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We’re Contacted By the Son of Milwaukee Braves Outstanding Catcher, Del Crandall!

“I never have to shake him off. He knows the job like no one else, and you can have faith in his judgment.” -Lew Burdette, speaking of his catcher Del Crandall

As I’ve said many times, we always enjoy it when we’re contacted by a relative of a former major leaguer. Anyone who makes it to the “Big Show” is special in our eyes. It’s even more special when the player was one of his era’s most dominant players at his position.

When evaluating former ballplayers from days gone by, we have to rely on the stark, cold career numbers we find on the pages of Baseball-Reference, leaving us with a one-dimensional view of the player. “He was good, but what kind of man

was he?” we ask ourselves. We have no way of knowing. It’s only when a family member or friend contacts us that we can assess intangibles like character and integrity. This gives us a much more rounded, nuanced perspective.

Such was the case in my recent phone conversation with Bill Crandall, son of the Milwaukee Braves’ outstanding catcher, Del Crandall. As a long-suffering Cub fan from the mid-1950s, I was very familiar with Bill’s dad. The Cubs of that era were not very good and were usually no match for the powerful Braves of Hank Aaron, Eddie Matthews, Joe Adcock…and catcher Del Crandall.

Often overshadowed by his Hall-of-Fame teammates, Del Crandall was one of the most dominant catchers of the era. Offensively, he put up steady, if unspectacular, numbers over his 16-year big league career (1949-1966). Del hit .254, with 179 homers and 657 RBIs. Powerfully built at 6’1”, 190 lbs, the eleven-time All-Star topped 20 home runs three times. At his retirement in 1966, 179 home runs ranked fourth all-time by National League catchers, and is still in the top-25 all-time.

In the eighth inning of Game Seven of the 1957 World Series, in which the Braves defeated the Yankees four-games-to-three, Del hit a pivotal solo home run, giving the Braves a 5-0 lead. The run later grew in importance as the Yankees loaded the bases in the ninth inning. Del also hit a home run in Game Seven of the 1958 World Series, this time coming in a losing cause.

Impressive numbers, but it was on defense where the Fullerton, California native left his mark. Tough as nails behind the plate, he possessed a strong, accurate arm that threw out 45.44% of base stealers. An astute handler of pitchers known for his outstanding pitch calling, Del guided Braves’ staffs to many first or second-place team ERA finishes from 1953 to 1959.

Del retired among career leaders in many defensive categories: putouts (4th), total chances (8th), and fielding percentage (5th). His 1,430 games caught in the National League trailed only Al Lopez, Gabby Hartnett, and Ernie Lombardi. Del won four of the first five Gold Glove awards given to National League catchers and tied another record by catching three no-hitters. He and Warren Spahn started 316 games together, second only to Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan since 1900.

Those numbers don’t tell the complete story. SABR baseball researcher Richard Kendall devised a study ranking major league catchers by “fielding dominance” (1). Using a formula based on defensive categories and total chances, Kendall ranked Del Crandall as the fourth-most dominant fielding catcher in major league history.

There is much more to Del Crandall than mere numbers. Bill Crandall is understandably proud of his dad for his many accomplishments on the field, but his performance “off the field” is equally impressive. Bill’s admiration for his dad came through in our short conversation. He described his dad as a loving father devoted to his seven children:

“Dad made us all feel special in his eyes, we were always treated fairly and equally. There was no favoritism and no one was better than anyone.  Dad kept our egos in check and made sure we always stayed grounded.”

Recurring words Bill used to describe him included “humble,” “strong character,” “integrity,” “straight-laced.” Bill quickly added that Del possessed a sharp, dry sense of humor (Bill called it, “the Crandall humor”) that he passed on to his children. The man who emerges from Bill’s description was one whose success never seemed to go to his head. Self-promotion just wasn’t in his genetic makeup. He was content to let his actions on the field—and in life—speak for themselves:

“He was a wonderful role model for our close-knit family. He set an example of how to live a good life. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball and was a natural leader with an incredible ability to communicate his baseball acumen to his peers. Mike Sciocia once said he didn’t know anyone in baseball that knew more than dad did about the game. As a youth growing up hanging around major league players and clubhouses, I always felt the respect his teammates had for him.” 

As the son of a major leaguer, Bill had a wonderful childhood, but he never felt he received any special favors or was treated differently than his friends. I got the feeling Del never would have allowed it. Bill mentioned that Del’s humble nature may have hindered his chances for further recognition after he retired:

“Whenever I prodded him to get his name out there in the public eye—as is common with many former players—so as to get more managerial jobs offers, or even to enhance his chances for the Hall of Fame, his short response was always the same: ‘They know where they can reach me if they want me.’”

I asked Bill if he could remember any instances of his dad saying a bad word about any former teammates. Not surprisingly, Bill had to think hard to come up with an answer. The best Bill could remember was that his dad was “disappointed” with Braves’ manager Bobby Bragan for not playing him more in 1963 after his outstanding 1962 season at age 34 when he hit a career-high .297 and caught 107 games. Bragan’s decision likely resulted in Del’s trade to the Giants a year later, separating him from his Braves’ teammates and the great fans of Milwaukee.

Bill remembers Del became close friends with teammate Eddie Mathews. “It was a yin and yang thing,” was Bill’s apt description, as the two ballplayers had strikingly different personalities. “Dad was once called a ‘milkshake kid’,” Bill said, “but Mathews, well, not so much.”

Eddie enjoyed playing jokes, and the straight-laced Crandall was an easy target. Once, while enjoying a drink in a bar, a surprised Crandall suddenly found a pretty young lady perched upon his lap…thanks to the prodding and instigation of Eddie Mathews!

Bill shared stories via his dad from the Braves clubhouse. Warren Spahn was the team clown (but only on days he wasn’t pitching). One day, while teammate Bobby Thomson lay exposed on the trainer’s table, Spahnie threw cold ice water over the unsuspecting Thomson. He did this not once but on three separate occasions. After the third time, Bobby had enough and grabbed Spahn by the neck, picked him up, and forcibly dunked his body, head first, in a whirlpool full of water…and held him there! “If someone hadn’t intervened, who knows what might have happened!” Del related.

But Spahn wasn’t through with Thomson. He’d often spit tobacco juice on Bobby’s spikes while Bobby was sitting on the bench. Finally, Bobby had enough and retaliated against the great Hall-of-Famer by chasing Spahn into the equipment room behind the dugout where the players heard a lot of equipment being thrown around.

After retirement, Del became a highly successful minor league manager within the Dodgers, Brewers, and Angles organizations. He’s credited with developing many

young players, including Sam McDowell, and helping catcher Darrell Porter develop into an outstanding, hardnosed backstop. Later, Del went into the broadcast booth as a color commentator for the White Sox and the Brewers.

I could go on relaying information from Bill Crandall. In this limited space, I’ve tried to convey the high level of esteem in which Bill and his siblings held for their dad, and the important role he played in their lives. I came away with a much deeper appreciation for the character of this outstanding ballplayer—one of the best defensive catchers in baseball history—but who was, I think we can all agree, an even greater man.

Del Crandall passed away May 5, 2021, aged 91, after complications from Parkinson’s disease. His wife of 62 years, Fran, preceded him in death in 2014. Our condolences go out to Bill and the entire Crandall family on the recent passing of their brother, Del Crandall, Jr.  

Gary Livacari

1. https://members.tripod.com/bb_catchers/catchers/dominate.htm

Sources: March 13, 2022 phone conversation with Bill Crandall; SABR biography of Del Crandall by Gregory Wolfe; and the Del Crandall Wikipedia page. Statistics from Baseball-Reference.com

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