Joseph Louis Tuminelli (March 27, 1920 – April 30, 1980) 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

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 ...

in Minor League Baseball. Listed at and , he batted and threw right-handed.

Biography

During nine seasons after World War II, Tuminelli enjoyed a solid baseball career while playing for ten teams in seven minor league circuits and three different countries. Although he never appeared in a

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) game, he teamed up with several future big leaguers through the length of his career. A

triple crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

and

Most Valuable Player 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 ...

winner, he also had productive seasons in Canadian baseball and the Panamanian Winter League. Born in New York City, he was originally signed by 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 ...

. He debuted in 1946 with the

Nashua Dodgers The Nashua Dodgers was a farm club of the Brooklyn Dodgers, operating in the class-B New England League between 1946 and 1949. It is believed to be the first professional baseball team based in the United States in the twentieth century to play wi ...

of the

New England League The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League B ...

, and was dealt to the Portland Gulls during the midseason. He finished with a combined

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 ...

of .335 (10th of the league) and a .517 of

slugging Slugging, also known as casual carpooling, is the practice of forming ad hoc, informal carpools for purposes of commuting, essentially a variation of ride-share commuting and hitchhiking. A driver picks up these non-paying passengers (known as ...

in 51 games. He opened with Portland in 1947, when the team was renamed the Pilots, and posted a batting line ( BA/ OBP/ SLG) of .335/.378/.517 overall, while collecting a better

OPS In ancient Roman religion, Ops or ''Opis'' (Latin: "Plenty") was a fertility deity and earth goddess of Sabine origin. Her equivalent in Greek mythology was Rhea. Iconography In Ops' statues and coins, she is figured sitting down, as Chthon ...

(.895) than league Most Valuable Player

Roy Campanella Roy Campanella (November 19, 1921 – June 26, 1993), nicknamed "Campy", was an American baseball player, primarily as a catcher. The Philadelphia native played in the Negro leagues and Mexican League for nine years before entering the minor lea ...

(.870). Then, in 1947 he hit .309 for the Pilots. In 1948 Tuminelli moved to the

Drummondville Cubs The Drummondville professional baseball team was a member of the now extinct Quebec Provincial League and operated in Drummondville, in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec. The team went through many incarnations over the years. They debuted ...

of the

Provincial League Provincial League (formerly known as Professional League) also known as Pro League was the old regional Football league in Thailand in 1999–2008. It was founded in 1999 under the name "Provincial League" organized by Sports Authority of Thailan ...

, a professional circuit based in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. A struggling ballclub, the Cubs finished last in the five-team league with a 39-58 record, 21½ games out of first place. Notably, Tuminelli finished playing all 97 games for Drummondville, hitting a .302 average and 10

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 ...

s, while leading the team in

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 se ...

(117) and

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 bat ...

(73). Drummondville improved in 1949, after signing a group of core players that led the team to a championship. Among the newcomers were

Danny Gardella Daniel Lewis Gardella (February 26, 1920 – March 6, 2005) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the New York Giants (1944–45) and St. Louis Cardinals (1950). Born in New York City, he batted and threw left-han ...

Max Lanier Hubert Max Lanier (August 18, 1915 – January 30, 2007) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who spent most of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. He led the National League in earned run average in 1943, and was the ...

Sal Maglie Salvatore Anthony Maglie (April 26, 1917 – December 28, 1992) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher and later, a scout and a pitching coach. He played from 1945 to 1958 for the New York Giants, Cleveland Indians, Brooklyn Dodgers, New ...

Tex Shirley Alvis Newman "Tex" Shirley (April 25, 1918 – November 7, 1993) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1941 to 1946 for the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns ...

, Roberto Vargas, Roy Zimmerman and Víctor Pellot, who would later gain notoriety in the major leagues as Vic Power. Although Tuminelli continued to improve his numbers, batting .327 with eight home runs and 52 RBI, while leading the team once more in games (96), runs (73) and hits (125). Tuminelli split 1950 with the

Tampa Smokers The Tampa Smokers was a name used between 1919 and 1954 by a series of minor league baseball teams based in Tampa, Florida. The nickname was a nod to the local cigar industry, which was the most important industry in Tampa during the years in wh ...

and

Fort Lauderdale Braves The Fort Lauderdale Braves was a minor league baseball team in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from 1947 until 1953 that played its home games at Westside Ballpark at the north fork of the New River at Broward Boulevard. The team was a member of the Fl ...

of the

Florida International League The Florida International League was a lower- to mid-level circuit in American and Cuban minor league baseball that existed from 1946 through July 27, 1954. It was designated Class C for its first three seasons, then upgraded to Class B in 1949 fo ...

, batting a combined .294/.358/.421 and 10 home runs. In addition, his .943

fielding average In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, divi ...

at third base was the best of any

position player In baseball, a position player is a player who on defense plays as an infielder, outfielder, or catcher. In Major League Baseball (since 1973 in the American League and since 2022 in the National League), there is also a designated hitter, who ba ...

to play at least 100 games. He returned to FIL Fort Lauderdale in 1951 and ended the year with the St. Hyacinthe Saints of the Quebec Provincial League, hitting .263 and .286, respectively, while batting eight homers at both stops. He then found herself on the move again, this time with the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

of the

Interstate League The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. Early leagues Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active: *1896–1901: an unclassified ...

, batting for them .241 in 85 games during the 1952 season. His most productive season came in 1953, while playing in the

Wisconsin State League The Wisconsin State League was a class D baseball league that began in 1905, changing its name to the Wisconsin–Illinois League in 1908 and operating through 1914. The league re–organized under that name in 1926. Another Wisconsin State League ...

for the

Fond du Lac Panthers The Fond du Lac Panthers were a Wisconsin State League minor league baseball team that played in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, from 1940 to 1953. Notable alumni * Ray Powell (1942) * Harry Rice (1940–1941) *Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (Mar ...

. Tuminelli won the Triple Crown honors that season, after batting a .390 average with 28 home runs and 148 RBI in 118 games appearances, leading the league also in runs (123),

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, while ...

(291) and slugging (.667), while ending second in OBP (.513) and posting a 3.63

walk-to-strikeout ratio In baseball statistics, walk-to-strikeout ratio (BB/K) is a measure of a hitter's plate discipline and knowledge of the strike zone. Generally, a hitter with a good walk-to-strikeout ratio must exhibit enough patience at the plate to refrain from sw ...

(87-to-24). He played his last season in 1954, appearing in just seven games for the Erie Senators of the Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League (PONY League). Over his nine-season minor league career, he posted a batting average of .306 (809-for-2641) in 709 games played. In between two tours in America and Canada, Tuminelli played in the Panamanian League during the winter. On the side, he also pitched and managed eventually. He joined the

Carta Vieja Yankees The Panamanian Professional Baseball League ( es, Béisbol Profesional de Panamá, links=no), currently known as Probeis, is a professional baseball winter league consisting of three teams based in Panama. Since 2019, the league's winner takes p ...

league's champions of the 1949–1950 season, then finished as the Most Valuable Player in the

1950 Caribbean Series The second edition of the Caribbean Series (''Serie del Caribe'') was held from February 21 through February 27, in 1950. It featured the champion baseball teams of Cuba, Alacranes del Almendares; Panama, Carta Vieja Yankees; Puerto Rico, Criol ...

, after leading the tournament with two home runs and seven RBI to give Panama its only title in Series history. He also helped Carta Vieja clinch the 1951–1952 title, though he batted a low .208 average in the 1952 Caribbean Series. Then, he went 2-for-8 and stole two bases for the Panamanian club in the 1953 Series. In the 1954 edition, Tuminelli batted .391 and scored four runs, while driving in three more and stealing a base, tying with

Sam Chapman Samuel Blake Chapman (April 11, 1916 – December 22, 2006) was an American two-sport athletic star who played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball, spending nearly his entire career with the Philadelphia Athletics (1938–1941, 1945–1 ...

and Angel Scull of the Cuban team for the second-best average behind Puerto Rico's outfielder

Jim Rivera Manuel Joseph "Jim" Rivera (July 22, 1921 – November 13, 2017) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played for three Major League Baseball (MLB) teams over ten seasons: St. Louis Browns (1952), Chicago White Sox (1952–1961), a ...

(.450). He returned in the 1956 tournament as a replacement player, batting 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Tuminelli collected a batting average of .289 (24-for-83) in four Series appearances, which includes two doubles, two homers, nine runs, 11 RBI and five stolen bases. As expected, Tuminelli was one of the most popular players in Panamanian baseball history. He made friends everywhere he went and remains beloved by fans even now. ''He was an honorary Panamanian'', explained former major league first baseman Dave Roberts in his book ''A Baseball Odyssey''. Tuminelli married in 1951 with Acela HerreraHernandez, Lou (2011). ''The Rise of the Latin American Baseball Leagues, 1947–1961''. Macfarland & Company. and raised a family of children. He later was a long time resident of

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, where he died in 1980 in at the age of 60.

Sources

*Araujo Bojórquez, Alfonso (2002). ''Series del Caribe: narraciones y estadisticas, 1949–2001''. Colegio de Bachilleres del Estado de Sinaloa. *Figueredo, Jorge S. (2011). ''Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History, 1878–1961''. Macfarland & Company. *Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles (1993). ''Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball''. Baseball America. *Nuñez, José Antero (1994). ''Serie del Caribe de la Habana a Puerto la Cruz''. JAN Editor.

External links

Baseball Reference – Joe Tuminelli Page 1Baseball Reference – Joe Tuminelli Page 2

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuminelli, Joe 1920 births 1980 deaths Drummondville Cubs players Erie Senators players Fond du Lac Panthers players Fort Lauderdale Braves players Harrisburg Senators players Nashua Dodgers players Portland (NEL) baseball players St. Hyacinthe Saints players Tampa Smokers players American people of Italian descent Baseball players from Miami Baseball players from New York City Baseball third basemen American expatriate baseball players in Panama American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Nicaragua