Robert Edward Malkmus (born July 4, 1931) is a retired American infielder and scout 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), ...

. He also managed in the farm systems of three MLB clubs – the Philadelphia Phillies,

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

and

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. Born and raised in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Malcolm X Shabazz High School Malcolm X Shabazz High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Newark Public Schools. Founded as South Side High School in 1912, the school was renamed in 1 ...

), where his small size attracted little attention from professional teams. He threw and batted right-handed, stood (1.75 m) tall and weighed 180 pounds (82 kg). He signed with the Boston Braves in and made his major league debut on June 1, 1957, with the transplanted Milwaukee Braves. The Braves were en route to the 1957

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

pennant and

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

championship, but Malkmus could collect only two

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

s in 22

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 during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

(an .091

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

) and was sent back to 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 No ...

. That autumn, he was selected by the Washington Senators in the Rule 5 draft. Washington gave Malkmus 47 games to prove himself in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

– 59, but he batted only .186 and was outrighted to the unaffiliated

Denver Bears Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

at the May 1959 cut-down deadline. At the close of the 1959 campaign, Malkmus was again eligible for the Rule 5 draft, and the Philadelphia Phillies selected him. Malkmus would appear in 208 games as a

utility infielder In baseball, a utility player is a player who typically does not have the offensive abilities to justify a regular starting role on the team but is capable of playing more than one defensive position. These players are able to give the various s ...

for the Phils, through the May cutdown deadline. In his best campaign, , he played in 121 games, and batted .231 in 342 at-bats with seven home runs and 31

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) 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 the ba ...

. One sportswriter gave him a

Most Valuable Player Award In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

vote after the season. For his MLB career of all or parts of six seasons (1957–62), Malkmus hit .215 with 123 hits, eight homers and 46 RBI. He managed in the minor leagues for nine seasons (1967–75), compiling a 508–463 record (.523) with one championship. Malkmus then scouted for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

and

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

through the mid-2000s, based in Union, New Jersey. He continues to scout part-time for Cleveland as of 2017.''1980 Official Baseball Guide'', published by

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 pr ...

; Baseball America Annual Directory, 1986 through 1990.

References

External links

Bobby Malkmus
at SABR (Baseball BioProject) {{DEFAULTSORT:Malkmus, Bobby 1931 births Living people Arkansas Travelers players Austin Senators players Baseball players from Newark, New Jersey Bluefield Blue-Grays players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cleveland Indians scouts Denver Bears players Eugene Emeralds managers Eugene Emeralds players Evansville Braves players Jacksonville Braves players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Malcolm X Shabazz High School alumni Milwaukee Braves players Philadelphia Phillies players San Diego Padres (minor league) players San Diego Padres scouts Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Wichita Braves players