notes

External links

, o
RetrosheetSABR Biography ProjectVenezuelan Winter League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Queen, Mel 1942 births 2011 deaths American expatriate baseball people in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball coaches from New York (state) Baseball players from New York (state) California Angels players Deaths from cancer in California Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Indians coaches Florida Instructional League Astros/Reds players Indianapolis Indians players Macon Peaches players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Palatka Redlegs players People from Johnson City, New York People from Morro Bay, California Petroleros de Poza Rica players Salt Lake City Angels players San Diego Padres (minor league) players Seattle Rainiers players Sportspeople from Southern California Syracuse Chiefs managers Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Topeka Reds players Toronto Blue Jays coaches Toronto Blue Jays executives Toronto Blue Jays managers Toronto Blue Jays scouts