RetroSimba

In his return to the Cardinals, Ken Boyer prepared to manage some of their best prospects while preparing veteran Joe Torre to play third base.

In March 1970, Boyer attended spring training with the Cardinals for the first time since he was traded five years earlier.

Boyer, 38, was back as an instructor and as manager of the Cardinals’ Class AA Arkansas farm club. The Cardinals hired him after he retired as a player near the end of the 1969 season.

Stanky protege

Boyer played 11 seasons for the Cardinals, won the Gold Glove Award five times at third base and produced 1,855 hits and 1,001 RBI. He was the recipient of the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1964 when the Cardinals won the World Series title.

The Cardinals traded Boyer to the Mets after the 1965 season and he went on to play for the White Sox and Dodgers as well.

The Dodgers wanted Boyer to manage in their farm system in 1970, but he accepted an offer from Cardinals general manager Bing Devine to manage at Arkansas because he preferred to return to the franchise where he began his career, according to the book “Ken Boyer: All-Star, MVP, Captain.”

“There is a line of tradition here,” Boyer told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “… When you put on a Cardinals uniform, you just seem to fall in step with people like Rogers Hornsby and Frank Frisch.”

Boyer said as a player he enjoyed analyzing games in clubhouse talks with Cardinals teammate Dick Groat, and those discussions prompted him to think about becoming a manager, Post-Dispatch sports editor Bob Broeg reported.

Eddie Stanky was Boyer’s first manager in the majors in 1955. Though Stanky was fired two months into the season, his influence on Boyer was significant.

“I agree entirely with Stanky that safety-first baseball is second-division baseball,” Boyer said. “You’ve got to be aggressive and take chances. Speed is baseball’s only two-way weapon. It’s necessary on both offense and defense.

“I’m glad I broke in under a manager as smart as Stanky … I’m fortunate I learned so many little things from him, including how to run the bases. If he had pitching to go with the offense he developed, the Cardinals in the mid-1950s would have been outstanding.”

Regarding Johnny Keane, manager of the 1964 World Series champion Cardinals, Boyer said, “He encouraged individual ingenuity.”

Teaching skills

At Cardinals spring training in 1970, Boyer was one of the instructors who worked with Joe Torre, the catcher who was learning to play third base. With Cardinals third baseman Mike Shannon sidelined because of a kidney disease, Torre and first baseman Richie Allen were the candidates to take over the position.

“I told Bing Devine that Torre had good enough hands and a strong, accurate arm,” Boyer said. “The only questions are his range and knowing what to do in certain situations.”

As spring training neared an end, the Cardinals named former pitcher Dick Hughes to be a coach on Boyer’s staff at Arkansas. Boyer’s former Cardinals teammate, Carl Sawatski, was the Arkansas general manager.

Boyer’s brother, Len, 24, was the Opening Day third baseman for Arkansas. “I don’t think it’s going to cause any problems,” Ken Boyer told The Sporting News.

Arkansas lost 13 of its first 17 games. Len Boyer struggled, hitting .230 in 24 games, and was sent down to Class A Modesto.

Even with the slow start and his brother’s demotion, Ken Boyer was poised and patient. The club followed his lead, recovered and finished with a 67-67 record.

“The challenge is to get kids to go out and play the game relaxed,” Boyer said. “(Stan) Musial enjoyed playing. That’s a big reason he lasted so long.”

Two of the top prospects at Arkansas were outfielder Jose Cruz (90 RBI, .300 batting average) and pitcher Al Hrabosky (8-1, 3.26 ERA).

“There’s more emphasis on development in double-A.” Boyer said. “When I played, we had four or five players over 30 who didn’t have anywhere to go, or maybe had already been and were coming back.”

Back in the majors

After the 1970 season, Boyer was named Cardinals hitting coach, replacing Dick Sisler, who was fired.

“The young players at Arkansas liked Boyer,” said Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst.

Devine said Boyer “has impressed a lot of people with his work with young players.”

Boyer’s ascension to the big-league coaching staff fueled speculation he was waiting in the wings to replace Schoendienst, whose clubs didn’t contend in 1969 and 1970.

In the Post-Dispatch, Bob Broeg wrote, “Red’s heir apparent now is Ken Boyer.”

Boyer was a Cardinals coach in 1971 and 1972 before returning to managing in their farm system from 1973-76.

When Schoendienst was fired after the 1976 season, the Cardinals bypassed Boyer and hired Vern Rapp. Disheartened, Boyer left the organization and became a manager in the Orioles’ farm system.

Boyer was managing Rochester of the International League when the Cardinals fired Rapp in April 1978. Boyer finally got his chance to manage in the majors, replacing Rapp.

In three seasons as Cardinals manager, Boyer was 166-191 before he was fired in June 1978 and replaced by Whitey Herzog.