Bobby Malkmus, who played six seasons in Major League Baseball, including his final three with the Philadelphia Phillies, recently passed away at the age of 93.
His obituary was posted by the funeral home overseeing his service.
Malkmus was a light-hitting infielder throughout his career. He joined the Phillies in 1960 after being selected in the previous offseason’s Rule 5 draft. This marked the second time he had been chosen in the Rule 5 draft, and this time he remained with the team.
In 1960, he took on a utility role, finishing the season with a .211/.267/.278/.545 batting line in 79 games, including one home run and 12 RBIs.
His best season came in 1961 when he posted a .231/.276/.327/.603 slash line with seven home runs and 31 RBIs in 121 games. Although the Phillies had a dismal record of 47-107-1 under manager Gene Mauch, Malkmus surprisingly received one vote for the National League MVP, finishing in a tie for 22nd place. Frank Robinson of the Cincinnati Reds won the award that year.
Before his time in Philadelphia, Malkmus played for the Washington Senators in 1958-59 and the Milwaukee Braves in 1957.
He signed with the Boston Braves in 1951 after graduating from South Side High School in Newark, N.J., and made his MLB debut in 1957. That season, the Braves won the World Series by defeating the New York Yankees in seven games. The team featured several future Hall of Famers, such as Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Red Schoendienst, and Warren Spahn. However, the star of the series was pitcher Lew Burdette, who won three complete games and was named the World Series MVP.
Malkmus appeared in 13 games for the Braves that year but batted under .100 and was sent back to the minors before the playoffs.
Over his career, Malkmus posted a lifetime .215/.265/.301/.565 line with eight home runs and 46 RBIs in 268 MLB games.
After retiring as a player, Malkmus transitioned into managing in the minors. He worked with the Phillies, Montreal Expos, and Baltimore Orioles organizations, compiling a 508-463 record from 1967 to 1975. Notably, he led the Spartanburg Phillies to a 71-54 record in 1968, though they lost in the league finals. He also managed the Lewiston Broncs, the Orioles’ farm team in the Northwest League, to a championship in 1972.
In his later years, Malkmus worked as a scout for organizations like the Cleveland Guardians and the San Diego Padres.
Leave a Reply