Grover Pinckney Seitz (1907 – February 1, 1957) was a Minor League Baseball player well known for his long and storied tenure. He played from 1929 to 1933, from 1939 to 1942, from 1945 to 1947 and in 1953, when he was 45 years old. He spent a large portion of his career in the

West Texas–New Mexico League The West Texas–New Mexico League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1937 through 1955, with a hiatus from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. The league started as a Class D level league, upgraded to Class C in 1946 and then ...

, where he served as a

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

. Seven seasons he hit over .300, with a high of .395 with the

Clovis Pioneers The Clovis Pioneers was the primary name of the minor league baseball team that played in Clovis, New Mexico in various seasons from 1922 to 1957. The team was an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians (1946), Chicago Cubs (1950-1951) and Cincinnati R ...

in 1942. Overall, he appeared in 1,148 games, hitting around .315. He managed from 1939 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1956, skippering the Pampa Plainsmen (1939),

Pampa Oilers The Pampa Oilers were a West Texas–New Mexico League (1940–1942, 1946–1955) and Southwestern League (1956–1957) minor league baseball team based in Pampa, Texas, USA. They were affiliated with the Oklahoma City Indians in 1953 an ...

(1940, 1946–1951, 1955–1956) and

(1941–1942, 1951–1954). He led his teams to 10 playoff appearances in his 15-year career, including three league championships. He also served as part-owner of the Pampa club. He was known as "one of the most vivid personalities ever found in organized baseball." A colorful individual, local reporters called him the "wild bull of the Pampans." He and his wife died in 1957 after colliding with a train while driving his vehicle.

References

1907 births 1957 deaths Minor league baseball players Minor league baseball managers {{US-baseball-bio-stub