The Cardinals considered hometown shortstop Jerry Buchek the finest baseball prospect in the St. Louis area in 1959 and thought he could be another Marty Marion.
Buchek was a standout athlete at McKinley High School and excelled in amateur baseball leagues in St. Louis.
On Sept. 10, 1959, Buchek, 17, signed with the Cardinals for $65,000.
Cardinals scouts Joe Monahan and George Hasser recommended Buchek, who was pursued by several other major-league organizations.
“In our opinion, he is the best prospect in the area,” Cardinals minor-league director Walter Shannon said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“He has one of the really outstanding throwing arms in all baseball, an arm like Marty Marion’s was,” Shannon said.
Marion was the shortstop on four pennant-winning Cardinals clubs in the 1940s and was the first National League shortstop to win a Most Valuable Player Award. Marion didn’t hit for power, though, and Buchek did.
“The combination of his ability to field well with ability to hit the ball out of the park makes him desirable,” Monahan said.
Rushed to Wrigley
Buchek spent the 1960 season with Cardinals farm clubs at the Class AA and Class AAA levels and had as many strikeouts (104) as hits (104). The Cardinals assigned him to the Portland Beavers, their Class AAA team in the Pacific Coast League, in 1961.
Soon after he hit home runs in three consecutive games for Portland at Salt Lake City, Buchek, 19, was called up to the Cardinals. He joined them on June 30, 1961, in Chicago, 30 minutes before their afternoon game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, and was put in the starting lineup by manager Solly Hemus.
In the eighth inning, with the bases loaded and one out, Buchek got his first big-league RBI when he was hit by a pitch from Don Elston. When Bob Lillis followed with a double, clearing the bases, Buchek scored his first run in the majors, helping the Cardinals to an 11-4 triumph. Boxscore
“We shouldn’t expect too much from Jerry Buchek right now,” Hemus cautioned, “but I do believe he’ll lend a little power.”
Plans change
The Cardinals were a mess when Buchek joined them. The win they got in Buchek’s debut gave them a 31-38 record.
Daryl Spencer opened the 1961 season as the Cardinals’ shortstop, but he was traded to the Dodgers on May 30 for Lillis and outfielder Carl Warwick. Lillis took over at shortstop, but was shifted to second base in mid-June. Hemus tried rookie Julio Gotay and veteran Alex Grammas before the Cardinals decided to give Buchek a shot as the shortstop.
On July 5, 1961, five days after Buchek’s debut, the Cardinals fired Hemus and promoted coach Johnny Keane to replace him. Keane continued to play Buchek as the starting shortstop, but the rookie struggled to hit.
Keane’s support of Buchek drew criticism on July 16, 1961, in a game against the Braves at St. Louis. In the fourth inning, with the Braves ahead 3-0, the Cardinals loaded the bases with one out before Buchek bounced into a double play. Two innings later, with two on and two outs, Buchek struck out, ending another Cardinals threat. He also committed an error and the Braves won, 9-1. Boxscore
After the game, Keane defended Buchek and said he’d remain the everyday shortstop.
Four days later, on July 20, 1961, the Cardinals changed their plan. Buchek, batting .128 after 16 starts at shortstop, was sent back to Portland.
Cardinals general manager Bing Devine said he and Keane and the coaches agreed to demote Buchek and call up pitcher Ed Bauta, who had a 9-1 record and 1.95 ERA as a Portland reliever.
“We are confident Buchek will become a great shortstop for us,” Devine said, “but we feel he can benefit just as much by playing daily for Portland.”
Years later, in an interview with Mark Simon for the Society for American Baseball Research, Buchek said, “I got a little nervous playing in my hometown.”
Ups and downs
Buchek played well in his return to Portland and when the Pacific Coast League season ended on Sept. 10 he was brought back to the Cardinals and reinserted into the starting lineup.
On Sept. 11, 1961, in his first game back as the starting shortstop, Buchek made three good plays against the Braves, the Post-Dispatch reported. He ranged to his left to snare a shot by Hank Aaron and made a strong throw to get him at first. He went behind the bag at second to start a double play and he made a “brilliant grab” of a smash by Joe Torre. Boxscore
Eight days later, on Sept. 19, 1961, Buchek made a play Keane said he’d never seen before. In the eighth, with a runner on first and two outs, Charlie Smith of the Phillies hit a fly to shallow center. Outfielder Curt Flood and second baseman Julian Javier collided attempting a catch. The ball bounced off Flood and caromed off Javier’s glove, but Buchek, racing over from the shortstop spot, dived and snared the ball before it reached the ground.
“Buchek deserves a lot of credit for being out there,” said Keane. “He didn’t just stand around.”
Buchek made 14 starts in September and October, but continued to struggle at the plate. He batted .133 for the 1961 Cardinals and made 10 errors in 30 starts at shortstop.
“It would be extremely unwise to expect him to play shortstop regularly next season,” wrote Post-Dispatch columnist Bob Broeg.
Buchek spent all of 1962 and most of 1963 in the minors. He played for the Cardinals from 1964-66, singled against Jim Bouton of the Yankees in his lone World Series at-bat in 1964 and was the Opening Day shortstop in 1966 before being replaced as the starter by Dal Maxvill two months later.
On April 1, 1967, in the first trade made by Cardinals general manager Stan Musial, Buchek was dealt to the Mets as part of a package for infielder Eddie Bressoud, outfielder Danny Napoleon and cash.
I think Buchek was one of the pieces in the deal that brought icon Bill White back to the Cardinals.
Yes, in December 1968 the Mets traded Buchek back to the Cardinals for pitcher Jim Cosman. Four months later, on April 3, 1969, the Cardinals dealt Buchek and utility player Jim Hutto to the Phillies to reacquire Bill White. Buchek initially balked at reporting because the Phillies were assigning him to Eugene, Ore., but eventually he went after thinking it over. Check out my interview with Bill White for his revelation on why the Cardinals wanted him back: https://retrosimba.com/2011/03/30/bill-white-cards-wanted-him-as-manager/
Great stuff, thanks!
Which reminds me: why isn’t Kenny Boyer in the HOF? I have never understood this bias against third basemen.
Yes, I agree with you. Ken Boyer is completely deserving of Hall of Fame election. When Ron Santo got elected, Boyer should have gone in, too. No way Santo is more deserving than Boyer, Check out what Pie Traynor said of Boyer: https://retrosimba.com/2010/12/08/if-santo-goes-into-hall-boyer-should-too/
Comparisons to Marion as a shortstop were also made in 1973, about Ray Busse, whose performance as a Cardinal would be even more dismal than Buchek’s 1961 debut.
Yes, you are right. Check out the story of Ray Busse’s short, sad stint with Cardinals and how he had been recommended by Bob Kennedy and Harry Walker: https://retrosimba.com/2013/03/05/cardinals-betting-pete-kozma-isnt-another-ray-busse/