Martin Whiteford Marion (December 1, 1917 – March 15, 2011), nicknamed "Slats", "the Octopus", and "Mr. Shortstop", was an American professional baseball shortstop and manager. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Browns from 1940 to 1953. He was a defensive stalwart of the Cardinals' dynasty in the 1940s, which saw them win three World Series in a five year span, and was named the National League MVP in 1944, the first shortstop in the history of the National League to win the award. Marion managed the Cardinals in 1951, the Browns from 1952 to 1953, and the Chicago White Sox from 1954 to 1956.
Baseball career
thumb|left|Marion in 1941
Marion was born in Richburg, South Carolina. He grew up in Atlanta, where he attended Tech High School and played baseball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. His older brother, Red Marion, was briefly an outfielder in the American League and a long-time manager in the minor leagues. Nicknamed "Slats", Marion had unusually long arms which reached for grounders like tentacles, prompting sportswriters to call him "The Octopus". A childhood leg injury deferred him from military service in World War II.
From 1940 to 1950, Marion led the National League shortstops in fielding percentage four times, despite several other players being moved around the infield during these years. In 1941 he played all 154 games at shortstop (also a league-high) and in 1947 he made only 15 errors for a consistent .981 percentage.
Marion was also a better-than-average hitter for a shortstop. His most productive season came in 1942, when he hit .276 with a league-leading 38 doubles. In the 1942 World Series, one of four series in which he participated with the Cardinals, he helped his team to a World Championship. In 1943 he batted a career-high .280 in the regular season and hit .357 in the 1943 World Series.
He played with many second basemen throughout his career, including Frank "Creepy" Crespi. Marion commented after the 1941 season that Crespi's play was the best he ever saw by a second baseman. Crespi once took on Joe Medwick on the field (during a game) when he was trying to intimidate Marion. They remained friends until Crespi's death in 1990.
Marion's playing career was interrupted in 1951 by knee and back injuries. He later sold the team to a group led by William Hopkins on August 16, 1960. Hopkins then sold the team to the Houston Sports Association led by Roy Hofheinz who had obtained a major league franchise in the National League which became the Houston Astros.
Career statistics
In a 13-season career, Marion posted a .263 batting average with 36 home runs and 624 RBI in 1572 games. His career fielding percentage was .969. He made All-Star Game appearances from 1943 to 1944 and 1946–1950 (There was no All-Star Game in 1945). In 1944, he earned the National League Most Valuable Player Award. As a manager, he compiled a 356–372 record.
Managerial record
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
|-
!Games!!Won!!Lost!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
|-
|-
!STL||
||154||81||73|||| 3rd in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|STL total || 154 || 81 || 73 || || || 0 || 0 || – ||
|-
!SLB||
||103||42||61|||| 7th in AL || – || – || – || –
|-
!SLB||
||154||54||100|||| 8th in AL || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|SLB total || 257 || 96 || 161 || || || 0 || 0 || – ||
|-
!CWS||
||9||3||6|||| 3rd in AL || – || – || – || –
|-
!CWS||
||154||91||63|||| 3rd in AL || – || – || – || –
|-
!CWS||
||154||85||69|||| 3rd in AL || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|CWS total || 317 || 179 || 138 || || || 0 || 0 || – ||
|-
! colspan="2"|Total || 728 || 356 || 372 || || || 0 || 0 || – ||
|}
Attempt at Purchasing NBA Team
In 1957, Marion and business partner Milton Fischman attempted to buy the Minneapolis Lakers of the National Basketball Association from owners Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen with the intention to move the team to Kansas City, Missouri. Instead, Berger and Chalfen sold the team to Bob Short, who moved the team to Los Angeles.
Death
Marion died of an apparent heart attack on March 15, 2011, at the age of 93. He lived in Ladue, Missouri.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball player–managers
- List of St. Louis Cardinals managers • Coaches