Kendall Cole "Casey" Wise (September 8, 1932 – February 20, 2007) 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 professiona ...

player. He played parts of four seasons in

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) ...

(MLB), between 1957 and 1960, with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

Milwaukee 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 Bos ...

and

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. He was primarily a second baseman, but also played substantially at

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 ...

. The son of longtime MLB

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 ...

Hughie Wise, Casey Wise was born in

West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister ci ...

. His nickname was derived from his initials, K.C. Wise's career batting average was well below the

Mendoza line The Mendoza Line is baseball jargon for a sub-.200 batting average, the supposed minimum threshold for competence at the Major League level. It derives from light-hitting shortstop Mario Mendoza, who failed to reach .200 five times in his nine ...

, at .174 in his 126 games, a fact pointed out by Brendan C. Boyd and Fred C. Harris in their impish commentary in ''The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book'' (p. 59): "His may not be the worst Major League hitting record of all time, but it's definitely in contention." He spent ten seasons in the

minor leagues 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 ...

, winning a

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

title with the

Los Angeles Angels (PCL) The Los Angeles Angels were a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles that played in the "near-major league" Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1903 through 1957. The Angels were formed in 1903 as charter members of the PCL. In 1958, they w ...

in 1956. Wise also briefly managed in the minors, taking over the Triple-A

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pl ...

after the sudden death of Ben Geraghty on June 18, 1963, and guiding them for the remainder of the season.

Tommy John Thomas Edward John Jr. (born May 22, 1943), nicknamed "The Bionic Man," is an American retired professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 26 seasons between 1963 and 1989. He played for the Cleveland Indians ...

, who played for him in Jacksonville, recalled that "Casey was a player's manager, an easygoing fellow who had good rapport with the kids." However, John feared that Wise was somewhat ineffective as a manager because he was too nice. The veteran players in particular had trouble respecting their young manager. During a game in which the Suns were getting blown out, Wise attempted to send Ed Donnelly into the game as a relief pitcher. Donnelly refused, and Wise told him he was through with the ballclub. The two yelled at each other in the dugout. Then, after the game, Donnelly started a fistfight with Wise. It was Donnelly's last game as a Sun. Wise never managed again after that season. Wise attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

in Gainesville, Florida, and graduated with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, ...

in 1956. After his professional baseball career, Wise earned degrees in dentistry and orthodontics from the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

and became the first orthodontist in

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flo ...

, starting his practice in 1968. He retired from practice in 1991. Wise died of complications from heart surgery in Naples in 2007; he was 74 years old.

References

External links

Corbett, Warren, ''Casey Wise.''

SABR The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New Y ...

Biography Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Wise, Casey 1932 births 2007 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Cuba Baseball players from Indiana Beaumont Exporters players Chicago Cubs players Denver Bears players Des Moines Bruins players Detroit Tigers players Florida Gators baseball players Jacksonville Suns players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball second basemen Milwaukee Braves players Minor league baseball managers People from West Lafayette, Indiana Portland Beavers players Sioux Falls Canaries players Sportspeople from Naples, Florida Wichita Braves players

See also

References

External links