Wayne Richard Krenchicki (September 17, 1954 – October 16, 2018) was a Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman. He played all or parts of eight seasons in the majors from until . He was a past manager of the

Evansville Otters The Evansville Otters are a professional baseball team based in Evansville, Indiana. They compete in the West Division of the independent Frontier League. Since their establishment in 1995, the Otters have played at historic Bosse Field, which o ...

of the independent

Frontier League The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The le ...

. He played college baseball at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

Pre-MLB

Krenchicki grew up in

Ewing Township, New Jersey Ewing Township is a township in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township falls within the New York metropolitan area as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. It borders the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is part of the F ...

and graduated from Ewing High School in 1972.Wayne Krenchicki

. Accessed October 21, 2018. "A native of Ewing, N.J., Krenchicki compiled a 1,075-1,052 record in 18 years as a minor league manager before joining the Otters.... He was a member of the Ewing Township Babe Ruth League team that won the National Championship in 1970.A 1972 graduate of Ewing High School in Trenton, N.J., Krenchicki was chosen by Philadelphia in the eighth round of the 1972 amateur draft." Krenchicki was selected by 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 the eighth round (171st overall) of the

1972 MLB draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1972 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The Montreal Expos had perhaps their best draft in franc ...

, shortly after his high school graduation. He opted to accept an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United Stat ...

from the

where he majored in

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

.Wayne Krenchicki 1973–1975 (biography) – University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.
Retrieved October 20, 2018 A three-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

from 1973 to 1975 with the

Ron Fraser Ronald George Fraser (June 25, 1933 – January 20, 2013) was the college baseball coach at the University of Miami from 1963 to 1992. Nicknamed the "Wizard of College Baseball," he was one of the most successful coaches in NCAA baseball history ...

-coached

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

,University of Miami Hurricanes Baseball 2018 Media Guide.
Retrieved October 20, 2018 Krenchicki is considered the best

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

in the program's history. The Hurricanes qualified for the

NCAA Division I Baseball Championship The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the eight-team Men's College World Series at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebr ...

s in each of the three years he was with the ballclub, including as a runner-up in its

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...

debut in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

. He finished his collegiate career with a .316 (198 of 626)

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 ...

, .436

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, ...

, 273 total bases, 35 doubles, 11 triples, six

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 67

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s. He was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. Krenchicki appeared with the

United States national baseball team The United States national baseball team represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Team USA won the Olympic baseball to ...

at the

Baseball World Cup The Baseball World Cup was an international tournament where national baseball teams from around the world competed. It was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). Along with the World Baseball Classic, it was one of two activ ...

in 1973 and the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, winning a gold and silver medal respectively. He was also on the

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

team that won the

National Baseball Congress The National Baseball Congress of Wichita, Kansas is an organization of 17 amateur and semi-professional baseball leagues operating in the United States and Canada. Since its founding in 1935 by Hap Dumont, it has conducted an annual North America ...

World Series in 1975.

Major league career

Krenchicki was the seventh player chosen overall by 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 ...

in the secondary phase of the January

1976 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable Selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The 1976 Arizona State University team, considered by ma ...

. He made his major league debut with the Orioles in June 1979, then spending parts of the next two seasons with them. On August 7, 1981, he was sent to the minor leagues so the Orioles could call up prospect

Cal Ripken Jr. Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed " The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his posit ...

Krenchicki said, "I didn't expect it to happen. I just don't care to be going back to

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

. But they want to look at Cal... They still have to pay me. I guess I'll just stay in a hotel and go fishing every day." Krenchicki was sent to 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 ...

February 15 Events Pre-1600 * 438 – Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus * 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia. * 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberi ...

, 1982 to complete a transaction from five days prior in which the

Orioles Oriole or Orioles may refer to: Animals * Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae * New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae Music * The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and earl ...

had acquired

Paul Moskau Paul Richard Moskau (born December 20, 1953) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who pitched for the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs. He debuted on June 21, 1977, starting against the Philadelphia Phillies and hitti ...

. That season, he backed up

Johnny Bench John Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career, which lasted from through , with the Cincinnati Reds, primarily as a catcher. Bench was the leader of t ...

at third base for the Reds, batting .283. Krenchicki was traded to the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

for

Pat Underwood Patrick John Underwood (born February 9, 1957) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to . Underwood was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the first round of the 1976 Major League Baseball Draft, as the second pick overall.

June 30 Events Pre-1600 * 296 – Pope Marcellinus begins his papacy. * 763 – The Byzantine army of emperor Constantine V defeats the Bulgarian forces in the Battle of Anchialus. *1422 – Battle of Arbedo between the duke of Milan ...

, 1983. His contract was sold back to the Reds just under five months later on

November 21 Events Pre-1600 * 164 BCE – Judas Maccabeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, rededicates the Temple in Jerusalem, an event is commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah. (25 Kislev 3597 in the Hebrew calendar.) * 235 ...

. Over the next two seasons, Krenchicki returned to being the Reds backup at third base, behind

Nick Esasky Nicholas Andrew Esasky (born February 24, 1960) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and third baseman. During his career, which spanned over seven and a half years and was spent mostly with the Cincinnati Reds (1983–1988), the former ...

in and

Buddy Bell David Gus "Buddy" Bell (born August 27, 1951) is an American former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) currently serving as vice president and senior advisor to the general manager for the Cincinnati Reds. After an 18-year ...

in . He was traded to the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

the following offseason, and in he played mostly at first base for the Expos, backing up

Andrés Galarraga Andrés José Padovani Galarraga (; born June 18, 1961) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball first baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos (– and ), St. Louis Cardinals (), Colorado Rockies (–), At ...

. After becoming a free agent at the end of the season, Krenchicki did not play in the majors again.

Post-MLB

In and , Krenchicki played in the

Senior Professional Baseball Association The Senior Professional Baseball Association, referred to commonly as the ''Senior League'', was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had ei ...

. After the league folded, he was brought in by the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

organization. From until , Krenchicki served as a minor league manager for the Brewers, in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

in 1991, then for the Beloit Brewers of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

for the next three seasons. In , Krenchicki began managing in various independent minor leagues. In , he was hired by the independent

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 ...

of the Atlantic League and in his initial season won his first league championship. He managed the Newark Bears again in 2008 after which on December 16, 2008, he was named the manager of the

of the independent Frontier League. Wayne Krenchicki died at age 64 on October 16, 2018.Johnson, Stevie. "Popular former Rochester Red Wings infielder Wayne Krenchicki dies at 64," ''Democrat and Chronicle'' (Rochester, NY), Thursday, October 18, 2018.
Retrieved October 20, 2018

References

External links

Wayne Krenchicki
at Baseball Gauge
Venezuelan Professional Baseball LeagueObituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krenchicki, Wayne 1954 births 2018 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Canada American people of Polish descent Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players at the 1975 Pan American Games Baseball players from Trenton, New Jersey Bradenton Explorers players Charlotte O's players Cincinnati Reds players Columbus Clippers players Daytona Beach Explorers players Detroit Tigers players Ewing High School (New Jersey) alumni Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Louisville Redbirds players Major League Baseball third basemen Miami Hurricanes baseball players Miami Orioles players Minor league baseball managers Montreal Expos players Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States People from Ewing Township, New Jersey Rochester Red Wings players Tacoma Tigers players Tiburones de La Guaira players University of Miami School of Education alumni Wichita Aeros players Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games