Philip Weintraub (October 12, 1907 – June 21, 1987) 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 ...
first baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
and
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
.
Weintraub played for 13
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
teams, for whom he had an aggregate
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 .337, as well as for 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. ...
, 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 ...
, and the
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 ...
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), ...
.
[Phil Weintraub , Society for American Baseball Research]
/ref> He was primarily a reserve outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
in the majors, though he was platooned at first base
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
in the last few years of his career. He posted a .295 career batting average in the major leagues, and a .398 on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
.[Phil Weintraub Stats , Baseball-Reference.com]
/ref> In one game in 1944, Weintraub had 11 RBIs, one fewer than the major league record, and he still has as of , the third- most runs batted in ( RBIs) in a single game (11, behind Jim Bottomley
James Leroy Bottomley (April 23, 1900 – December 11, 1959) was an American professional baseball player, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1922 to 1937, most prominently as a member of the St. Loui ...
and Mark Whiten
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Fin ...
) in Major League history.
Author Joe Cox, writing in ''The Immaculate Inning: Unassisted Triple Plays, 40/40 Seasons, and the Stories Behind Baseball's Rarest Feats'' (Rowman & Littlefield
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...
, 2018), observed: "The biggest mystery of Weintraub is why a hitter with a career .295 batting average and capable power (.440 slugging percentage
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
) could never get more than 361 at bat
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 ...
s in a big league season -- or top 1,382 career at bats... One biographer cites anti-semitic theories of the time ...."[Joe Cox]
''The Immaculate Inning: Unassisted Triple Plays, 40/40 Seasons, and the Stories Behind Baseball's Rarest Feats''.
/ref>
Through 2008, Weintraub had the fourth-best career batting average of all Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
ish major league baseball players, being surpassed only by Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...
, Buddy Myer
Charles Solomon "Buddy" Myer (March 16, 1904 – October 31, 1974) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman from through . A two-time All-Star, Myer was notable for being the American ...
, and Lou Boudreau
Louis Boudreau (July 17, 1917 – August 10, 2001), nicknamed "Old Shufflefoot", "Handsome Lou", and "The Good Kid", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons, primarily as a ...
. Blessed with an excellent eye and bat control, he walked 232 times in his career, while striking out
''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...
only 182 times, for a 1.27 BB/K ratio.
Early life
Weintraub was born in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, and was Jewish. He attended Lane Technical College Prep High School
Lane Tech College Prep High School (often shortened to Lane Tech, full name Albert Grannis Lane Technical College Preparatory High School), is a public 4-year selective enrollment magnet high school located in the Roscoe Village neighborhood on ...
. He then played for the Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Cathol ...
baseball team.[Phil Weintraub Minor Leagues Statistics & History , Baseball-Reference.com]
/ref>[Howard Megdal]
/ref> His father owned a small butcher shop, and wanted him to follow him in the business.[''Ellis Island to Ebbets Field: Sport and the American Jewish Experience'' - Peter Levine]
/ref> His parents, who were from Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
, Russia (now Kyiv, Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
), were against him being a baseball player, as they were of the view that all baseball players were "bums."[''Jews and Baseball'' - Burton Alan Boxerman, Benita W. Boxerman]
/ref> He later lived in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...
.
Minor leagues
Weintraub was a heavy hitter in the minors, hitting 194 career 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.
In 1926 he played for the Rock Island Islanders
The Rock Island Islanders was the primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Rock Island, Illinois, one of the Quad Cities, between 1892 and 1937. Rock Island teams played as members of the Illinois–Iowa League (1892), Western Asso ...
, in 1927 Weintraub played for the Waco Cubs
The Waco Cubs were a minor league baseball team based in Waco, Texas for six years (1925–1930, 1933). The Cubs were members of the Texas League from 1925 to 1930 and the Dixie League in 1933. They played at Katy Park for their entire six-year e ...
and the Danville Veterans Danville or Dansville may refer to:
;Canada
*Danville, Quebec
;United States
*Danville, Alabama
*Danville, Arkansas
*Danville, California
*Danville, Georgia
*Danville, Illinois
*Danville, Indiana
*Danville, Iowa
* Danville, Kansas
*Danville, Kentu ...
, and in 1928 he played for the Tyler Trojans The Tyler Trojans were a minor league baseball team based in Tyler, Texas that played on-and-off from 1924 to 1950. The team played in the East Texas League (1924–1926, 1931, 1936–1940, 1946, 1949–1950), Lone Star League (1927–1929, 1947– ...
. He was a pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
until he hurt his arm in 1930.[Tom Schott, Nick Peters]
''The Giants Encyclopedia''.
/ref> He took some time off from baseball after his father died to take over his father's business.
In 1931 Weintraub played for the Dubuque Tigers (had a .372 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 ...
(3rd in the league) with a .600 slugging percentage
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
(2nd)), in 1932 he played for the Terre Haute Tots The Terre Haute Tots were a baseball team in Terre Haute, Indiana from 1921–1937 after being established in 1919 as the Terre Haute Browns. They were a Three-I League team; while they were unaffiliated for most of their existence; in 1937, t ...
(batting .323 with a .500 slugging percentage) and the Dayton Ducks
The Dayton Ducks were a minor league baseball team that played in the Central League in 1932 and then the Middle Atlantic League from 1933–1942. The team took its name from their owner and field manager, former St. Louis Cardinals player Ducky Ho ...
(batting .352 with a .575 slugging percentage), and in 1933 he played for the Birmingham Barons
The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...
.
In 1934, he batted .401 (the first hitter to bat .400 in the league) with a league-leading .664 slugging percentage for the Nashville Vols
The Nashville Vols were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1901 to 1963. Known only as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers (often sh ...
of the Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...
, as Weintraub was second in the league with 16 home runs in 371 at bat
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 ...
s.
In 1936 Weintraub played for the Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...
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 ...
(batting .371 (2nd in the league) while leading the league with a .660 slugging percentage) and the Columbus Red Birds
The Columbus Red Birds were a top-level minor league baseball team that played in Columbus, Ohio, in the American Association from 1931 through 1954. The Columbus club, a member of the Association continuously since 1902, was previously known as ...
(batting .361 with a .506 slugging percentage). In 1937 he played for the Jersey City Giants {{about, the baseball team, the football team, American Association (American football)
The Jersey City Giants was the name of a high-level American minor league baseball franchise that played in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the top farm system a ...
, and in 1938 he played for the International League 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 ...
(batting .345 with a .604 slugging percentage). In 1939 and 1940 he played for the Minneapolis Millers
The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...
in the American Association American Association may refer to:
Baseball
* American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891
* American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997
* American Association of Profe ...
, batting .331 with 33 home runs (2nd in the league behind Vince DiMaggio
Vincent Paul DiMaggio (September 6, 1912 – October 3, 1986) was an American Major League Baseball center fielder. During a 10-year baseball career, he played for the Boston Bees (1937–1938), Cincinnati Reds (1939–1940), Pittsburgh Pirates (1 ...
) and 126 RBIs, and .347 with 27 home runs and 109 RBIs, with slugging percentages of .633 (2nd in the league) and .600. In 1941 he played for the Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
and batted .302 with 18 home runs (3rd in the league) and a .504 slugging percentage, in 1942 he played for the St. Paul Saints
The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They prev ...
(during the season, he fought a verbally abusive fan in Minneapolis, and "clocked" him) and the Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...
, and in 1943 he again played for Toledo, batting .334 with 16 home runs and 96 RBIs (each 3rd in the league) and a .443 on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
and .507 slugging percentage (both 2nd in the league). In 1945, his last season at the age of 37, he played for the Newark Bears
The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. T ...
and batted .311.
Major league career
New York Giants (1933–35)
His professional debut was on September 5, 1933, for 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. ...
, at 25 years of age.[">"Phil Weintraub Stats" , Baseball-Reference.com]
/ref> Weintraub played in eight games that season.
In 1934, Weintraub batted .351 with a .461 on-base percentage in 31 games. ''The Sporting News'' wrote of him in December 1934: "The Giants don’t know what they’re going to do with Phil."
The following season he batted .241 in 64 games. That year in spring training, despite a team reservation Weintraub and Harry Danning
Harry Danning (nicknamed Harry the Horse; September 6, 1911 – November 29, 2004) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the New York Giants (NL), New York Giants, and was ...
were once refused entry to the Flamingo Hotel
Flamingo Las Vegas (formerly The Fabulous Flamingo and Flamingo Hilton Las Vegas) is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment.
The property includes a casino along with 3, ...
in Miami Beach, Florida, which had a "No Jews" policy, but they were allowed to stay when Giants manager Bill Terry
William Harold Terry (October 30, 1898 – January 9, 1989) was an American professional baseball first baseman and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Giants from 1923 to 1936 and managed the Giants from 1932 to 19 ...
threatened he would take the whole team to another hotel if his Jewish ballplayers were not allowed in.
Called "baseball's best-dressed pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...
" in 1935 by journalist Fred Lieb, Weintraub reportedly owned 100 suits.
St. Louis Cardinals
In December 1935 Weintraub was traded by the Giants with pitcher Roy Parmelee
Leroy Earl Parmelee (April 25, 1907 – August 31, 1981) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1929 to 1939 for the New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Ath ...
and cash 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 ...
for second baseman Burgess "Whitey" Whitehead.
Cincinnati Reds (1937)
In August 1936 he was purchased by 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 ...
from the Cardinals. Weintraub batted .271 with a .424 slugging percentage for the Reds in 198 at bats.
New York Giants (1937)
In July 1937 Weintraub was purchased 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. ...
from the Reds, and went 3-for-9 with two doubles. Late in November he was sold by the Giants to 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 ...
. In 1937, an article in ''Fortune'' magazine noted: "Players have changed ... Most clubs today welcome a good Jewish player ... like ... Phil Weintraub."
Philadelphia Phillies (1938)
In June 1938 he was traded by Baltimore to the 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 ...
in exchange for first baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
Gene Corbett. In that season Weintraub finished 3rd in the 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 ...
in on-base percentage (.422), 9th in batting average (.311), and 10th in walks (64).[ In contrast, as a team the Phillies batted .254, and only two of its players had more RBIs.] For the Phillies, he had the last 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 ...
in Philadelphia's Baker Bowl
National League Park, commonly referred to as the Baker Bowl after 1923, was a baseball stadium and home to the Philadelphia Phillies from 1887 until 1938, and first home field of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1933 to 1935. It opened in 1887 with a ...
. When a game was scheduled on Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day's ...
, he elected not to play. Late in December 1938 he was purchased by the Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
from the Phillies.
Weintraub did not play major league baseball from 1939 through 1943, spending those years in the minor leagues. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
on December 7, 1941, the 34-year-old Weintraub reported for examination by the draft board
{{further, Conscription in the United StatesDraft boards are a part of the Selective Service System which register and select men of military age in the event of conscription in the United States.
Local board
The local draft board is a board th ...
, but was declared unfit for military service.
New York Giants (1944–45)
In November 1943 he was obtained 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. ...
from 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 ...
in the Rule 5 draft. In April 1944, in a stunt during a preseason exhibition game Weintraub caught a baseball dropped from a blimp
A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is an airship (dirigible) without an internal structural framework or a keel. Unlike semi-rigid and rigid airships (e.g. Zeppelins), blimps rely on the pressure of the lifting gas (usually helium, rather than hydr ...
that was 400 feet above him.
In 1944, Weintraub returned to the majors with the Giants after a six-year absence. In 361 at bats he was 5th in the National League in OBP (.412), slugging percentage (.524) and at bats per home run
In baseball statistics, at bats per home run (AB/HR) is a way to measure how frequently a batter hits a home run. It is determined by dividing the number of at bats by the number of home runs hit. Mark McGwire possesses the MLB record for this st ...
(27.8); 6th in triples (9), 8th in batting average (.316), and 9th in home runs (13).
On April 30, Weintraub had 11 RBIs, setting the franchise record and one short of the major league record, as the Giants defeated 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 ...
, 26–8. He had two doubles, a triple, and a home run. Amazingly, he missed the cycle because he didn't get a single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
.[Gilbert, Bill (1992). ''They Also Served: Baseball and the Home Front, 1941–1945''. New York: Crown Publishers, pp. 122–23]
/ref>
In 1945, he batted .272/.389/.417, and on defense Weintraub led the 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 ...
in range factor as a first baseman (10.83). Weintraub played his last game on August 5, 1945, at 37 years of age. In January 1946, he was released by the Giants.
Through 2010, Weintraub was fifth all-time in batting average (behind Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...
, Ryan Braun
Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right field and f ...
, Buddy Myer
Charles Solomon "Buddy" Myer (March 16, 1904 – October 31, 1974) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman from through . A two-time All-Star, Myer was notable for being the American ...
, and Lou Boudreau
Louis Boudreau (July 17, 1917 – August 10, 2001), nicknamed "Old Shufflefoot", "Handsome Lou", and "The Good Kid", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons, primarily as a ...
) among Jewish major league baseball players.
In 1982, he was inducted into the Chicago Jewish Athletes Hall of Fame.
Career statistics
In 444 games over seven seasons, Weintraub posted a .295 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 ...
(407-for-1382) with 215 runs, 67 doubles, 19 triples, 32 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 ...
, 207 RBI, 232 bases on balls
A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...
, .398 on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
and .440 slugging percentage
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
. Defensively, he finished his career with a .990 fielding percentage
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, div ...
at first base and .989 fielding percentage overall.
After baseball
After he retired from playing baseball, in 1946 Weintraub was the Manager of the Bloomingdale Troopers The Bloomingdale Troopers were a North Atlantic League baseball team based in Bloomingdale, New Jersey that played from 1946 to 1948. They were affiliated with the Boston Braves in 1947 and the Cleveland Indians in 1948. They are the only professio ...
in the North Atlantic League
The North Atlantic League was the name of two minor baseball leagues. The first was a Class D affiliated system that operated from 1946 until 1950, and the second was an independent minor league that played from 1995 until 1996. Three of that le ...
. Newspapers called his team "Weintraub's Troopers." He next worked in the wholesale food business in New York, and then sold real estate in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...
.
Weintraub died from a heart attack, after suffering from cancer, on June 21, 1987, in Palm Springs, at the age of 79. He was buried at the Desert Memorial Park
Desert Memorial Park is a cemetery in Cathedral City, California, United States, near Palm Springs. Opening in 1956 and receiving its first interment in 1957,The Palm Springs Cemetery District itself was covers 504 square miles, including Palm Spr ...
in Cathedral City, California
Cathedral City, colloquially known as "Cat City", is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. Situated between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, the city has the second larg ...
.
See also
* List of select Jewish baseball players
References
External links
Baseball Reference stats
Baseball Cube stats
Fangraphs stats
Phil Weintraub Baseball Biography
Baseball Almanac bio
Jews in Sports bio
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weintraub, Phil
1907 births
1987 deaths
Baseball players from Chicago
Baltimore Orioles (IL) players
Birmingham Barons players
Burials at Desert Memorial Park
Cincinnati Reds players
Columbus Red Birds players
Danville Veterans players
Dayton Ducks players
Jersey City Giants players
Jewish American baseball players
Jewish Major League Baseball players
Jews and Judaism in Cincinnati
Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players
Loyola Ramblers baseball players
Major League Baseball first basemen
Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players
Minor league baseball managers
Nashville Vols players
New York Giants (NL) players
Newark Bears (IL) players
Philadelphia Phillies players
Rochester Red Wings players
Rock Island Islanders players
Sportspeople from Palm Springs, California
St. Paul Saints (AA) players
Terre Haute Tots players
Toledo Mud Hens players
Waco Cubs players
American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
20th-century American Jews