HISTORY OF TROSKY BASEBALL

TROSKY PROFESSIONAL LINEAGE

The Trosky lineage is filled with baseball professionals, with the majority being born and bred in the great state of Iowa. Four of the family professionals come from the small farm town Norway, Iowa. Known as the baseball capital of the world, Norway has bred more professional baseball players per capita than any other US city or town. Within the Trosky family lineage, there are a total of 4 major leaguers and 4 minor leaguers. The most prominent major leaguer is Hal Trosky, the greatest rookie in baseball history. In 1934, during Trosky’s rookie season with the Cleveland Indians, he drove in 137 RBI’s, hit 35 home runs, and batted .333. In 1936 he was placed on the cover of Wheaties Cereal for leading the American league with 162 RBI’S, batting .343, while hitting 42 home runs. The Trosky bloodline has done something few families have done, claiming 3 generations to one MLB organization (Chicago White Sox). Grandpa Hal finished his 11th MLB season with the Sox; Uncle Hal Trosky Jr. pitched in the MLB for the Sox in 1958; and Cousin Collin Mattiace (drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays out of high school) was the Sox Big League Physical Therapist, earning a World Series ring in 2003. The other family professionals are former major league standout pitcher cousin Mike Boddiker. In 1984, Boddiker lead the AL with 20 wins and with a 2.79 ERA. Cousin Nate Freeze, a 5-year high school varsity starter played AAA for the Chicago Cubs. Cousin Ian Mattiace was one of the greatest high school players in baseball history. His senior year he hit 23 homeruns and 69 RBI’s in a 23 game season. Mattiace signed a minor league contract with the Amarillo, Armadillos. Uncle Mick Mattiace pitched AAA with the Cincinnati Reds and was one of 4 pitchers in baseball history to throw back to back no hitters. And the eighth family professional is Coach Nate Trosky. After coaching 2 years in the United States minor league system, Nate spent 4 years as a player coach in Europe’s professional leagues, winning the German World Series in 1998. Nate has been employed by the Milwaukee Brewers since 2007.

THE TROSKY FARM

I love the story Dad used to tell us kids about growing up on their low dairy farm. The farm was just outside of town on the outskirts of Norway, lowa (population 212). Granddad built his boys their very own ball field. The backstop was made of chicken wire, and the bases were potato sacks filled with straw. When the town's kids finished their chores, they'd head over to the Trosky Farm. Some would walk up to three country miles, just to play a game of ball. There were kids that didn't have bats and gloves, so Granddad would head out to the red barn, open up his old leather trunk, and hand out equipment to whoever needed it. Granddad was a generous man, and he taught Dad the value of giving. Not only did Dad give material things, he also gave unconditional love. No matter how many mistakes I made growing up, he was always there standing by my side. You know that kind of sounds like baseball... Baseball is a game of grace, a game of second chances. It doesn't matter if you're a big guy or a little guy, you will be humbled by it. There'll be times when you feel like a zero, striking out in the 9th inning, with the winning run on base; then other times when you feel like a hero, driving in the winning run or making a diving catch to save the game. Yeah, baseball... it's a beautiful thing.

HAL TROSKY COVER OF WHEATIES

In 1936, after Grandpa Hal Trosky had his best major league season, Wheaties honored him on the box, and for every home run he hit, he was given a case of Wheaties. That season, after belting 42 home runs and driving in 162 RBI's, he received over 1,000 boxes of cereal. During the cold winter months of the Great Depression, Granddad would make his way around the small towns and family farms delivering boxes of cereal to less fortunate families.

HAL TROSKY JR.

Hal Trosky, Jr. grew up with a great model to emulate while dreaming of becoming a big league player. His father, Hal Trosky, Sr. was a major league star, who, if not for World War II may have made a very strong case for enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame. As it was, Senior had a star career that ended after the 1946 season when Junior was 10 years old. By that time the younger Trosky had seen enough to know what he wanted to do with his life- play baseball.

By the time he was in high school, Trosky, Jr. had become a talented player and was drawing a lot of interest from professional teams. As a senior in Cedar Rapids, Iowa he hit .667 and had scouts from nearly half the major league teams in attendance at his games. The connections his father had made during his time in the game helped guide the young man’s decision making, and in 1954 he settled on signing with the Chicago White Sox after making a good connection with team owner Charlie Comiskey, Jr., who shared the commonality of being baseball progeny.

Like his father, Trosky was a slugging first baseman, with the only difference being that he hit right-handed, unlike his dad’s lefty approach. He hit a home run in his first at bat in the minors, but was constantly hobbled by injuries. Wanting to get as much as they could out of their prized prospect, the White Sox suggested in 1956 that he try pitching as a way to possibly keep him on the field. Trosky was amenable to the idea and experienced immediate success, going 9-5, with a 3.95 ERA his first year.

Throwing hard, yet with inconsistent control, Trosky developed almost immediately into a top pitching prospect. In the minors he posted 14 wins in 1957 and another 13 in 1958, fueling speculation that it was only a matter of time before he would be summoned to help out an aging White Sox pitching staff.

Trosky earned an end of season call-up to Chicago in September of 1958. The White Sox were on their way to a second place finish, but well behind the first place Yankees, and wanted to see what they had in their young pitcher. He was given a two relief appearance audition. The first came against the Tigers, and he pitched a scoreless inning. He gave up a single to Billy Martin, the first major league hitter he faced, but got the next batter, Charlie Maxwell, to strikeout into a double play when Martin attempted a stolen base. His second and final major league game was the final contest of the season, on September 28, 1958 against the Kansas City Athletics. Although he gave up 4 hits and 3 runs in two innings, he was able to earn the win in an 11-4 shootout.

The following season Trosky seemed poised to make the White Sox out of spring training, but was sent down on the final day of cuts. He continued to pitch well, but was never brought up again to the big leagues. Feeling that he had no future with Chicago, Trosky refused to sign with the organization for the 1961 season and asked for his release. The team would not release or trade him, so Trosky quit the game for good and began a lengthy career in insurance. Interestingly the White Sox finally did grant his request for a release, but it occurred in 1972, when he was 36 and had been out of professional baseball for over a decade.

Trosky went 44-30, with a 3.53 ERA in five minor league seasons. Although he only appeared in two major league games, he is able to say that he did earn a win during that time. More information about his career statistics is available here.

I think that Trosky and how his baseball career played out is a fascinating story. This past year I had the opportunity to exchange letters with him and asked him a few questions about his experience with the game.