Joseph Edward Bockman (July 26, 1920 – September 29, 2011) 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 professional ...

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 scoring system us ...

and scout, who played 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) for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

(),

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 Pittsburgh Pirates (–). During his playing days, Bockman stood , weighing ; he batted and threw right-handed. His younger brother, Morley Bockman, played Minor League Baseball (MiLB) for the

Riverside Rubes The Riverside Rubes/Dons were a minor league baseball team, based in Riverside, California that played in the Sunset League The Sunset League was a minor league baseball circuit that operated from 1947 through 1950. The Sunset League was a ...

, in the Sunset League, among other teams.

Playing career

Born in Santa Ana, California, Bockman was a triple-threat

back The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column runs ...

for

Woodrow Wilson Classical High School Woodrow Wilson High School (colloquially known as Long Beach Wilson) is an American public high school located in Long Beach, California. This two-block campus is located approximately 1.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean, across from the Recreation ...

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, in 1937. While playing second base for the Fullerton, California All-Stars, Bockman hit a

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

(HR) to help lead the team to a 16–4 victory over Fort Rosecrans, in August 1943. He also played third base for a Pacific Coast League All-Star team which featured

pitcher Bob Feller. The All-Stars opposed the

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 19 ...

in an exhibition game at

Wrigley Field (Los Angeles) Wrigley Field was a ballpark in Los Angeles, California. It hosted minor league baseball teams in the region for more than 30 years. It was the home park for the minor league Los Angeles Angels during their run in the Pacific Coast League, as ...

, on October 2, 1945, with

Satchel Paige Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction in ...

pitching for the Monarchs. Bockman did not play pro baseball from 1943 to 1946, due to service in the United States Navy during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. While in the Navy, he was stationed in San Diego and played for the base team. He rose to the rank of Specialist 2nd Class Petty Officer. In September 1946, he joined the Yankees, then spent parts of the next three years with the Indians and Pirates. Bockman's most productive seasons came with Pittsburgh, when he posted career-best all-around numbers, including a .239

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 ...

(BA), 23

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 ...

(RBI) and 23 runs scored, in 1948. Then, in 1949 he posted career-highs in games played (79) and HR (6), while driving in 19 runs and

scoring Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian m ...

21 times. In April of that year, Bockman belted two home runs in a single game to give the Pirates a 3–1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at

Forbes Field Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to June 28, 1970. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers ...

. His two-run homer in the fourth inning scored

Danny Murtaugh Daniel Edward Murtaugh (October 8, 1917 – December 2, 1976) was an American second baseman, manager, front-office executive, and coach in Major League Baseball ( MLB). Murtaugh is best known for his 29-year association with the Pittsburgh Pira ...

, who had walked.''Bucs Bag Nightcap To Divy With Reds'',

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

, April 25, 1949, Page C2. Bockman's career MLB stat-line includes a .230 BA, 11 HR, and 56 RBI, in 199 games. Following his big league stint, he became a Minor League Baseball player-manager for the

Albuquerque Dukes The Albuquerque Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. History The first Dukes team was formed in 1915 as part of the Class D Rio Grande Association. The team finished in third place with a 32-25 record. Frank ...

(), Visalia Cubs (), and

Amarillo Gold Sox The Amarillo Gold Sox was the name of an American minor league baseball franchise that represented the city of Amarillo, Texas, in the Class D West Texas–New Mexico League, the Class A Western League and the Double-A Texas League at various t ...

(–).

Later life

Bockman later scouted for the Philadelphia Phillies, where he was credited for signing

Bob Boone Robert Raymond Boone (born November 19, 1947) is an American former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who was a four-time All-Star. Born in San Diego, California, he is the son of MLB player Ray Boone, and he is the father o ...

Larry Bowa Lawrence Robert Bowa (born December 6, 1945) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB), who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and New York Mets. Bowa went on to mana ...

Joe Charboneau Joseph Charboneau (born June 17, 1955) is a former Major League Baseball player for the Cleveland Indians in the early 1980s. After winning the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1980, Charboneau's career quickly flamed out amidst injuries, specifica ...

Buck Martinez John Albert "Buck" Martinez (born November 7, 1948) is an American former professional baseball catcher and manager, and is currently the television play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball ( ...

Ricky Jordan Paul Scott "Ricky" Jordan (born May 26, 1965)Ricky Jordan
Baseball Reference, access date August 28, ...

Randy Lerch Randy Louis Lerch (born October 9, 1954), is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, Montreal Expos, and San Francisco Giants, from to . Early ...

Dick Ruthven Richard David Ruthven (born March 27, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs. The two ...

John Vukovich John Christopher Vukovich (July 31, 1947 – March 8, 2007), nicknamed "Vuk" or "Johnny Vuk", was an American professional baseball utility infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB),

, and

Bob Walk Robert Vernon Walk (born November 26, 1956), nicknamed "The Whirly Bird", is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (), Atlanta Braves (–), and Pittsburgh Pirate ...

, among others. In 1992, after more than 30 years with the Phillies, he became a scout for the newly created

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

expansion team. On September 29, 2011, Bockman died in

Millbrae, California Millbrae is a city located in northern San Mateo County, California, United States. To its northeast is San Francisco International Airport, San Bruno is on its northwest, and Burlingame on its southeast. It is bordered by San Andreas Lake t ...

, at the age of 91. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bockman, Eddie 1920 births 2011 deaths Albuquerque Dukes players Amarillo Gold Sox players Baseball players from California Bisbee Bees players Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Cleveland Indians players Indianapolis Indians players Joplin Miners players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Lewiston Broncs players Major League Baseball scouts Major League Baseball third basemen Miami Marlins scouts Minor league baseball managers New York Yankees players Norfolk Tars players Sportspeople from Santa Ana, California Philadelphia Phillies scouts Pittsburgh Pirates players Portland Beavers players Sacramento Solons players Visalia Cubs players Wilson Classical High School alumni United States Navy sailors American military sports players United States Navy personnel of World War II