Milt Graff Explained

Milt Graff
Position:Second baseman
Bats:Left
Throws:Right
Birth Date:December 30, 1930
Birth Place:Jefferson Center, Pennsylvania
Death Place:Rockdale, Texas
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:April 16
Debutteam:Kansas City Athletics
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:September 21
Finalteam:Kansas City Athletics
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.179
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:0
Stat3label:RBI
Stat3value:10
Teams:

Milton Edward Graff (December 30, 1930 - August 2, 2005) was a Major League Baseball second baseman. He was born on Tuesday, December 30, 1930 in Jefferson Center, Pennsylvania. He was listed at a height of and a weight of 158 pounds. Graff attended Butler Senior High School[1] and then attended Pennsylvania State University and Lycoming College. At Lycoming, he got a degree in accounting. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Playing career

Around 1949, Graff was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent. Around eight years later, during which his baseball career was interrupted when he enlisted in the Army to fight in the Korean War, Graff made his major league debut on April 16, 1957 at the age of 26 with the Kansas City Athletics (he was sent to the Athletics from the New York Yankees, by whom he'd been drafted in 1955). He wore the number 4.

In 61 major league games, Graff batted .179 with 4 doubles, 3 triples and 0 home runs. He showed a good eye at the plate by walking 15 times and striking out only 10 times. In the field, Graff committed 3 errors for a .988 fielding percentage. He also was involved in 36 double plays.

Graff played his final game on September 21, 1958.

Life after baseball

After baseball, Graff held several jobs in the field of accounting and was involved in baseball as scouting director and infield coach for the Pirates and director of stadium operations for Three Rivers Stadium. He was involved in the building of Three Rivers Stadium. He also was a scout for the Pirates, San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds. He also held multiple front office jobs.

In 1987, Lycoming honored Graff with a distinguished alumni award.

On August 2, 2005, Graff died in Rockdale, Texas of complications from Alzheimers. He chose to be cremated.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Meyer . Paul . 2005-08-25 . Obituary: Milton E. Graff / Former Pirates player, scout and front-office man Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20201123171301/https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2005/08/25/Obituary-Milton-E-Graff-Former-Pirates-player-scout-and-front-office-man/stories/200508250444 . 2020-11-23 . 2020-11-23 . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  2. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1957/02/20/84909402.html?pageNumber=39 Yankees obtain Ditmar and Shantz in thirteen-player deal with Athletics