Tom Umphlett | Former outfielder for the Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators dies at 81

Tom Umphlett, former outfielder for the Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators died Friday, September 21st, 2012 in Norfolk, Virginia. He was 81.

Part of the Boston Red Sox 1950s youth movement

Umphlett played three seasons in the major leagues from 1953-55, finishing second in the 1953 American League Rookie of the Year voting to Harvey Kuenn. He was part of the Red Sox youth movement in the early 1950s to fill the voids left by Ted Williams’ military service and Dom DiMaggio’s retirement.

“[Lou] Boudreau, the manager, was going for the young talent even in spring training," he said during a 2008 interview from his home in Ahoskie, North Carolina. “You had Ted Lepcio at third base, Milt Bolling at short, Goodman at second, and Dick Gernert at first base. I played center field, and Jimmy Piersall played right.”

Ted Williams memories

Ted Williams returning from the Korean War meant that someone had to go from the crowded outfield, and the Red Sox looked to capitalize on Umphlett’s value after his impressive rookie season.

“You didn’t have a choice, back in those days,” he said. “When a club owned you, they owned you. I was in the Mickey McDermott for Jackie Jensen trade. [It was] probably one of the best trades the Red Sox ever made. The Red Sox needed a power hitter, and Jensen did a good job for them.”

Despite only spending one season with Williams, Umphlett didn’t hesitate to identify the Hall of Famer as the best in the business.

“I’m gonna tell you just how I feel," he said. "When he came out of the service, everybody was excited. I know I was!

"I was a raw rookie. I got the opportunity to play with the world’s greatest hitter, and not everybody can say that. I saw a lot of good hitters, but as far as I was concerned, he was the best. You can talk about Mantle, Mays, Aaron; they’re all great hitters, great players, but Williams was the greatest hitter I’ve ever seen.”

A Move to Washington D.C.

Umphlett played two years with the Senators from 1954-55. After batting .283 his rookie year, Washington had high hopes for him to duplicate his Boston success. Umphlett hit a sophomore slump, batting only .219 in 1954 and .215 in 1955. Even though he would never return to the majors after 1955, this wasn’t the end of the road for Umphlett. He played in the minor leagues, mostly at the Triple-A level until 1967, when he finally hung up his cleats after 17 seasons in professional baseball.

He reluctantly traded in his glove for the managerial reins, spending an additional four years coaching in the Minnesota Twins minor league system.

“I spent 21 years in baseball,” he said. “I didn’t want to manage at first. I managed in the rookie league [in 1967], and we won the pennant. Then I managed a couple of years after that, and that was it for me in baseball.”

Honored to be a major leaguer

Even though he only lasted three seasons in the major leagues, Umphlett was honored that he made it to big leagues when there were only 16 teams.

“I was a good center fielder,” he said. “I could catch the ball and throw it. I’m not bragging, but I could play center field with anybody. It was tough to get to the big leagues because we only had 16 teams. When you went to spring training, you never had seen so many ballplayers in your life.

"There were some pretty good ballplayers, some that never got the opportunity to get to the big leagues that could have probably played there. You take a guy that probably played behind a guy like Mantle, what chance does he have to get there? He has to go to another club or change his position. I got there, and I made it. I worked hard, and I was fortunate to be there.”