Manager Whitey Herzog had a major influence on Jamie Quirk. Even on his honeymoon, Quirk had Herzog on his mind.
Forty years ago, in February 1983, Quirk reported to spring training with the Cardinals after eight seasons in the American League, mostly with the Royals. The Cardinals signed the free agent to be a backup to catcher Darrell Porter, a former Royal.
It was Herzog who convinced Quirk, when both were with the Royals, that he’d help his playing career by becoming a catcher, and it was Herzog who wanted Quirk to come to the Cardinals.
Quirk, who got married in January 1983, was on his honeymoon in Hawaii when he reached agreement on a contract with the Cardinals.
He was the second former Royals catcher Herzog landed for the Cardinals during a honeymoon bliss. In December 1980, Darrell Porter was on a honeymoon cruise when the free agent agreed to move from the Royals to St. Louis.
Calling an audible
Quirk, 6-foot-4, was a standout athlete at St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., the alma mater of two other future Cardinals, pitcher Andy Rincon and infielder Mike Gallego.
University of Notre Dame football coach Ara Parseghian ranked Quirk, a quarterback, No. 1 on the school’s recruiting list and got him to sign a national letter-of-intent to play for the Fighting Irish, the Kansas City Star reported.
The Royals wanted him, too. A left-handed batter, Quirk was a shortstop in high school, and the Royals sent assistant scouting director Herk Robinson (later their general manager) to California to convince Quirk to play for them.
“I was not optimistic,” Robinson told the Star. “He just didn’t ask enough questions about baseball and the Royals.”
Undeterred, the Royals chose Quirk in the first round of the 1972 amateur draft, then brought him to Kansas City for a red carpet tour. After Quirk, 17, signed with them, Royals director of scouting Lou Gorman told the Star, “He perhaps is the most sought-after high school athlete in the last decade and has a chance to be a star. He’s the kind of player you can build a championship team around.”
As it turned out, Quirk didn’t have the range of Royals shortstop Fred Patek, and his next-best position, third base, was claimed by a better prospect, George Brett.
(Quirk became Brett’s best friend on the Royals _ “He knows me best,” Brett told the Kansas City Times _ and Brett was best man at Quirk’s wedding.)
Able to play multiple infield positions and the outfield, Quirk became a utilityman.
On-the-job training
In December 1976, Quirk was sent to the Brewers in the trade that brought Darrell Porter to Kansas City. After an unsatisfying season in Milwaukee (.217 batting average and almost as many strikeouts, 47, as hits, 48), Quirk was returned to the Royals.
Late in the 1978 season, Royals manager Whitey Herzog suggested to Quirk he should try catching _ the former quarterback had the strong arm for the job _ but Quirk disliked the idea. “I was hardheaded,” he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I thought, ‘I’m a good infielder.’ “
Herzog eventually convinced Quirk that becoming a catcher would help his chances of staying in the majors. “I don’t want to be a superstar,” Quirk said to the Star. “I’ve never wanted to be one. I just want to stay in the majors a long time and contribute any way I can.”
Quirk went to the Royals’ Florida Instructional League camp after the 1978 season and developed into a capable catcher. “It’s the best thing that’s happened to me,” Quirk told the Post-Dispatch.
At Royals spring training in 1979, Herzog named him a backup to Darrell Porter.
“Jamie has made great progress as a catcher,” Herzog told the Star. “He has good instincts and pitchers like to throw to him. I believe he can eventually become a first-string catcher in the majors.”
Looking good
Herzog was fired after the 1979 season, but became Cardinals manager in June 1980, replacing Ken Boyer. One of his first moves was to acquire Darrell Porter.
Two years later, Herzog managed the Cardinals to a World Series championship and Porter was named World Series Most Valuable Player. Afterward, Porter’s backup, Gene Tenace, became a free agent and signed with the Pirates.
The Cardinals contacted Quirk about replacing Tenace. After Quirk got married in Kansas City, he and his bride were honeymooning in Hawaii when he agreed to a two-year contract offer from Herzog and the Cardinals, the Star reported.
Quirk said the Cubs and Mets were interested in him, too, but he chose the Cardinals because, “Whitey is the only guy who has expressed confidence in me by putting me in (during) tough situations,” he told the Post-Dispatch.
Herzog said to the Star, “I’ve always liked having Jamie around because he’s always ready to play, he plays hard, and he can play almost anyplace. Besides, he looks good in a uniform.”
The reigning World Series champions opened the 1983 season with three catchers _ Porter, Quirk and Glenn Brummer _ and it soon became evident Quirk wouldn’t get much playing time. He sat for two weeks before he appeared in his first Cardinals game and he didn’t make his first start at catcher until May 1.
Idle time
Quirk’s highlight as a Cardinal came on May 29, 1983, when he produced four RBI, including a three-run home run, against the Astros’ Mike Scott. “I finally got a chance to pull my weight and get some respect from my teammates,” Quirk told the Post-Dispatch. Boxscore
As the season wore on, Quirk played less and less. In a stretch of nearly two months (July 28-Sept. 21), he made two starts. In August, he had a mere 11 plate appearances. “This is not what I expected when I came here,” Quirk told the Post-Dispatch. “I was playing more than that in Kansas City.”
To break up the boredom, Quirk pretended to pursue Roger Maris’ record, setting a goal of trying to hit more than 61 batting practice home runs before the season ended. “The other Cardinals have gotten so caught up in it that the regulars occasionally have given up their time in the cage so Quirk can get more swings,” the Post-Dispatch reported.
The Cardinals finished with a losing record (79-83) and Quirk hit .208 overall and .059 (1-for-17) as a pinch-hitter. He caught in 22 games, including 16 as a starter, and threw out 26 percent (8-of-31) of runners who attempted to steal.
Breaking up
Because he had signed a two-year contract in February 1983, Quirk went to spring training in 1984 expecting to have a spot with the Cardinals, so he was stunned when in late March he was told he wasn’t in their plans. Given a choice of being released or getting assigned to the minors, Quirk chose to be released, hoping he could catch on with another big-league team.
“Hindsight is always 20-20,” Quirk told the Post-Dispatch, “but I probably never should have left Kansas City.”
Herzog told the newspaper, “If we hadn’t made a catcher out of him, he probably wouldn’t have been in the big leagues the last five years.”
When no offer came Quirk’s way, Herzog invited him to rejoin the Cardinals as their bullpen coach. The Cardinals were obligated to pay Quirk the second year on his contract, and this way they could continue to get a return on the investment.
Quirk, 29, was with the Cardinals as a coach until late May, when he signed a player’s contract with the White Sox, who sent him to their Denver farm club.
The honeymoon, at least with Herzog and the Cardinals, was over.
Moving on
Except for a brief call-up to the White Sox in July, when he made three plate appearances, Quirk spent most of the summer of 1984 with Denver. On Sept. 24, he was picked up by the Cleveland Indians. In his only plate appearance for them, he hit a game-winning home run against the Twins. “After I hit the ball,” Quirk told United Press International, “I really was in shock for a moment.” Boxscore
Quirk’s baseball odyssey continued with a return to the Royals in 1985. He didn’t appear in the World Series that year against the Cardinals, but he did play in the 1990 World Series for manager Tony La Russa’s Athletics.
Because of his ability to catch, Quirk played 18 years in the majors with the Royals, Brewers, Cardinals, White Sox, Indians, Yankees, Athletics and Orioles.
He spent another 19 seasons in the majors as a coach with the Royals, Rangers, Rockies, Astros and Cubs.
RetroSimba 
Whitey sure knew what he was talking about when he encouraged Jamie Quirk to learn the catcher position. 18 years in the big leagues even as a utility player is pretty impressive. That homerun that he hit for the Indians was a two out ninth inning walkoff that basically eliminated the Twins in the AL West division race. The Royals would clinch the division title the following night. I find it pretty interesting that legendary coach Ara Parseghian thought that highly of Jamie Quirk. Those Notre Dame teams of the early 70’s were very good.
You are right about those Notre Dame teams. If Jamie Quirk had gone there, he may have been the starting quarterback showing the way for Joe Montana.
In 1973, in what would have been Quirk’s sophomore year and first varsity season, Ara Parseghian’s Notre Dame team was 11-0, with junior Tom Clements at quarterback. Among his receivers was Dave Casper.
With Clements back at quarterback for his senior season in 1974, Notre Dame was 10-2. Ken MacAfee emerged as a key receiver. That was Parseghian’s last year as coach.
Dan Devine was Notre Dame coach in 1975, the year Quirk would have been a senior. Rick Slager, a junior, got the most playing time at quarterback that year, with sophomore Joe Montana also in the mix. Notre Dame was 8-3.
It’s amazing how one man, a manager, in this case Herzog can impact a player’s life the way he did Quirk’s, to encourage him to become a catcher, to fulfill what Quirk wanted – “to stay in the majors a long time and contribute any way I can.”
It gives me hope in humanity to read about this, a reminder that any given day may result in meeting someone who could change my life.
Yes, well-said, Steve. It’s a testament to Whitey Herzog’s leadership and people skills that he didn’t give up on trying to do what’s best for Jamie Quirk, even when Quirk resisted the notion of being a catcher. Also, it took vision and open-mindedness for Herzog to believe that Quirk could make the transition.
Imagine being an infielder and being told you should don the armor and get behind the plate? Tough choice, right?
Yes, and to have to learn at the big-league level would be daunting, indeed.
I had forgotten he played on the A’s in what I’m assuming to be a backup role to Terry Steinbach. LaRussa always loved those veteran backup catchers who couldn’t hit a lick but could “call a good game.”
Jamie Quirk had a good season for the 1990 A’s. He hit .281 in 121 at-bats, had 26 RBI in 56 games, and threw out 11 of 21 runners attempting to steal. Quirk hit .364 (4-for-11) as a pinch-hitter for the 1990 A’s and an astounding .448 (13-for-29) versus left-handers.
Catchers who made starts for the 1990 A’s were Terry Steinbach (76), Ron Hassey (57), Jamie Quirk (27) and Troy Afenir (2).
Playing for the A’s from 1989-92, Quirk hit .250.
I too am impressed Ara thought that highly of him as a quarterback, and as you noted in the comments Mark, it would have been very interesting if he had attended ND and competed for a starting role. These dual-sport athletes surely think on occasion “what if?” That being said, 18 years in the majors is a great accomplishment.
Jamie Quirk’s high school head coach in football was Marijon Ancich, who was born in Yugoslavia and came to the U.S. with his family during World War II. Ancich worked two jobs at the same time _ as a longshoreman and as a high school football coach. His 360 wins as a high school football head coach are the second-most in California prep history.