Atlanta Braves history: Top 5 franchise second basemen
By Fred Owens
Number five – The Redhead
The Milwaukee Braves tried to acquire Red Schoendienst before the1956 season, but the Cardinals weren’t interested. In June, the Cards were out of the race and traded Schoendienst to the Giants in an 11-player deal. The Giants finished farther out than the Cardinals, and the Braves tried again that offseason, without success.
Braves second baseman Danny O’Connell played defense as well as, or better than, the 34-year old Schoendienst, but his bat wasn’t much good. However, Schoendient’s bat wasn’t their target.
The Brave 1957 lineup featured Danny O’Connell, Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Joe Adcock, Bobby Thompson, Johnny Logan, Bill Bruton, and Del Crandall.
When Warren Spahn or Lou Burdette pitched, it was nine hitters deep. They wanted the leadership of Schoendienst in the clubhouse and off the field.
The Braves started the 1957 season slowly, sinking as low as fourth place. They fought their way back, and on June 13, Bob Trowbridge and Ernie Johnson combined to beat the Dodgers and reclaim first place. Two days later, they traded for Schoendienst.
The 34-year-old veteran earned a World Series championship as a member of the 1946 Cardinals, had nine All-Star Games under his belt, and four top-ten finished in MVP voting.
His defense remained among the league’s best, and he still hit to a .300 average. The fans appreciated those things, but as Hank Aaron explained, his intangibles were equally or more important.
"When Red donned a Braves uniform, Aaron said, “It made us all feel like Superman. We knew he was going to mean so much to our ballclub that wouldn’t show up in the box score. … (H)e definitely became the leader of that ballclub.”"
Rejuvenated by the move to a challenging team. Schoendienst provided everything the Braves needed and more, as I explained in a post last year.
"(Schoendienst) ended the year leading all second basemen with a .309/.344/.451 line, 118 wRC+, and 5.1 fWAR. After joining the Braves. The Redhead appeared in 93 games batted .310/.348/.434/.782 including 23 doubles, four triples, and six homers. He walked 23 times while striking out seven (yes, 7) in 426 PA. Today we calculate those numbers and his defense with a value of 3.9 rWAR, 3.3 fWAR, 118 wRC+ and a wOBA of .348."
"Most fans remember Schoendienst as a Cardinal, and rightfully so. However, when he came to the Braves in 1957, his play and leadership took the team to their first World Series since 1948, and their first Championship since 1914."