Who Will Be The Cardinals Catcher? – March 3, 1937
Though these three men look like they could be in a softball beer league, they are actually major league catchers.
As the news slug explains:
A Lot of Backstopping
Daytona Beach, FLA. – The burden of St. Louis Cardinal catching duties is almost certain to fall on one of the three backstoppers shown at the Card’s training camp here. Front to back: Paul Chervinko, Arnold “Mickey” Owen and Brusie Ogrodowski. credit: Associated Press March 3, 1937
Of the three catchers Mickey Owen had the most successful career. In 1937 the 21-year-old rookie played in 80 games for the Cardinals. Owen would become the Cardinals starting catcher in 1938 playing with the team until 1940.
Mickey Owen would eventually play five seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers making the All-Star team four times. Owen played in the major leagues until 1954 and had a career .255 batting average. Owen died at age 89 in 2005.
25-year-old Bruce Ogrodowski was in his second season and caught 90 games, batting .233 in 1937 for the Cardinals. Ogrodowski never again played in the major leagues and died in 1956 at the age of 44.
26-year-old Paul Chervinko never got to play for the Cardinals and was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers on May 24, 1937 for 31 year-old Randy Moore who played all of eight games for the Cardinals and then retired. Chervinko played a total of 42 games for the 1937 and 1938 season. Chervinko died at age 65 in 1976.
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Not to be a wise guy, but Paul Chervinko has a lot of Curly going there. When I first glanced at it, I thought it was a Stooges promo pic for a never-released baseball short. I wish they would’ve done one.