Lou Boudreau

Lou Boudreau (1917-2001), American baseball player and manager, who at the age of 24 became the youngest person to manage a major league team for an entire season. From 1940 to 1948, Boudreau was the American League’s (AL) top fielding shortstop in all but one season. When he retired as a player in 1952, the seven-time All-Star held a major league record for the best fielding percentage among shortstops (.973). In 1944 he led the league in hitting with a .327 average, and in 1948, the year he led the Cleveland Indians to a World Series title, he won the AL’s most valuable player (MVP) award.

Born in Harvey, Illinois, Louis Boudreau, Jr., signed a professional baseball contract in 1938 while attending the University of Illinois. In his first full season with the Cleveland Indians in 1940, he batted .295 with 101 runs batted in (RBIs). Boudreau’s defensive skills were also spectacular and he led AL shortstops in fielding percentage eight times in his career. He won the job of player-manager for the Indians in 1942. Six years later, as player and manager, he led the club to its first pennant in 28 years and then to a World Series victory in six games against the Boston Braves.

In 1951 Boudreau was traded to the Boston Red Sox. His last season as a player was 1952 when he took over as Red Sox manager, a position he held until 1954. He managed the Kansas City Athletics from 1955 to 1957, and had a brief stint as manager of the Chicago Cubs in 1960. Boudreau finished his playing career with a .295 batting average, 789 RBIs, 385 doubles, and 861 runs. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970.