Marty Marion

Martin Whiteford Marion
Nickname: Slats or The Octopus
Born: Dec. 1, 1917 in Richburg, S.C.
Debut: 1940 | Pos: SS
Ht: 6'1" | Wt: 185 | B: R | T: R

Yrs	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA
13	1572	5506	602	1448	36	624	35	.263

>> Visit the Marty Marion biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.

Marty Marion, 170-pound shortstop proved to the league that bigger players can excel at the position. His unusually long arms led to a nickname from the baseball writers, "Octopus."

Marion made his debut in 1940 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Within the next couple of seasons, he started to establish himself as one of the top shortstops in the league. In 1942, Marion led the league in doubles with 38.

In 1944, Marion hit .267 with 6 home runs, 63 runs batted in and a stolen base. He led the league in fielding and is named the National League Most Valuable Player, beating out the Cubs' Bill Nicholson by one vote. What made his MVP win unique was the fact that Marion hit eighth in the Cardinals' lineup. He became the first player to ever win the MVP and bat eighth for his team.

Marion was considered to be the top shortstop of the 1940s. He led the league in fielding in 1944, 1947 and 1948 and he made the All-Star team in 1943- 44 and 1946-50. He appeared in 23 World Series games, hitting .231 with a home run and 11 RBIs.

He suffered a back injury and, in 1951, managed the Cardinals from the bench. The team finished third and, at the end of the season, Marion was replaced by Eddie Stanky. Marion moved across town and took over for Rogers Hornsby as manager of the Browns. He played 67 games for the Browns in 1952 and three in 1953, but was let go after the team finished in last place in 1953.

The following year, Marion took over as manager for the Chicago White Sox. He stayed there for more than two seasons, but the team never finished higher than third.

In 1960, Marion tried his hand at a different side of baseball. He purchased the Cardinals' AAA affiliate Houston Buffs of the American Association. A few years later, he sold the team back to the Cardinals' franchise.

Marion's brother, Red, played for the Washington Senators in the 1935 and 1943 seasons. He finished with a .179 average, 1 home run and two runs batted in.