Joe Engel
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- This is an article about the baseball player Joe Engel. For the astronaut, see Joe Engle.
| Joe Engel | |
|---|---|
 Joe Engel, 1913 (image is reversed) | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: March 12, 1893 Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
| Died: June 12, 1969 (aged 76) Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 30, 1912, for the Washington Senators | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 6, 1920, for the Washington Senators | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 17–23 |
| Earned run average | 3.38 |
| Strikeouts | 151 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Joseph William Engel (March 12, 1893 – June 12, 1969) was an American left-handed pitcher and scout in Major League Baseball who spent nearly his entire career with the Washington Senators and went on to become a promoter and team owner in the minor leagues. He was born in Washington, D.C. as one of six children of a German immigrant who owned a bar/hotel next door to the Washington Post building in the District of Columbia. Engel was married twice and lost his only child, son Bryant, due to a traffic accident in November 1930 at age 9. Engel himself died in Chattanooga in 1969 at age 76.
Engel spent his youth playing with Kermit and Alice Roosevelt, two of the children of President Teddy Roosevelt. At age 13 he joined a traveling circus. He shared a vaudeville stage with Al Jolson at age 14. A year later, he was a Washington Senators batboy, and later a team mascot.
He attended Mount St. Mary's College, where he lettered in four sports – track, baseball, basketball, and football. Engel also pitched a perfect game at Mount St. Mary's College.
Major league career
Engel made it to the major leagues as a pitcher when he was 18, and played from 1912 to 1920. He played for the Senators for four seasons (1912–1915), where he was a roommate with Walter Johnson, compiling a record of 17–22. Engel became friends with Johnson: "Walter didn't drink or smoke and was more or less on the serious side. I liked my fun and as a youngster was something of a hell-raiser. But we just clicked."[This quote needs a citation] After the 1915 season, Engel played in only three more major league games–2 for the Cincinnati Reds in 1917 and 1919, and a final game for the Senators in 1920.
Scouting
When Senators owner Clark Griffith sent Engel off to the minor-league Minneapolis Millers, he reportedly told Engel to swap himself for someone who could play ball. Engel looked the Millers over, and sent back Ed Gharrity, a catcher. Gharrity turned out to be so good that Griffith hired Engel as a scout. Engel became known as one of the greatest scouts in baseball history, discovering Goose Goslin, Joe Cronin, Alvin Crowder, Bump Hadley, Buddy Myer, Cecil Travis, Ossie Bluege, Bucky Harris, and Doc Prothro. Engel signed Cronin in Kansas City for $7,500 and brought him back to DC where he was named player/manager in 1933. Engel's discoveries helped bring the Senators three American League pennants in ten years.