Alex Monchak (March 5, 1917 – September 12, 2015) was an American baseball

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

who played briefly for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

during the 1940 season. Listed at , , he batted and threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. He was primarily known as the first-base coach for all the Major League Baseball (MLB) teams managed by

Chuck Tanner Charles William Tanner (July 4, 1928February 11, 2011) was an American professional baseball player and manager. A left fielder and pinch hitter who appeared in 396 games in Major League Baseball between 1955 and 1962, he was known for his unwave ...

from 1971 to 1988, including the

1979 World Series The 1979 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1979 season. The 76th edition of the World Series was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Pittsburgh Pirates (98–64) and ...

Champion

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

Biography

Monchak was a native of Bayonne, New Jersey. He served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, achieving the noncommissioned officer (NCO) rank of Staff Sergeant (S-SGT), the campaigns in which he served include Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe receiving the following citations: American Theater Ribbon, European-African-Middle Eastern Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, and Victory Medal, according to War Department Adjutant General's Office Form (WD AGO Form) 53-55 dated 1 November 1944 Box 32 Battles and Campaigns, Box 33 Decorations and Citations, and Box 38 Highest Grade Held. Before the war, his MLB career began as the shortstop with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1940. During the 1940 season, he was a .143 hitter (2-for-14) with one

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop grou ...

and one stolen base in 19 games. Following his military service, Monchak continued to pursue his childhood dream of a career in baseball by being on the field of play. He became a

Minor League Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in N ...

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 ...

from 1949 to 1961, acting as a player/manager through 1956, and winning four championship titles. He later served as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement * Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

and instructor in the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

system (1962–70). Both he and

Joe Lonnett Joseph Paul Lonnett (February 7, 1927 – December 5, 2011) was an American professional baseball catcher, and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies. During his playing days, Lonnett stood tall, weighing ...

were named first- and third-base coaches respectively by

with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

on October 2, 1970. All three would serve in similar capacities together with the White Sox (

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

– 75),

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

(

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phil ...

) and

(

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...

– 84). His childhood dream came true when he was the first base coach with the "We Are Family" Pirates in 1979, who became MLB World Champions. He continued as Tanner's first-base coach when he joined the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...

on October 14, 1985, and would serve with the team from

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

to 1988. Monchak was named the 2009 winner of the

Roland Hemond Roland A. Hemond (October 26, 1929 – December 12, 2021) was an American professional baseball executive who worked in Major League Baseball. He served as the scouting director of the California Angels, general manager of the Chicago White Sox ...

Award by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form ...

'' in December 2009. The award recognizes baseball figures who have made long-term contributions to scouting and player development operations. Monchak died on September 12, 2015, at the age of 98. At the time of his death, he was recognized as the third oldest living Major League player.

Minor League Championship Titles

References

External links

Baseball in Wartime
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monchak, Alex 1917 births 2015 deaths Albany Senators players United States Army personnel of World War II Atlanta Braves coaches Austin Pioneers players Baltimore Orioles (International League) players California Angels scouts Chicago White Sox coaches Clarksdale Red Sox players Dover Orioles players Elmira Pioneers players Hartford Chiefs players Keokuk Kernels players Knoxville Smokies players Lexington Indians players Los Angeles Angels scouts Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball shortstops Milwaukee Brewers scouts Minor league baseball managers Oakland Athletics coaches Odessa Oilers players Sportspeople from Bayonne, New Jersey Baseball players from Hudson County, New Jersey Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates coaches Portsmouth Cubs players Portsmouth Merrimacs players Roswell Rockets players Wellsville Braves players United States Army soldiers