Chicago Cubs: Remembering the lasting impact of Phil Cavarretta

Mandatory Credit: Matthew Stockman /Allsport
Mandatory Credit: Matthew Stockman /Allsport
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(Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
(Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /

The Chicago Cubs carry a rich player history throughout their storied franchise. One such player, Phil Cavarretta, truly embodied the meaning of wearing blue and red and leaving a lasting impact for years to come.

Throughout 116 years, the Chicago Cubs have carried some unbelievable talent. While the mainstays of Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg, and Ron Santo stand out in history, there exists one player who many fans may not remember.

Long ago as history tells, a teenager existed who only wished to help his family during the Great Depression. That teenager was Phil Cavarretta, a Chicago born native and one of three children, whose parents had immigrated from Palermo, Sicily.

Enduring the tragic struggle of the Great Depression, Cavarretta dropped out of school in place of helping his family survive. He gifted a tryout from the Cubs, set up by his high school and American Legion head coach. The rest they say is history.

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Chicago Cubs: Measuring up to the talent

At the time of his life when heading to the Cubs for a tryout, Cavarretta was only 17 years old. Trying to measure up to the big league talent was undoubtedly a scary proposition for the lanky teenager. He was, of course, the smallest guy on the field and faced immediate ridicule as a result. In his biography at the Society for American Baseball Research, written by Lawrence Baldassaro, Cavarretta gave insight to that experience:

“I went out there and I must have weighed 150 pounds. I’m walking around and, geez, all these players are looking at me and they thought I was a batboy.”

Shortly after that, the clubs manager at the time Charlie Grimm told Cavarretta to jump in the box and take a few hacks for the team to get a look at him. From then on, it was on. Cavarretta knocked a batting practice home run and left that day having signed a contract to play professional baseball for $125 per month. It kicked off a fantastic career in Chicago.

(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs: Carving his way to the big leagues

May 15, 1934, will always live in infamy in the mind of Cavarretta. Following his signing with Chicago, the team assigned him to the minors to play baseball in the Class B Central League, with the Peoria Tractors. That day, Cavarretta showcased his talent by hitting for the cycle and contributing four RBI.

Once the league folded shortly into his first season, Cavarretta was transferred to the Class A New York-Pennsylvania League, this time playing for the Reading Red Sox. That would be his final stop in minor league baseball, as Cavarretta finished off his career with a .310 batting average in 108 games.

The call to the Show for Cavarretta came on a mid-September day in Boston. He failed to knock his first big league hit on the road and instead made sure to save the fireworks for the hometown faithful at Wrigley.

On September 25 in front of the gaggle of spectators, Cavarretta hit his first big league home run versus the Cincinnati Reds in what would finish as the only run of the game. It would propel Cavarretta to an audacious finish, batting .470 to finish off the season.

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs: Finding his groove

Throughout his first four big-league seasons, Cavarretta managed to stay competitive enough to earn his spot in the lineup. After taking over first base permanently in 1935 from Charlie Grimm, Cavarretta managed a .271/.318/.387 slash line. He was not a big power guy and recorded more triples over the span than home runs, hammering 12 three baggers in his first full season.

The 1939 season ended quickly for Cavarretta following a broken ankle just 22 games into the season. In 1940, he suffered the same injury he had the year before finishing with only 65 games under his belt. It was smooth sailing in 1941, as he appeared in 107 games finishing with a .286 average, swatting six home runs and driving in 40 runs.

From 1944-1947, Cavarretta played the best baseball of his career. Over the 550 games, he slashed .321/.408/.447 with a .854 OPS and posted his career-high in RBI with 97, in 1945. That same year, Cavarretta would hit .355 on his way to his only MVP Award and be a catalyst to Chicago’s run to the World Series. He also was named an All-Star three of the four seasons.

Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs /

Chicago Cubs: Home is where the heart is

Cavarretta would go on to play eight more seasons in the big leagues, six with the Cubs and his final two on the Southside with the Chicago White Sox. While still active as a player, Cavarretta took over managerial duties for the Cubs in 1952. It was the inaugural year an Italian-American managed a major league club for a whole season.

The club finished 77-77 that year and was recorded as the only non-losing season in 15 years. Shortly after that, Cavarretta was formally relieved of his managing duties and after declining to take a new spot, his time with the Cubs officially came to a close.

dark. Next. Cubs Edwards on his way back down to Iowa

Chicago never formally retired Cavarretta’s No.44, instead choosing to do it as blasé as possible. To this day the only player who registered a longer career in Chicago than Cavarretta’s 20 years is Cap Anson.

When fans to this day think of the Cubs, the big names come to mind. However, Cavarretta embodied everything about what it was to be a Cub and will remain in the annals of team lore as one of the all-time greatest to ever don the blue and red.

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