Francis Michael Skaff (September 30, 1910 – April 12, 1988) was an American

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)

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

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 * Co ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

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, sectio ...

. He played for the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

in 1935 and for the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

in 1943, and served as acting manager of the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

for the latter half of the season after his two immediate predecessors in the post were stricken with terminal illnesses.

Playing career

Amateur

Born in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

, Skaff's family moved to

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

in 1920, where Frank attended Lowell High School. He was captain of the school's football, basketball, and baseball teams, and graduated in 1929. He went on to attend

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

on a football scholarship, but an injury prevented his football-playing, and put him on a baseball scholarship instead. Skaff played third base for the Villanova nine, and graduated in 1935 with a degree in economics. While at Villanova in 1933, Skaff played summer baseball for

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

(CCBL), helping to lead the team to its first league title. A CCBL all-league selection as an outfielder, it was reported that Skaff "covers acres of territory, catches everything in sight," and was "the dread of all opposing pitchers".

Professional

Upon graduation, Skaff was signed by the

, and spent most of 1935 with the minor league

Peoria Tractors Peoria can refer to: People * Peoria tribe, Native American tribe Places United States * Peoria, Arizona, largest city in the U.S. with that name; named after Peoria, Illinois. ** Peoria Unified School District ** Peoria Sports Complex ** Peor ...

. He was called up by Brooklyn late in the 1935 season, and appeared in six games for the Dodgers that year. Skaff's major league debut came on September 11 in the Dodgers' 7–4 loss to the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Crosley Field Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second (1937) an ...

, when he entered the game in the ninth inning to pinch-hit against

Paul Derringer Samuel Paul Derringer (October 17, 1906 – November 17, 1987) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three National League teams from 1931 to 1945, primarily the Cincinnati Reds. He won 20 games for Cincin ...

, and grounded out. Skaff went 2-for-3 with an RBI three days later as the Dodgers' third baseman in an 18–14 loss to the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...

. In his six games with the Dodgers, Skaff was an impressive 6-for-11 at the plate with three RBI, and made one error in seven chances at third base. Skaff spent the 1936–1941 seasons in the minors, and retired after the 1941 season. Working in the

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Founded in 1800, PNS is U.S. Navy's oldest continuo ...

and playing semi-pro baseball, he was signed in 1943 by the

. Skaff appeared in 32 games for the Athletics during their 1943 season, batting .281 in 71 plate appearances. His lone major league home run came on September 27 in the second game of a doubleheader against the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

, a

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

off Al Hollingsworth that reportedly hit the roof at

Shibe Park Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). When it opened April 12, 1 ...

. Skaff played for the

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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

from 1944 to 1946, and was player-manager for the

Montgomery Rebels The Montgomery Rebels was the name of several American minor league baseball franchises representing Montgomery, Alabama, playing in various leagues between and . ''Rebels'' was the predominant nickname of the Montgomery teams, but it was not the ...

through 1948, but never made another big-league appearance. Over his two major league seasons, Skaff

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 ...

.320 in 82 plate appearances.

Coaching and scouting career

1946–1965

Skaff managed in the Athletics'

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, 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 players can move on to a higher ...

through 1953, and was a coach for the

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

Orioles Oriole or Orioles may refer to: Animals * Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae * New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae Music * The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and earl ...

during their first

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

season as the reborn St. Louis Browns, before joining the Tiger organization as a minor league skipper and scout. In , he was named to the Tigers' MLB coaching staff.

Interim manager of 1966 Tigers

Skaff's turn as acting manager of the 1966 Tigers came as a result of the serious, ultimately fatal, illnesses of his two 1966 predecessors. On May 16, after 26 games, veteran manager

Chuck Dressen Charles Walter Dressen (September 20, 1894Dressen's birthdate has been revised from 1898, as was commonly reported in ''The Sporting News' Baseball Register'' and ''Macmillan's Baseball Encyclopedia'', to 1894 by both Baseball Reference and Retr ...

suffered his second

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in as many seasons. As in , third base coach

Bob Swift Robert Virgil Swift (March 6, 1915 – October 17, 1966) was an American professional baseball player, coach, manager and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, standing tall and weighing . He threw and batted right-handed. ...

took over the Tigers on an interim basis as Dressen recovered. After 57 games as the Tigers' manager, Swift was hospitalized during the July 11–13 All-Star break for what appeared to be a stomach ailment; however, his malady proved to be

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

and he was forced to immediately give up the reins. Skaff, who had begun 1966 as Detroit's bench coach, then moved to third base under Swift, became the team's second acting manager of the season on July 14 and finished the campaign. The Tigers won only 40 of the 79 games Skaff managed, and finished third in the American League, nine games in arrears of the eventual

world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

Orioles. Both Dressen and Swift would die during the year. Dressen, 71, appeared to be making a recovery in early August when he was stricken by a kidney infection; he died August 10. Swift, 51, succumbed to cancer on October 17, 1966.

1967–1988

On October 3, the Tigers hired

Mayo Smith Edward Mayo "Catfish" Smith (January 17, 1915 – November 24, 1977) was an American professional baseball player, manager, and scout who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Athletics. Smith had a 39-year baseball career ...

as manager for 1967, and Skaff moved into a scouting role. He never managed again in the majors (his 40–39 career record produced a

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

of .506), but returned to Detroit as a coach under

Billy Martin Alfred Manuel Martin Jr. (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989), commonly called "Billy", was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager who, in addition to leading other teams, was five times the manager of the New York Yan ...

in 1971. Skaff was inducted into the Villanova University Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1976, and the Lowell High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. He retired from full-time scouting in 1983, but continued part-time until his death in 1988, which came while on a scouting trip for the Tigers in

Towson, Maryland Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorpo ...

at age 77.Skaff dies of heart attack
/ref>

References

External links

* : {{DEFAULTSORT:Skaff, Frank 1910 births 1988 deaths Allentown Brooks players American people of Syrian descent Baltimore Orioles coaches Baltimore Orioles (IL) players Baseball players from Wisconsin Birmingham Barons managers Brooklyn Dodgers players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) managers Cape Cod Baseball League players (pre-modern era) Charleston Rebels players Clinton Owls players Cooleemee Cards players Detroit Tigers coaches Detroit Tigers managers Detroit Tigers scouts Durham Bulls managers Greenville Spinners players Harwich Mariners players Knoxville Smokies players Major League Baseball bench coaches Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball third base coaches Montgomery Rebels players Oswego Netherlands players Philadelphia Athletics players Sportspeople from La Crosse, Wisconsin Reading Brooks players Trenton Senators players Villanova Wildcats baseball players