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| Karl Kuehl | |
|---|---|
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| Manager/coach | |
| Born:(1937-09-05)September 5, 1937 Monterey Park, California, U.S. | |
| Died: August 6, 2008(2008-08-06) (aged 70) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| Teams | |
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Karl Otto Kuehl (pronounced "keel"; September 5, 1937 – August 6, 2008) was an Americanprofessional baseballplayer and ascout,farm system official,coach andmanager inMajor League Baseball.
He also was the co-author of two books on the mental approach to baseball:The Mental Game of Baseball: A Guide to Peak Performance (1989) andA Champion's State of Mind (2005).
In1976, Kuehl was named the second manager in the history of theMontreal Expos franchise, although he did not complete a full season in the job. His Expos won only 43 of 128 games (.336) and were in last place in theNational League East Division when Kuehl was replaced byCharlie Fox on September 4.
He was promoted to Montreal after a successful stint as skipper of the Expos' topfarm team, theMemphis Blues, in 1975. Previously, he managed theDouble-AQuébec Carnavals in 1972–1973 before moving up toTriple-A Memphis.[1]
Kuehl was born inMonterey Park, California. As a player, he was a 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 175 lb (79 kg)minor leaguefirst baseman andoutfielder who batted and threw left-handed. He played in the farm system of theCincinnati Redlegs from 1955 through 1958, rising to theSeattle Rainiers of the Open-ClassificationPacific Coast League for ten games in 1957, compiling a lifetime .306 batting average.
He began his managing career at the young age of 21[2] as the player manager of the unaffiliatedSalem Senators of the Class BNorthwest League in 1959.
He rejoined the Cincinnati system in 1961 as pilot of the Class DGeneva Redlegs of theNew York–Penn League. He then worked as a scout and minor league manager for theHouston Astros and theSeattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers before joining the Montreal organization in 1971.
After weathering the 1976 debacle, Kuehl remained in the Major Leagues as a coach with theMinnesota Twins[3] under managerGene Mauch, whom he had replaced in Montreal. He also served under Mauch's successors,Johnny Goryl andBilly Gardner, during his six years (1977–1982) with the Twins.
Kuehl then headed the player development department of theOakland Athletics from 1983 through 1995, a period when the A's had one of the most productivefarm systems in baseball. After leaving Oakland, he spent two seasons (1996–1997) in the front office of theToronto Blue Jays. From 2001 to 2007, Kuehl was special advisor, baseball operations, for theCleveland Indians.
He died as a result ofpulmonary fibrosis on August 6, 2008, in aScottsdale, Arizona, hospital at the age of 70.[2]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| MON | 1976 | 43 | 85 | .336 | 6th in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |