Washington DC Baseball

[GeoPoto]

Player #135F: Joseph A. "Joe" Kuhel. First baseman for the Washington Senators in 1930-1937 and 1944-1946. 2,212 hits and 131 home runs in 18 MLB seasons. He had 107 RBIs in Washington's pennant-winning 1933 season, but his best season was probably 1936 as he posted an OBP of .392 with 118 RBIs and 107 runs scored in 660 plate appearances. He managed the Washington Senators in 1948-49.

Kuhel's SABR biography continued: One weapon that Kuhel added to his arsenal was the stolen base. Kuhel explained his strategy on the “hesitation steal”. ‘You take a fair lead off first base, three or four steps. As the pitch passes the batter, you stop momentarily, as if intending to return to the bag. You lean toward first for that split second until the ball hits the catcher’s glove-and then the moment it does, you tear for second. In other words, it’s lead, stop, lean and go!

“The catcher, having seen you stop, takes the ball convinced that you don’t intend to run. He cocks his arm for the throw back to the pitcher. The second baseman and shortstop, also seeing the ball pass the plate without your making a break, are just as likely to relax, pawing the dirt with their spikes, heads half down. By the time they all realize you’ve double-crossed them and are on your way, the catcher has to cock his arm again for the longer throw to second and he has to look to see whether the shortstop or second baseman is going to cover.” There may have been something to Kuhel’s technique, as he was among the league leaders in stolen bases in both 1941 and 1942 with 20 and 22 swipes, respectively.

On November 24, 1943, Chicago sold Kuhel back to Washington. With World War II raging, many ballplayers were starting to be drafted into the service. Kuhel, at 37 years of age, was one of the many older ballplayers who were able to extend their careers past their prime years, when Mickey Vernon, Washington’s regular first baseman, missed the 1944 and ‘45 seasons because he was called up to active duty. Kuhel was brought in to plug the hole, and he performed competently in the absence of Vernon.