Ed Brinkman

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Ed Brinkman

| image = Ed Brinkman.jpg

| position = Shortstop

| bats = Right

| throws = Right

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1941|12|8}}

| birth_place = Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2008|9|30|1941|12|8}}

| death_place = Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

| debutdate = September 6

| debutyear = 1961

| debutteam = Washington Senators

|finalleague = MLB

| finaldate = September 28

| finalyear = 1975

| finalteam = New York Yankees

|statleague = MLB

| stat1label = Batting average

| stat1value = .224

| stat2label = Home runs

| stat2value = 60

| stat3label = Runs batted in

| stat3value = 461

| teams =

Washington Senators ({{mlby|1961}}–{{mlby|1970}})
Detroit Tigers ({{mlby|1971}}–{{mlby|1974}})
St. Louis Cardinals ({{mlby|1975}})
Texas Rangers ({{mlby|1975}})
New York Yankees ({{mlby|1975}})

| highlights =

All-Star (1973)
Gold Glove Award (1972)

}}

Edwin Albert Brinkman (December 8, 1941 – September 30, 2008) was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball from {{mlby|1961}} to {{mlby|1975}}, most prominently as a member of the Washington Senators and the Detroit Tigers.

Brinkman was a light-hitting, defensive specialist who spent the first 10 years of his career with the 1961 expansion team the Washington Senators, before being traded to the Detroit Tigers where he helped lead the team to the {{mlby|1972}} American League Eastern Division title and was voted 1972 Tiger of the Year.{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ed-brinkman/|first=Andrew|last=Sharp|title=Ed Brinkman Baseball BioProject|work=Society for American Baseball Research|access-date=November 29, 2023}} He won the American League (AL) Gold Glove Award in 1972, and made his only All-Star team in 1973 while with the Tigers. Brinkman ended his career playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, and the New York Yankees.

After his playing career, Brinkman worked for several major league organizations as a scout, coach and minor league manager until he retired in 2000.

Early life

Brinkman was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brinked01.shtml |title=Ed Brinkman Stats |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |work=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=July 23, 2019 }} He attended Western Hills High School, where he played alongside Pete Rose on the school's baseball team.{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/02/AR2008100203848.html |title=Eddie Brinkman, 66; Senators Shortstop |work=washingtonpost.com |access-date=December 6, 2015 }} Paul "Pappy" Nohr, the baseball coach at Western Hills, described Rose as "a good ball player, not a Brinkman."{{cite book |first=David M. |last=Jordan |title=Pete Rose: A Biography |year=2004 |page=6 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9780313328756 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dYjWQWvwI0kC&q=brinkman+rose+%22not+a+brinkman%22&pg=PA6}} Based on their performance in high school, scouts saw Brinkman rather than Rose as the future superstar. When he was a senior, Brinkman batted .460 and also won 15 games as a pitcher including a perfect game.

Brinkman was paid a large (for the time) bonus of $75,000 by the Washington Senators in 1961. Brinkman later said: "Pete always kidded me that the Washington Senators brought me my bonus in an armored truck. Pete said he had cashed his at the corner store."{{cite book |first=David M. |last=Jordan |title=Pete Rose: A Biography |year=2004 |page=7 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9780313328756 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dYjWQWvwI0kC&q=brinkman+%22pete+always+kidded+me%22&pg=PA7}}{{cite news |title=Nats Sign Ed Brinkman |agency=United Press International |work=Sunday Herald |page=41 |date=28 May 1961 |access-date=December 6, 2015 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2229&dat=19610528&id=pVYzAAAAIBAJ&pg=5128,2890865&hl=en}}

Major league playing career

Brinkman began the 1961 season playing for the Senators' minor league teams in Middlesboro and Pensacola before making his major league debut with the Senators on September 6, 1961, at age 19. Although Brinkman was known as a good defensive player, he seldom provided much of an offensive contribution for a Senators team that routinely finished near the bottom of the final standings.{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-best-fielders-of-the-1970s/|first=Jerry|last=Gregory|title=The Best Fielders of the 1970s|work=Society for American Baseball Research|access-date=November 29, 2023}} His best batting average in the first eight years of his career was a .229 average posted in 1966 when he led American League shortstops with a 3.3 defensive Wins Above Replacement (WAR). In 1969, Ted Williams was named as the Senators' manager and, he worked to improve Brinkman's hitting skills. Brinkman responded with a career-high .266 batting average as well as 71 runs scored, also a career-high.{{cite news |title=Ed Brinkman Proves Boss Fair Prophet |agency=Associated Press |work=The Victoria Advocate |page=2B |date=16 July 1970 |access-date=December 6, 2015 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19700716&id=eQpaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5661,2167159&hl=en}} Brinkman once again led the league's shortstops with a 3.3 defensive WAR rating in 1969. He continued to improve in 1970 with a career-high 162 hits in 152 games. He also led the league's shortstops in assists and in putouts.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1970-fielding-leaders.shtml |title=1970 American League Fielding Leaders |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=December 6, 2015 }}

In 1971, Brinkman was part of an eight-player trade which sent himself, third baseman Aurelio Rodríguez and pitchers Joe Coleman and Jim Hannan from the Senators to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Denny McLain, Don Wert, Elliott Maddox, and Norm McRae. He had his best season defensively in 1972. Playing in all of the Tigers' 156 games, he set American League fielding records for shortstops with the most consecutive games without an error (72), most consecutive chances without an error (331), fewest errors in 150 games or more (7) and the highest fielding percentage in 150 games or more (.990).{{cite news |title=Brinkman Named Tiger Of The Year |agency=Associated Press |work=The Argus Press |page=8 |date=26 October 1972 |access-date=December 6, 2015 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1988&dat=19721026&id=T0YiAAAAIBAJ&pg=4539,5969915&hl=en}} He also produced a career-high 49 runs batted in, helping the Tigers clinch the American League Eastern Division championship by a half game over the Boston Red Sox.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1972.shtml |title=1972 American League Team Statistics and Standings |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=December 6, 2015 }}

Brinkman only appeared in one game of the 1972 American League Championship Series before he was ruled out for the rest of the season due to a ruptured disc in his lower back.{{cite news |title=Tigers Lose Ed Brinkman |agency=Associated Press |work=The Free Lance-Star |page=8 |date=10 October 1972 |access-date=December 6, 2015 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19700716&id=eQpaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5661,2167159&hl=en}}{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brinked01.shtml#batting_postseason::none |title=Ed Brinkman postseason statistics |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=December 6, 2015 }} The Tigers lost the championship series to the eventual world champions, the Oakland Athletics, in five games.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1972_ALCS.shtml |title=1972 American League Championship Series |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=December 6, 2015 }} Brinkman's efforts during the regular season earned him the 1972 Gold Glove Award and he was named the recipient of the "Tiger of the Year" award by the Detroit baseball writers.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/gold_glove_al.shtml#1972 |title=1972 American League Gold Glove Award Winners |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=December 6, 2015 }}{{cite web |url=http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/det/history/awards.jsp |title=Tigers Awards |access-date=June 27, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724133801/http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/det/history/awards.jsp |archive-date=July 24, 2011 |df=mdy }} He also finished ninth in voting for the 1972 American League Most Valuable Player Award.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1972.shtml#ALmvp |title=1972 American League Most Valuable Player Award Balloting |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=December 6, 2015 }} Brinkman earned his first and only All-Star Game appearance when he was named as an American League reserve in the 1973 All-Star Game.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ALS/ALS197307240.shtml |title=1973 All-Star Game |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=December 6, 2015 }} He hit a career-high 14 home runs in the 1974 season.

He was involved in a three-team deal on November 18, 1974, in which he was first traded along with Bob Strampe and Dick Sharon from the Tigers to the San Diego Padres for Nate Colbert and then sent to the St. Louis Cardinals for Sonny Siebert, Alan Foster and Rich Folkers.{{cite news |title=Tigers Trade Ed Brinkman |agency=Associated Press |work=The Lewiston Daily Sun |page=8 |date=19 November 1974 |access-date=December 6, 2015 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19741119&id=05MgAAAAIBAJ&pg=4071,3422425&hl=en}} Danny Breeden went from the Padres to the Cardinals to subsequently complete the transactions. Brinkman appeared in 24 games with the Cardinals before being traded along with Tommy Moore to the Texas Rangers for Willie Davis on June 4, 1975.[https://www.nytimes.com/1975/06/05/archives/rangers-davis-traded-to-cards.html "Rangers' Davis Traded to Cards," United Press International (UPI), Wednesday, June 4, 1975.] Retrieved September 27, 2022. After only one appearance with the Rangers, his contract was purchased by the New York Yankees on June 13, 1975.{{cite news |title=Yanks Acquire Eddie Brinkman |agency=United Press International |work=Sarasota Journal |page=1 |date=13 June 1975 |access-date=December 6, 2015 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1798&dat=19750613&id=Aw0fAAAAIBAJ&pg=1346,3111203&hl=en}} He played in 44 games for the Yankees before they gave him his unconditional release on March 29, 1976, as, he continued to be hampered by his back injury.{{cite news |title=Yankees Waive Ed Brinkman |agency=Associated Press |work=Bangor Daily News |page=21 |date=31 March 1976 |access-date=6 December 2015 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=19760331&id=ctE8AAAAIBAJ&pg=5206,4749204&hl=en}} Brinkman played his final major league game on September 28, 1975, at the age of 33.

Career statistics

In a fifteen-year major league career, Brinkman played in 1,845 games, accumulating 1,355 hits in 6,045 at bats for a .224 career batting average along with 60 home runs, 461 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .280. Defensively, he recorded a .970 fielding percentage as a shortstop.

Brinkman led the AL in games played twice, won a Gold Glove Award at shortstop, and was named to the American League All-Star team in 1973. He holds the American League record for the fewest hits in a season while playing a minimum of 150 games, with 82 hits in 1965.{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/hits.shtml |title=Hits Records |publisher=baseball-almanac.com |access-date=December 17, 2015 }}

Coaching career

After his playing career he was hired by the Tigers as a minor league roving fielding instructor in 1976. Brinkman then became a minor league manager in the Detroit organization, leading the 1977 Montgomery Rebels to a first-place finish in the Southern League.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=brinkm001edw#standard_managing::none |title=Ed Brinkman Manager Statistics |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=December 6, 2015 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.thebaseballcube.com/teams/stats.asp?Y=1977&T=10530 |title=1977 Montgomery Rebels |publisher=thebaseballcube.com |access-date=December 6, 2015 }} He spent {{mlby|1979}} on the Tigers' MLB coaching staff. Later, he was a coach and scout with the Chicago White Sox for 18 years (1983–2000), initially as the ChiSox' MLB infield coach (1983–1988) and then special assignment scout. He retired after the 2000 season.

Ed Brinkman died on September 30, 2008, at the age of 66, due to complications from heart failure. His younger brother, Chuck Brinkman also played in Major League Baseball as a catcher.

Notes

William A. Cook, "Pete Rose: Baseball All-Time Hit King"[https://books.google.com/books?id=VAFPfz2yG5wC&dq=ed+brinkman+pete+rose+western+hills&pg=RA1-PA8]
David M. Jordan, "Pete Rose: A Biography" (Greenwood Press 2004) [https://books.google.com/books?id=dYjWQWvwI0kC&dq=brinkman+%22pete+always+kidded+me%22&pg=PA7]