Richard Francis Stelmaszek (October 8, 1948 – November 6, 2017) 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), ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

, and

bullpen coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

. Stelmaszek spent 32 consecutive seasons (–) on the Twins' coaching staff and was the longest-tenured coach in Minnesota history. Stelmaszek trails only

Nick Altrock Nicholas Altrock (September 15, 1876 – January 20, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in the major leagues as a left-handed pitcher between 1898 and 1919. After the 1919 season he continued to make periodic ...

, who spent 42 consecutive years (–) as a coach with the old Washington Senators (the predecessor to the Twins' franchise), and

Manny Mota Manuel Rafael Mota Geronimo, more commonly known as Manny Mota (born February 18, 1938), is a Dominican former Major League Baseball outfielder who played 20 seasons for the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and Montreal Expos, as well a ...

, who worked as a

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

coach for 34 straight years (1980–2013), as the longest-tenured coach in continuous service with one franchise in MLB history.

Early years

Stelmaszek was drafted on June 6, 1967, by the expansion edition of the Senators in the eleventh round of the

1967 Major League Baseball Draft The 1967 Major League Baseball draft (or "first-year player draft") recruits amateur baseball players into the American Major League Baseball league. The players selected in 1967 included many talented prospects who later had careers in the profe ...

out of Mendel High School in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, but didn't sign until August 28, keeping him from his minor league debut until . The following year, Stelmaszek was assigned to low Single-A

Geneva Senators , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ...

and spent time between this team and the high Single-A Salisbury Senators. In 1969, he was back at Single-A, this time for the Shelby Senators in the

Western Carolinas League file:John Henry Moss.png, Portion of plaque displaying likeness of John Henry Moss at Municipal Stadium, Hagerstown, Maryland The Western Carolinas League was a Class D (1948–52; 1960–62) and a low Class A (1963–79) full-season league in Am ...

and played well, hitting .288 with five home runs and making the league All-Star team. In 1970, Stelmaszek was promoted to the Double-A

Pittsfield Senators The Pittsfield Senators were a minor league baseball team that played from 1970 to 1975 in the Washington Senators minor league system. In 1972 when the Senators moved to Texas and became the Texas Rangers, Pittsfield changed its name to the Pitts ...

and despite his overall production at the plate dropping (hitting only .246 with four

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 and 47

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 ...

in 128 games), he was again named to the league all-star team. The 1971 campaign would see him promoted to the Triple-A

Denver Bears Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, where he hit only .247 with almost no power (one home run, one

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

and one

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

in 73 games), but he earned a call up to the MLB Senators and made his major league debut on June 25. However, after going hitless in nine

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 ...

, he was back in the minors within a month. During the offseason, the Washington franchise moved to

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...

, and became the Texas Rangers.

Major League career

After spending all of in the minors, splitting time between

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

and Denver, Stelmaszek earned a second call to the majors in . He was batting .143 in seven games with the Rangers when he was dealt along with

Mike Epstein Michael Peter Epstein (born April 4, 1943), nicknamed "Superjew", is an American former professional baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators / Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, and California Angels of Major League Bas ...

and

Rich Hand Richard Allen Hand (born July 10, 1948) is an American retired professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he played for four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and California Angels. Bo ...

to the

California 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 ...

for

Lloyd Allen Lloyd Cecil Allen (born May 8, 1950) is a former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the California Angels (-), Texas Rangers (-), and Chicago White Sox (-). He was the first big league player born in th ...

and

Jim Spencer James Lloyd Spencer (July 30, 1947 – February 10, 2002) was a Major League Baseball first baseman. Born in Hanover, Pennsylvania, the left-handed Spencer was recognized for his excellent fielding ability, but also served in later years as a d ...

on May 20. Stelmaszek would last only 22 games with the Angels and spent most of the season at Triple-A with the

Salt Lake City Angels Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantiti ...

. Stelmaszek started the season back with Salt Lake City, but was traded 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 ...

on July 28 for

Horacio Piña Horacio Piña García ee'-nyah(born March 12, 1945) is a Mexican former relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball over eight seasons between and . Piña also played professionally in Mexico for all or portions of nine years. He batted ...

. He hit his only career Major League home run as a member of the Cubs on August 20 against future

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

Don Sutton Donald Howard Sutton (April 2, 1945 – January 19, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 23 seasons as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland ...

of the

. Prior to spring training , Stelmaszek was dealt to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

for

Gerry Pirtle Gerald Eugene Pirtle (born December 3, 1947) is an American former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the Montreal Expos in their 1978 season. Listed at , , he batted and threw right handed. Career Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma he ...

, and he spent the season at Triple-A

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

, with the exception of a brief call-up to the Yankees' Major League roster in April, during which he did not get into any games. He returned to the Rangers' organization in , but again spent the season at Triple-A, this time with the

Tucson Toros The Tucson Toros were a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. The original Toros were a Triple-A minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League from 1969 to 1997, where they won the PCL Championship in ...

. Stelmaszek would spend 1978, his last year playing organized ball, with the Minnesota Twins at Single A

Wisconsin Rapids Wisconsin Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Wisconsin. The population was 18,877 at the 2020 census. The city also forms one of the core areas of the United States Census Bureau's Marshfield-Wisconsin Rapids Micropolit ...

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 ...

Coaching career

After retiring as a player at the end of the 1978 season, Stelmaszek was hired on as the full-time manager of the Rapids. In , he was named

Midwest League Manager of the Year The Midwest League Manager of the Year Award is an annual award given to the best manager in Minor League Baseball's Midwest League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. Broadcasters, Minor League Baseball exec ...

after leading his team to a 77–64 record. Following the season, he joined the Twins' major league coaching staff under

Johnny Goryl John Albert Goryl (born October 21, 1933) is an American former infielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A right-handed batter and thrower who stood tall and weighed , Goryl apprenticed in the farm systems of the Boston / Milwa ...

. During his coaching tenure with the Twins, which began in , Stelmaszek was a member of two

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

championship teams (the and Twins) and he worked under five different Minnesota

managers 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 ...

(Goryl,

Billy Gardner William Frederick Gardner (born July 19, 1927) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. During his ten-season active career in the major leagues, Gardner was a scrappy, light-hitting second baseman for the New Yo ...

, Ray Miller, Tom Kelly, and

Ron Gardenhire Ronald Clyde Gardenhire (born October 24, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played as a shortstop for the New York Mets from 1981 through 1985. After another year playing in the minor leagues, he se ...

). The Twins signed him to a contract extension through in November . Stelmaszek missed spring training and the first month of the 2011 season due to eye surgery. Former Twins catcher

Phil Roof Philip Anthony Roof (born March 5, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and minor league manager. He played for 15 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball in and from to , most notably for the Kansas City/Oakla ...

served as his replacement during his recovery. On October 3, 2012, following a 2–1 season-ending loss to the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

which capped the first back-to-back 96-loss seasons for the Twins, interim General Manager Terry Ryan announced the firing of Stelmaszek after 32 seasons with the club. Stelmaszek was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2016. On April 3, 2017, he was honored to throw out the first pitch at

Target Field Target Field is a baseball stadium in the historic warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis. Since its opening in 2010, the stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins. The stadium hosted the 2014 Major Leag ...

as the Twins opened their 57th season. Beforehand, he explained his goal: "Throw the ball and then walk from the mound to the dugout without falling." Stelmaszek died on November 6, 2017, aged 69. Longtime Twins reliever

Glen Perkins Glen Weston Perkins (born March 2, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and a television analyst. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins. He made his major league debut with the Min ...

had this to say following Stelmaszek's death:

References

External links

Rick Stelmaszek
at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League) {{DEFAULTSORT:Stelmaszek, Rick 1948 births 2017 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela American people of Polish descent Baseball players from Chicago California Angels players Chicago Cubs players Deaths from cancer in Illinois Deaths from pancreatic cancer Denver Bears players Florida Instructional League Senators players Geneva Senators players Hawaii Islanders players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball catchers Minnesota Twins coaches Minor league baseball managers Navegantes del Magallanes players Pittsfield Senators players Salisbury Senators players Salt Lake City Angels players Shelby Senators players Syracuse Chiefs players Texas Rangers players Tucson Toros players Washington Senators (1961–1971) players Wichita Aeros players Wisconsin Rapids Twins players