Milwaukee’s Best, Part 5: The 50 Best To Play For Braves, Brewers: 10-1

Del Crandall, as shown on a 1963 Topps baseball card.

9. Del Crandall, C

Braves 1953-63

Del Crandall returned from the Korean War to find his ballclub had changed locations.

After sitting out the 1951 and 1952 seasons while in the military, Crandall was the regular catcher for the Braves upon arrival in Milwaukee and was an eight-time All-Star with the Braves.

He also finished 10th in the MVP voting in 1958 and captured four Gold Gloves for his work behind the plate.

One of the top defensive catchers in baseball, Crandall led the National League in runners caught stealing five times while playing in Milwaukee.

Crandall was 4-for-19 with a homer in the 1957 World Series and went 6-for-25 with a homer and three RBI in 1958.

Crandall signed with the Braves in Boston as an amateur free agent in the spring of 1948 out of Fullerton Union (Calif.) High School and remained with the organization until a December 1963 trade to the San Francisco Giants, in which he was dealt along with left-hander Bob Hendley and right-hander Bob Shaw in exchange for outfielder Felipe Alou, catcher Ed Bailey, left-hander Billy Hoeft and a player to be named later, infielder Ernie Bowman, who joined the Braves in January 1964.

Crandall later played with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians before retiring after the 1966 season.

Crandall managed in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization for two seasons before taking over the Brewers’ Triple-A club in Evansville in 1971-72.

On May 30, 1972, Crandall was named to replace Dave Bristol as manager of the Brewers, a job he held until he was fired Sept. 28, 1975, with a record of 271-338.

Crandall managed one year in the California Angels’ organization before returning to the Dodgers’ chain in 1978. On June 25, 1983, he was named manager of the Seattle Mariners, going 93-131 before he was fired Sept. 1, 1984.

He returned to the Dodgers’ chain a third time as a manager in 1996, spending parts of two seasons at the High-A level. Crandall was also a broadcaster with the Brewers from 1992-94.

Here are Crandall’s statistics from his 11 seasons with the Braves in Milwaukee:

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/22/2015.

Next: 8. The Shortstop For Milwaukee's Champs