Joseph Paul Lonnett (February 7, 1927 – December 5, 2011) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
, and
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
* Coac ...
, who played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) for the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
.
During his playing days, Lonnett stood tall, weighing . He threw and batted
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to and causing it to be stronger, faster or more Fine motor skill, dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dext ...
.
Playing career
Lonnett graduated from
Beaver Falls High School and signed with the Phillies in 1948, and spent much of his career with the Phillies as 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 ...
(MiLB) catcher and
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
, and MLB catcher and
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 ...
. He missed two seasons while serving in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and the
Korean War
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. Lonnett spent four MLB seasons a second-string receiver, appearing in 143 games, while
batting .166, with six
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s (HR) and 27
runs batted in
A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...
(RBI) — never once cracking the .200 level for a season.
Coaching career
Fellow
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania is a region in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the Unite ...
native
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 (MLB) between 1955 and 1962, he was known for his ...
had promised Lonnett that he would be one of his coaches if he ever became an MLB
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
. Tanner honored his word when he named Lonnett and
Al Monchak third- and first-base
coaches
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
* Coac ...
respectively 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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
on October 2, 1970.
"White Sox Name 2 Coaches," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Friday, October 2, 1970.
Retrieved December 10, 2021 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 (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
(1976
Events January
* January 2 – 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 18 – Full diplomatic ...
) and 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
(1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, 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 (no ...
– 84).
When Tanner was traded to the Pirates for Manny Sanguillén
Manuel De Jesus Sanguillén Magan (born March 21, 1944) is a Panamanians, Panamanian former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher in 1967 and from 1969 through 1980, most notably as a member of the Pittsbu ...
— only the second trade in MLB history to involve a manager — Lonnett followed him to Pittsburgh. He wore Sanguillén's No. 35 jersey until the Pirates re-acquired Sanguillén a year later; after which, he wore No. 32. Eventually, Lonnett served as third-base coach on the Pirates' 1979 world championship team.
In , he was named the manager of the St. Catharines Blue Jays of the Short-Season 'A' affiliate of 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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
in the New York–Penn League
The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...
, which finished at 41–36, 4th in the NY–P Western Division.
Later life and death
In the final years of his life, Lonnett battled Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
and was cared for by his wife of 56 years, Alvida. In 2004, he attended the 25th anniversary celebration of the World's Champs, at PNC Park
PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore (Pittsburgh), North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth location to serve as the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. Opened during the 2001 Major League Baseb ...
.
Lonnett succumbed to his long-standing illness, in his home town of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Beaver Falls is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, the city lies along the Beaver River (Pennsylvan ...
, on December 5, 2011. He was 84.
References
References
* Marcin, Joe, and Byers, Dick, eds., ''The Official 1977 Baseball Register.'' St. Louis: The Sporting News
''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...
, 1977.
* Thorn, John, and Palmer, Peter, eds., ''Total Baseball.'' New York: Warner Books, 1989.
External links
Joe Lonnett
at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Joe Lonnett
at Baseball Almanac
Joe Lonnett
at Baseball Library
*
* ttps://archive.today/20130131185339/http://www.postgazette.com/pg/11350/1197304-122-0.stm Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Obit
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lonnett, Joe
1927 births
2011 deaths
Arkansas Travelers players
Baltimore Orioles (International League) players
20th-century American sportsmen
Bradford Blue Wings players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Chicago White Sox coaches
Lockport Reds players
Louisville Colonels (minor league) players
Major League Baseball catchers
Major League Baseball third base coaches
Oakland Athletics coaches
Sportspeople from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Baseball players from Beaver County, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Phillies players
Philadelphia Phillies scouts
Pittsburgh Pirates coaches
Rochester Red Wings players
Syracuse Chiefs players
Terre Haute Phillies players
Utica Blue Sox players
Vandergrift Pioneers players
Wichita Braves players
Indios de Cartagena players
United States Navy personnel of World War II
United States Navy personnel of the Korean War