October deaths
2) Solly Hemus – Hemus was a glove-first shortstop that spent most of his 11 years in the major leagues as a backup, in spite of hitting .273/.390/.411, with his peak season in 1953, when he hit .279/.382/.443 with 110 runs scored, 32 doubles, 11 triples, and 14 home runs, with an 86/40 BB/K ratio.
Hemus was a fiery ball player who took his passion on the field as a player into the manager’s chair, but due to issues he reportedly had with the integration of the game, Hemus did not last as a major league manager, serving 2 1/2 years as Cardinals manager, going 190-192. He served as a coach for a number of years after that before leaving baseball to enter the oil business. He was 94.
3) John Herrnstein – Herrnstein spent 5 years as a backup outfielder in the 1960s. He was an elite athlete in high school that eschewed a multi-sport full-ride to Ohio State to attend Michigan due to family legacy (ironically, his son would eventually play football for Ohio State). After being traded three times over the course of the 1966 calendar year, Herrnstein retired and had a successful career in banking and investments. He was 78.
7) Jim Landis – On a personal note, my grandfather once discussed defensive outfielders with me as we watched Andruw Jones patrol the Atlanta outfield. He related that Andruw didn’t have his Landis. I asked what he meant, and he related that the thing that made Willie Mays so great was that there was another player in the game at the time named Landis that was as good defensively, but nowhere near the all-around player, which allowed people to really appreciate Mays.
Landis is highly-regarded as one of the top center fielders to have ever roamed a major league outfield. Oddly, in his 11-year major league career, he made only two All-Star games (both in 1962, when MLB used to hold two All-Star games in a season). This likely had to do with Landis’ offensive skills, as he was a career .247/.344/.375 hitter. He did win 5 Gold Gloves as evidence of his defensive prowess, but his career quickly slumped after age 30 when he lost a step in the outfield, and his bat could no longer hold him up as a major league player. He was 83.
8) Don Lock – Lock immediately made a splash in the outfield, hitting 55 home runs in his first two full seasons after hitting 12 in a half-season when he first came up in 1962. Swing and miss was the downfall for Lock, as he could not provide enough power to compensate for striking out over 100 times per season, especially in the era he played. Lock finished with 122 home runs over 8 major league seasons with three teams. He was 81.
9) Mike McQueen – A quality lefty swingman in an era when the Atlanta Braves really were not an elite team, McQueen was likely rushed to the majors, making his major league debut just one year after being drafted out of high school. He turned 22 in his final Braves season in 1972, having throwing 203 1/3 innings over 63 appearances, 19 of which were starts, tallying a 4.69 ERA. He missed the 1973 season due to injuries suffered in an automobile accident and made his way to the majors with the Reds in 1974, but then missed two more seasons due to injury-related break from the game, and he could not get to the majors again, leaving professional baseball after his age 26 season. He was 67 years old.
9) Roy Hawes – After serving in World War II, Hawes returned to begin what would be a 14-year professional baseball career. He spent all but 3 games of that career in the minor leagues, accumulating just 6 plate appearances with the Senators in 1951. He totaled 167 minor league home runs, and he is still the Chattanooga Lookouts career home run leader with 109. He passed away at 91 years old.
14) Daniel Webb – In a tragic manner, 28 year-old Webb lost his life in an ATV accident. Webb spent the 2017 season rehabbing after Tommy John surgery without a team affiliation, but he was hoping to sign with a club this offseason for a chance to earn a reliever role in 2018. Webb made 94 appearances with the White Sox, with a 4.50 ERA.
17) Ed Barnowski – Barnowski was extremely successful on the mound, getting two quick late-season appearances with the Orioles, with 6 relief appearances bringing a 2.45 ERA. He spent a few more seasons with Rochester at the AAA level, and he found a home there, taking over as the General Manager with Rochester for a number of years before he left baseball to work in sales. He was 74.
21) Chuck Churn – Churn had an 18-year professional baseball career as a right-handed pitcher. He only appeared in three seasons in the major leagues, with three different teams, totaling 25 relief appearances, with a 5.29 ERA, though he did earn a World Series ring with the Dodgers in 1959. However, he threw 1,781 1/3 minor league innings before he became a farm manager. He was 87 years old.
25) Ross Powell – In a horrific family tragedy, Powell, 49, and his 72 year-old father were both killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in his work van for his lawn business as the pair were in transport to a job when the poisoning occurred. Powell pitched for 3 years in the major leagues with 3 different teams, making 48 appearances, 4 of them starts.
29) Al Richter – Richter spent 10 years in professional baseball, but just made major league appearances in 2 of those seasons. A shortstop by trade, Richter hit just .091 in his 14 major league plate appearances. His one major league hit, however, did come at Yankee Stadium. He was 90 years old.
31) Bob Talbot – Talbot spent 14 years in professional baseball, with 2 years in the major leagues, spending much of 1954 with the Cubs, playing 114 games with 428 plate appearances. He would never make it to the major leagues again. Over his minor league career, he hit 99 home runs.