Ted McGrew

Harry Hancock "Ted" McGrew (June 24, 1880 – June 29, 1969) was an American professional baseball player, manager, umpire and scout. After a minor league playing and managing career, he umpired in Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1930, 1931, 1933 and 1934. Later in his life, McGrew scouted for several MLB teams and was credited with discovering Pee Wee Reese and Alvin Dark.

Biography

McGrew was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 24, 1880.^[1] He was a minor league infielder (playing in his native Midwest) and manager before beginning his umpiring career.^[2][3] By 1929, McGrew was umpiring in the American Association and calling exhibition games for the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[4] He spent 1930 and 1931 umpiring in the National League. He umpired in the International League in 1932.^[5] McGrew returned to the majors in 1933 and was behind the plate when Dizzy Dean set a National League single-game strikeout record.^[6] McGrew requested voluntary retirement in December of that year.^[2]

In his later life, McGrew was a longtime major league scout. While with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was responsible for the signing of Pee Wee Reese.^[7] He also signed Claude Osteen,^[8] who became a three-time All-Star with the Dodgers. McGrew was hired as the chief scout for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1943.^[9] He later scouted for the Boston Braves, where he signed Alvin Dark in 1946.^[10] He was hired as chief scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1949; he supervised a scouting corps that included Lloyd Waner, Babe Herman and Pie Traynor.^[11] He joined the scouting staff of the Boston Red Sox the next year.^[12]

While McGrew was a scout, Brooklyn player Babe Dahlgren became surrounded by rumors of marijuana use which may have led to a series of trades involving Dahlgren. The rumors began with manager Joe McCarthy of the Yankees, who traded Dahlgren to Brooklyn in 1940. Before the 1943 season, Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey traded Dahlgren to Philadelphia. McGrew was present at a meeting where Rickey said he had traded Dahlgren due to marijuana use. McGrew was hired as the chief scout in Philadelphia later that year, and Philadelphia sent Dahlgren to Pittsburgh two months later.^[13]

McGrew died in Bedford, Virginia, on June 29, 1969.^[14]

References

1. "Ted McGrew Minor League Statistics and History". Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
2. "Umpire is to be Retired". The Border Cities Star. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
3. "Stories of the Diamond". The Newburgh Telegram. June 29, 1912. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
4. "Pirates to Quit Frisco". The Pittsburgh Press. March 24, 1929. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
5. "McGrew Umpire in International Loop". The Pittsburgh Press. January 12, 1932. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
6. Carroll, Dink (September 27, 1950). "Playing the Field". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
7. Levy, Sam (September 21, 1941). "McGrew's Job". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
8. Bavasi, Buzzie (June 5, 1967). "The Real Secret of Trading". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
9. Weatherby, Charlie. "SABR Baseball Biography Project: Bill Killefer". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
10. "Alvin Dark". Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
11. "McGrew Heads Pirate Scouts". The Pittsburgh Press. April 21, 1949. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
12. "Scout for Bosox". The Windsor Daily Star. October 26, 1950. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
13. Chass, Murray (November 18, 2007). "Rumors of Drug Use Have Damaged for Decades". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
14. "Deaths Elsewhere: Ted McGrew". Toledo Blade. June 30, 1969. Retrieved May 25, 2013.