King of Baseball
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King of Baseball is a ceremonial title awarded by Minor League Baseball to one person each year in recognition of longtime dedication and service to professional baseball.
Background
The title was first awarded in 1951.[1] The winner is announced at the annual Winter Meetings awards banquet and is typically presented with an inscribed bat, as well as a crown and robe symbolizing the winner's "king" status.
Prior recipients
The following have been awarded the title "King of Baseball":
| Year | Award winner[1] | Winter Meetings site |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Clarence "Pants" Rowland | Columbus, OH |
| 1952 | J. Alvin Gardner | Phoenix, AZ |
| 1953 | Frank "Shag" Shaughnessy | Atlanta, GA |
| 1954 | Shelby Pease | Houston, TX |
| 1955 | Herman White | Columbus, OH |
| 1956 | Tommy Richardson | Jacksonville, FL |
| 1957 | Charles Hurth | Colorado Springs, CO |
| 1958 | (None) | Washington, D.C. |
| 1959 | Bonneau Peters | St. Petersburg, FL |
| 1960 | Joe Engel | Louisville, KY |
| 1961 | Rosy Ryan | Tampa, FL |
| 1962 | Phil Howser | Rochester, NY |
| 1963 | Donie Bush | San Diego, CA |
| 1964 | Eddie Mulligan | Houston, TX |
| 1965 | Ray Winder | Ft. Lauderdale, FL |
| 1966 | Eddie Leishmann | Columbus, OH |
| 1967 | Alejo Peralta | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 1968 | Dewey Soriano | San Francisco, CA |
| 1969 | Chauncey DeVault | Ft. Lauderdale, FL |
| 1970 | George MacDonald, Sr. | Los Angeles, CA |
| 1971 | Phil Piton | Phoenix, AZ |
| 1972 | Vince McNamara | Honolulu, HI |
| 1973 | Ray Johnston | Houston, TX |
| 1974 | Fred Haney | New Orleans, LA |
| 1975 | Joe Buzas | Hollywood, FL |
| 1976 | Don Avery | Los Angeles, CA |
| 1977 | Bill Weiss | Honolulu, HI |
| 1978 | Zinn Beck | Orlando, FL |
| 1979 | Harry Simmons | Toronto, Ont., Canada |
| 1980 | Billy Hitchcock | Dallas, TX |
| 1981 | Jack Schwarz | Hollywood, FL |
| 1982 | Sy Berger | Honolulu, HI |
| 1983 | Oscar Roettger | Nashville, TN |
| 1984 | Donald Davidson | Houston, TX |
| 1985 | Stan Wasiak | San Diego, CA |
| 1986 | Lefty Gomez | Hollywood, FL |
| 1987 | Bill Schweppe | Dallas, TX |
| 1988 | Max Patkin | Atlanta, GA |
| 1989 | George Sisler, Jr. | Nashville, TN |
| 1990 | John Moss | Los Angeles, CA |
| 1991 | George Pfister | Miami Beach, FL |
| 1992 | Johnny Lipon | Louisville, KY |
| 1993 | George Kissell | Atlanta, GA |
| 1994 | Jimmy Bragan | Dallas, TX |
| 1995 | Gene DaCosse | Los Angeles, CA |
| 1996 | Sheldon "Chief" Bender | Boston, MA |
| 1997 | Max Schumacher | New Orleans, LA |
| 1998 | Leo Pinckney | Nashville, TN |
| 1999 | Tom Saffell | Anaheim, CA |
| 2000 | P. Patrick McKernan | Dallas, TX |
| 2001 | Roland Hemond | Boston, MA |
| 2002 | George Zuraw | Nashville, TN |
| 2003 | Bob Wilson | New Orleans, LA |
| 2004 | Dave Rosenfield | Anaheim, CA |
| 2005 | Calvin Falwell | Dallas, TX |
| 2006 | Paul Snyder | Orlando, FL |
| 2007 | Dave Walker | Nashville, TN |
| 2008 | Pat Gillick | Las Vegas, NV |
| 2009 | Milo Hamilton | Indianapolis, IN |
| 2010 | Don Mincher | Orlando, FL |
| 2011 | Cuauhtemoc "Chito" Rodriguez | Dallas, TX |
| 2012 | George McGonagle [2] | Nashville, TN |
| 2013 | Charlie Eshbach[3] | Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| 2014 | Bill Valentine[4] | San Diego, CA |
| 2015 | William "Bill" Gladstone | Nashville, TN |
See also
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Notes
- Max Patkin, known as the "Clown Prince of Baseball," won the award in December 1988, months after appearing as himself in the popular Hollywood baseball movie, Bull Durham.
- 1986 winner Lefty Gomez and 2008 winner Pat Gillick are members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
