Stanley Aaron Wentzel (January 13, 1917 – November 28, 1991) was an American 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 ...

player. A longtime

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 Nort ...

outfielder and, later, a

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 ...

, Wentzel's only stint 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 ...

came at the end of the season, when he appeared in four games in centerfield for the

Boston Braves The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...

. The 28-year-old

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

was a native of Lorane, Pennsylvania. He threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed . Wentzel is one of many ball players who only appeared in the Major Leagues during the World War II period. After batting .321 with the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

of the top-level American Association — where he was named an All-Star and the league's Most Valuable Player — he was called up by Boston and started four games for the Braves in the last week of the season, all against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. He got only four

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

in 19

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

(.211), but had six

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 ...

. He also scored three runs. In the field, Wentzel recorded eight

putouts In baseball statistics, a putout (PO) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out (baseball), out by one of the following methods: * tag play, Tagging a runner with the ball when he is no ...

with no

errors An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...

. Wentzel returned to Indianapolis for and after that season, on September 30, he was included in a multiplayer trade that sent him to the

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 ...

with future

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

Billy Herman William Jennings Bryan Herman (July 7, 1909 – September 5, 1992) was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1930s and 1940s. Known for his stellar defense and consistent batting, Herman still holds many ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

Elmer Singleton and

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

Whitey Wietelmann William Frederick "Whitey" Wietelmann (March 15, 1919 – March 26, 2002) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He was an infielder in the Major Leagues from – 47 for the Boston Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates. The na ...

for

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 Baseball scorekeep ...

Bob Elliott and

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 ...

Hank Camelli Henry Richard Camelli (December 9, 1914 – July 14, 1996) was an American professional baseball player. A catcher, he appeared in Major League Baseball between and for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Braves. The native of Gloucester, Massac ...

. Herman was promptly named playing manager of the 1947 Pirates, but he was aghast at the cost — Elliott — the Pirates had paid for him. "Why, they've gone and traded the whole team on me", he said.Boston Braves Historical Association Newsletter, Vol. 19, No. 3, Autumn 2010 Elliott would win the

National League Most Valuable Player National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

award and lead Boston to the 1948 National League pennant. Herman's 1947 Pirates lost 92 games and finished tied for seventh in the NL, and he resigned before the season's final game. Wentzel never appeared in a game for the Pirates, but he played and managed in the Pittsburgh

farm system In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...

through 1958. He died at the age of 74 in

St. Lawrence, Pennsylvania St. Lawrence, is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,892 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It sits just east of Mount Penn and Reading. It is served by the Exeter Town ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wentzel, Stan 1917 births 1991 deaths Baseball players from Berks County, Pennsylvania Boston Braves players Burlington-Graham Pirates players Canton Terriers players Clinton Pirates players Hartford Bees players Hartford Laurels players Indianapolis Indians players Logan Indians players Major League Baseball center fielders Minor league baseball managers New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Waco Pirates players American Association (1902–1997) MVP Award winners 20th-century American sportsmen