1960 Profile: Bobby Shantz

"Things have been rough for Bobby Shantz since his fabulous year of 1952 when his 24-7 record earned him the American League's Most Valuable Player award. He's had arm and shoulder difficulties, muscle injuries to his side, etc. But the game little southpaw has pitched some great ball each year.

Despite early-season miseries this spring, Bobby hopes to bounce back and continue where he left off when injured last August. He had retired the last 16 men he faced, fanning seven of the Red Sox at the Stadium.

Shantz won the ERA title in 1957 with a 2.45 mark and has copped the Rawlings' Gold Glove Award for fielding in each of the last three seasons."

-The New York Yankees Official 1960 Yearbook

Robert Clayton Shantz (P)     #30

Born September 26, 1925 in Pottstown, PA, resides in Ambler, PA. Height: 5-6, weight: 152. Bats - right, throws - left. Married and father of two boys, Robby (6) and Teddy (2), and one girl, Kathy Ann (4).

-The New York Yankees Official 1960 Yearbook

"When little Bobby Shantz is on the mound, he gives the team a fifth infielder. Shantz has been presented with the Gold Glove Award for the past three seasons as the outstanding fielding pitcher in the majors.

Only 5'6", Bobby broke into Organized Ball with Lincoln of the Western League. He led the Class A circuit in wins (18) and strikeouts (212) in his only season of minor league play and was up with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1949.

The 34-year-old southpaw, who hails from Pottstown, Pa., stayed with the A's until the Yankees acquired him in 1957. In 1951 he won 18 and in 1952 he had the greatest year of his career.

That season he won 24, tops in the league, and lost only seven for a .774 percentage (the best in the American League). On this fine showing, Shantz took the Most Valuable Player award.

In the 1952 All-Star Game, Bobby worked one inning and fanned Whitey Lockman, Jackie Robison and Stan Musial in order.

Plagued by arm trouble, Shantz appeared in 16 games in 1953 and in only two contests in 1954. With the shift of the A's to Kansas City, Bobby's arm came around. He had fair seasons in 1955 and 1956, being used as a reliever and spot pitcher.

Shantz came to the Bronx along with Art Ditmar in Feburay 1957 in a package deal that included Tom Morgan, Mickey McDermott and Irv Noren. In his first season with the Yanks, Shantz won 11 and lost five while winning the American League ERA crown with a 2.45 mark. He has had seasons of 7-6 and 7-3 since then, making the trade a good one for a pitcher who was supposedly through.

A good hitting pitcher, Bobby, his wife and three children now live in Ambler, Pa. He is a partner in a bowling alley in Philadelphia."

-New York Yankees 1960 Yearbook (Jay Publishing Co.)

WHEN YOUR LET-UP LETS YOU DOWN

"The Yankees' Bobby Shantz was discussing the let-up pitch. 'I'm again having trouble locating it,' he said this spring. 'You know, you never have to worry about where your fast ball goes. If not delivered right it usually goes out of the park. But that let-up pitch can go haywire and mess up everything.'

In Bobby's case, it certainly can. That is an oddity about his pitching. In some of his greatest years, such as in 1952 when he won 24 games for the Athletics and again in 1957 when, as a Yankee, he led the American League with a 2.45 earned run average. Shantz's success was attributed by many to his exceptionally fast ball and sharp curve. It repeatedly surprised batters that a little guy could throw a ball that hard.

'But it was the let-up pitch,' explains Bobby, 'that really did the trick. Without it those big hitters would have leveled on my fast ball in no time. The let-up pitch throws them off balance.

'However, to be effective it not only has to be thrown with exactly the same motion as the fast ball but it also must be under perfect control.' "

-John Drebinger, New York Times (Baseball Digest, May 1960)

"Little Bobby Shantz, the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1952 when he posted a 24-7 record with the Athletics, proved a mighty valuable relief man for the Bombers this season. He did not start a game for the Yanks this year. Once again, he was among the lowest on the staff in ERA.

For the past three years, Shantz has been named the outstanding fielding pitcher in the A.L."

-1960 World Series Official Souvenir Program