Grover Pinckney Seitz (1907 – February 1, 1957) was a

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

player well known for his long and storied tenure. He played from 1929 to 1933, from 1939 to 1942, from 1945 to 1947 and in 1953, when he was 45 years old. He spent a large portion of his career in the

West Texas–New Mexico League The West Texas–New Mexico League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1937 through 1955, with a hiatus from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. The league started as a Class D level league, upgraded to Class C in 1946 and then a ...

, where he served as a

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

. Seven seasons he hit over .300, with a high of .395 with the Clovis Pioneers in 1942. Overall, he appeared in 1,148 games, hitting around .315. He managed from 1939 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1956, skippering the Pampa Plainsmen (1939), Pampa Oilers (1940, 1946–1951, 1955–1956) and Clovis Pioneers (1941–1942, 1951–1954). He led his teams to 10 playoff appearances in his 15-year career, including three league championships. He also served as part-owner of the Pampa club. He was known as "one of the most vivid personalities ever found in organized baseball." A colorful individual, local reporters called him the "wild bull of the Pampans." He and his wife died in 1957 after colliding with a train while driving his vehicle.

References

1907 births 1957 deaths Minor league baseball players Minor league baseball managers {{US-baseball-bio-stub