Morrie Arnovich

Morris Arnovich (November 16, 1910 – July 20, 1959), nicknamed "Snooker", was an American baseball player. Arnovich played in Major League Baseball between 1936 and 1946 and played in the World Series winning team in 1940 as a part of the Cincinnati Reds. Playing as a line drive hitter, and fielding as an outfielder he began in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1936 where he played four seasons before joining the Reds for a season. After his time in Cincinnati, he joined the New York Giants for the season, and again for one game in after joining the United States Army.

A member of the 1939 National League All-Star team, he finished his career with a .287 batting average. After retiring, Arnovich coached basketball and died in 1959 of a coronary occlusion.

Early and personal life

Arnovich was born in Superior, Wisconsin on November 16, 1910. One of the most religious Jewish major leaguers, Arnovich kept kosher his whole life. He was later given the nickname "snooker", after being prolific in the British game of the same name.

Baseball career Arnovich's professional baseball career began at age 22 with the Superior Blues, the champions of the newly revived Northern League in . Returning to Superior in , Arnovich hit .374 to take the Northern League batting title, and his 21 home runs (three in one game) tied for fifth. The Phillies assigned him to the Hazleton Mountaineers of the New York–Pennsylvania League where he hit .305. where he made .313 batting average over 13 games. He moved to the outfield, playing mostly in left field for the rest of his career. He was referred to as the "Son of Israel", or the "Next Jewish Star" by the Anglo-Jewish press.

When Phil Weintraub entered the armed forces, Arnovich took his spot in the Phillies lineup. For the season he was the top contact hitter in the National League before fading late and finishing fifth in the league with a .324 batting average, and sixth in the league with a .397 on base percentage. He was sold to the New York Giants for $25,000 in December ,

Career statistics In 590 games over seven seasons, Arnovich posted a .287 batting average (577-for-2013) with 234 runs, 104 doubles, 12 triples, 22 home runs, 261 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and 185 base on balls. He also had a .350 on-base percentage and .383 slugging percentage. Defensively, he recorded a .981 fielding percentage playing primarily at left field, but played several games at center and right field.

Later years and death Arnovich gave out free baseball lessons to teenagers in Superior, Arnovich would manage both the Davenport Cubs, and Selma Cloverleafs of the Cub's farm teams, and was a basketball coach at a local Catholic high school.