A Major League Manager At 32
A slow decline in Hutchinson's pitching career coincided with an alarming drop in the fortunes of his usually contending Tigers. On July 5, 1952, with Detroit in the surprising position of last place in the eight-team American League, the club fired manager Red Rolfe and handed the job to Hutchinson, still an active player and five weeks shy of his 33rd birthday. Hutchinson was chosen based on his leadership skills; he had been the AL's Player Representative since 1947. Hutchinson managed the Tigers for the next 2½ years, serving into 1953 as a playing manager. He guided them from their eighth-place finish in 1952 to sixth and fifth place during the next two seasons. His reign included the 1953 debut of future Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Al Kaline. However, Detroit's ownership and front office were in flux and, at the end of 1954, Hutchinson was forced out as manager when he asked for a multi-year contract. It marked the end of a 16-year association with the Tigers.
Out of the Major Leagues for the first time since 1941, Hutchinson went home to Seattle and the Rainiers of the PCL, becoming their manager in 1955. Even though the club did not enjoy a Major League affiliation, Hutchinson led Seattle to a 95–77 record and a first place finish. His success led to his second Major League managerial job when he replaced Harry Walker as skipper of the St. Louis Cardinals for the 1956 season.
The Cardinals, one of baseball's storied franchises, had fallen into the second division. With general manager "Frantic" Frank Lane constantly revamping the roster through trades and Hutchinson's steady hand at the helm, the Cardinals improved by eight games in 1956, and catapulted to second place in 1957, behind only the eventual world champion Milwaukee Braves. Hutchinson was named National League Manager of the Year, and his popularity in the Mound City resulted in a new nickname, "The Big Bear", bestowed by Cardinal broadcaster Joe Garagiola. Hutchinson's typical unsmiling expression also led Garagiola to joke that Hutchinson was "really happy inside, only his face didn't know it." However, Lane's departure from the St. Louis front office and the Cardinals’ disappointing 1958 season resulted in Hutchinson's dismissal that September, with the team six games below .500 and in fifth place.
Read more about this topic: Fred Hutchinson
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