Jean Louis Vergez (July 9, 1906 – July 15, 1991) 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 ...
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...
. A
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 ...
, his career lasted for 18 seasons (1926–43) and included all or parts of six years (1931–36) 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), ...
and extensive service in the
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
(PCL). Born in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
, to
French immigrants,
he graduated from nearby
Alameda High School
Alameda High School is a co-educational state high school serving grades 9–12. It is located in Alameda, California, United States, and is part of the Alameda Unified School District.
History
The suggestion to open a "Preparatory Department o ...
and attended
Saint Mary's College of California
Saint Mary's College of California is a Private college, private Catholic Church, Catholic college in Moraga, California. Established in 1863, it is affiliated with the Catholic Church and administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college of ...
. Vergez threw and batted
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
, stood tall and weighed .
Vergez achieved early success in 1929–30 with his hometown team, the
Oakland Oaks: he
batted over .300 each season, smashed 46 and 29
home runs
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 ...
, and was the PCL's All-Star third baseman in 1929. Acquired by the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, he succeeded
Hall of Famer
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
Freddie Lindstrom
Frederick Charles Lindstrom (November 21, 1905 – October 4, 1981) was a National League baseball player with the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers from 1924 until 1936. He was inducted into the Baseball Hal ...
as the Giants' regular third baseman in . Starting in 152
games
A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...
as a
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...
, Vergez reached career highs in
hits, batting average (.278) 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 ...
(81).
But was a year marred by personal tragedy. Just prior to the start of the regular season, his infant son, John Louis, died after he was stricken with
poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sym ...
. Although Vergez was able to play in 118 games, his production declined considerably. His manager,
Bill Terry, assured the grieving Vergez a place on his roster.
That season, Vergez rebounded to hit a career-high 16 home runs in 123 games. But, suffering from
appendicitis
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...
, he could not play during the September stretch drive nor in the
1933 World Series
The 1933 World Series was the championship series of the 1933 Major League Baseball season. The 30th edition of the World Series, it matched the National League (NL) pennant winner New York Giants and the American League (AL) pennant winner ...
, won by the Giants in five games with
Travis Jackson
Travis Calvin Jackson (November 2, 1903 – July 27, 1987) was an American baseball shortstop. In Major League Baseball (MLB), Jackson played for the New York Giants from 1922 through 1936, winning the 1933 World Series, and representing the Gia ...
at the
hot corner. The following season, , saw a sharp fall-off in Vergez' play. He batted only .200 in 320
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 ...
in what would be his final campaign as a New York Giant.
On November 1, 1934, he was traded to the
second-division Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
with
Pretzel Pezzullo,
Blondy Ryan
John Collins "Blondy" Ryan (January 4, 1906 – November 28, 1959) was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who is remembered primarily for his fielding and his starring for the New York Giants' 1933 World Series winners.
Biography
Bo ...
and
George Watkins for shortstop
Dick Bartell
__NOTOC__
Richard William Bartell (November 22, 1907 – August 4, 1995), nicknamed "Rowdy Richard", was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop from to . One of the ...
. He played in 148 games for the
1935 Phillies and led
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 s ...
third basemen in
double play
In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs.
In Major Leag ...
s. But he hit only .249, and after appearing in only 15 games for the Phils in , he was sold to the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
. The Cardinals gave him a nine-game trial, then sent him to the minor-league
Sacramento Solons
The Sacramento Solons were a minor league baseball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Pacific Coast League during several periods (1903, 1905, 1909–1914, 1918–1960, 1974–1976). The current Sacramento River Cats began pl ...
.
His MLB career at an end, Vergez played for almost eight full seasons in the Pacific Coast League with Sacramento (1936–38) and then, from 1939 to 1943, as the
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 s ...
of the Oakland Oaks. He later scouted for the Giants and was the head baseball coach at Saint Mary's College, where he tutored future MLB third baseman
Andy Carey
Andrew Arthur Carey (born Andrew Arthur Hexem, October 18, 1931 – December 15, 2011) was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees (1952–1960), Kansas City Athletics (1960–1 ...
. He died in 1991 at age 85 in
Oroville, California
Oroville (''Oro'', Spanish for "Gold" and ''Ville'', French for "town") is the county seat of Butte County, California, United States. The population of the city was 15,506 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, up from 13,004 in the 200 ...
.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vergez, Johnny
1906 births
1991 deaths
American people of French descent
Baseball coaches from California
Baseball players from Oakland, California
Major League Baseball third basemen
New York Giants (NL) players
New York Giants (NL) scouts
Oakland Oaks (baseball) managers
Oakland Oaks (baseball) players
Ogden Gunners players
Philadelphia Phillies players
Sacramento Solons players
St. Louis Cardinals players
Saint Mary's Gaels baseball coaches
San Antonio Bears players
Terrell Terrors players