| Carl Sawatski | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1927-11-04)November 4, 1927 Shickshinny, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| Died: November 24, 1991(1991-11-24) (aged 64) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 29, 1948, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1963, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .242 |
| Home runs | 58 |
| Runs batted in | 213 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Carl Ernest Sawatski (November 4, 1927 – November 24, 1991) was an American professionalbaseball player and executive. In theMajor Leagues, he was acatcher for theChicago Cubs (1948, 1950 and 1953),Chicago White Sox (1954),Milwaukee Braves (1957–1958),Philadelphia Phillies (1958–1959) andSt. Louis Cardinals (1960–1963). He also was an influential figure inminor league baseball.
A native ofShickshinny, Pennsylvania, Sawatski grew up in the Mountain View section ofWayne, New Jersey.[1][2] He attendedPompton Lakes High School inPompton Lakes, New Jersey, where he played football and basketball, in addition to baseball.[1]
A left-handed batter who threw right-handed, Sawatski the player stood 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) (178 cm) tall and weighed 210 pounds (95 kg). He played 11 seasons in MLB, appearing in 633games. His career totals include 1,449at bats, 133runs, 351hits, 46doubles, fivetriples, 58home runs, 213runs batted in, twostolen bases and 191walks, andbatted .242.
Sawatski helped the Braves win the1957National Leaguepennant, appearing in 58 games, 19 as a catcher (third-most among the club's backstops), and contributing six home runs to the Milwaukee cause. During the1957 World Series against theNew York Yankees, Sawatski had two appearances as apinch hitter (Games 3 and 6) andstruck out each time, but the Braves prevailed in seven games to win the world title.
Sawatski was a prodigious minor league hitter. He batted .352 and slugged 34 homers in the Class DNorth Atlantic League in 1947. Then, two seasons later, he led theDouble-ASouthern Association with 45 homers and batted .360, second in the league, while playing for the Nashville Vols..[3] After his playing career ended, Sawatski served as thegeneral manager of theArkansas Travelers of the Double-ATexas League, a Cardinal affiliate, from 1967 to 1975. He then was elected president of the Texas League itself and served in the post from 1976 until his 1991 death inLittle Rock at the age of 64. During his presidency, the league prospered as part of the renaissance of minor league baseball that began in the 1980s.
| Preceded by | Texas Leaguepresident 1976–1991 | Succeeded by Tom Kayser |