Joe Lonnett

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Joe Lonnett

|position=Catcher

|image=Joe Lonnett.jpeg

|caption=

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date= February 7, 1927

|birth_place=Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, U.S.

|death_date= {{Death date and age|2011|12|05|1927|2|7}}

|death_place=Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=April 22

|debutyear=1956

|debutteam=Philadelphia Phillies

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 26

|finalyear=1959

|finalteam=Philadelphia Phillies

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.166

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=6

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=27

|teams=

;As player

Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|1956}}–{{mlby|1959}})

;As coach

Chicago White Sox ({{mlby|1971}}–{{mlby|1975}})
Oakland Athletics ({{mlby|1976}})
Pittsburgh Pirates ({{mlby|1977}}–{{mlby|1984}})

}}

Joseph Paul Lonnett (February 7, 1927 – December 5, 2011) was an American professional baseball catcher, and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies.{{cite web|url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/pirates/s_770986.html|title=Pirates' Lonnett was a man who valued family|last=Gorman|first=Kevin|publisher=Tribune-Review Publishing Company|work=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review|date=December 8, 2011|accessdate=December 8, 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120907163048/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/pirates/s_770986.html|archivedate=September 7, 2012}} During his playing days, Lonnett stood {{convert|5|ft|10+1/2|in|m}} tall, weighing {{convert|185|lb|kg}}. He threw and batted right-handed.

Playing career

Lonnett graduated from Beaver Falls High School and signed with the Phillies in 1948, and spent much of his career with the Phillies as a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) catcher and manager, and MLB catcher and scout. He missed two seasons while serving in the United States Navy in World War II and the Korean War. Lonnett spent four MLB seasons a second-string receiver, appearing in 143 games, while batting .166, with six home runs (HR) and 27 runs batted in (RBI) — never once cracking the .200 level for a season.

Coaching career

Fellow Western Pennsylvania native Chuck Tanner had promised Lonnett that he would be one of his coaches if he ever became an MLB manager. Tanner honored his word when he named Lonnett and Al Monchak third- and first-base coaches respectively with the Chicago White Sox on October 2, 1970.[https://www.nytimes.com/1970/10/03/archives/white-sox-name-2-coaches.html "White Sox Name 2 Coaches," The Associated Press (AP), Friday, October 2, 1970.] Retrieved December 10, 2021 All three would serve in similar capacities together with the White Sox (1971–75), Oakland Athletics (1976) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1977–84).

When Tanner was traded to the Pirates for Manny Sanguillén — only the second trade in MLB history to involve a manager — Lonnett followed him to Pittsburgh. He wore Sanguillén's No. 35 jersey until the Pirates re-acquired Sanguillén a year later; after which, he wore No. 32. Eventually, Lonnett served as third-base coach on the Pirates' 1979 world championship team.

In {{by|1987}}, he was named the manager of the St. Catharines Blue Jays of the Short-Season 'A' affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays in the New York–Penn League, which finished at 41–36, 4th in the NY–P Western Division.

Later life and death

In the final years of his life, Lonnett battled Alzheimer's disease and was cared for by his wife of 56 years, Alvida. In 2004, he attended the 25th anniversary celebration of the {{by|1979}} World's Champs, at PNC Park.

Lonnett succumbed to his long-standing illness, in his home town of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, on December 5, 2011. He was 84.

References

Marcin, Joe, and Byers, Dick, eds., The Official 1977 Baseball Register. St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1977.
Thorn, John, and Palmer, Peter, eds., Total Baseball. New York: Warner Books, 1989.

External links

{{baseballstats|mlb=117904|espn=24362|br=l/lonnejo01|fangraphs=1007742|brm=lonnet001jos|retro=L/Plonnj101}}

[https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/43989d5d Joe Lonnett] at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
[https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=lonnejo01 Joe Lonnett] at Baseball Almanac
[https://web.archive.org/web/20060810114917/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/L/Lonnett_Joe.stm Joe Lonnett] at Baseball Library
{{find a Grave|82030095}}
[https://archive.today/20120907163048/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/pirates/s_770986.html#ixzz1fxj5R88z Pirates' Lonnett was a man who valued family Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 8, 2011]
[https://archive.today/20130131185339/http://www.postgazette.com/pg/11350/1197304-122-0.stm Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Obit]

{{succession box|title=Chicago White Sox third base coach|years=1971–1975|before=Bill Adair|after=Jim Busby}}

{{succession box|title=Oakland Athletics third base coach|years=1976|before=Bobby Winkles|after=Cal Ermer}}

{{succession box|title=Pittsburgh Pirates third base coach|years=1977–1984|before=Jose Pagan|after=Bob Skinner}}

Category:1927 births

Category:2011 deaths

Category:Arkansas Travelers players

Category:Baltimore Orioles (International League) players

Category:20th-century American sportsmen

Category:Bradford Blue Wings players

Category:Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players

Category:Chicago White Sox coaches

Category:Lockport Reds players