He was planning to add Feller, along with outfielder Tommy Henrich, to the major league roster after a few exhibition and semi-pro games, without either playing for a farm club. Slapnicka was later named general manager of the Indians and transferred Feller's contract from Fargo-Moorhead to the New Orleans Pelicans.

I didn't know then that he was smart and had the heart of a lion, but I knew that I was looking at an arm the likes of which you see only once in a lifetime.' : 375 Feller was assigned to the Fargo-Moorhead Twins and was to report there after finishing the high school semester. His fastball was fast and fuzzy it didn't go in a straight line it would wiggle and shoot around. : 27 While scouting Feller, Slapnicka said, 'This was a kid pitcher I had to get. In 1936, Feller was signed by Cy Slapnicka, a scout for the Indians, for one dollar and an autographed baseball. : 25–26 Professional career Teenage phenomenon (1936–1941) 1936 Goudey Feller baseball card After the game, several big league clubs offered signing bonuses with their contract offers, but he had already been signed to a professional contract with the Cleveland Indians. : 29 By the age of 16, Feller possessed what critics judged a high quality fastball major league scouts traveled to Dayton, Ohio to watch him in the annual national baseball tournament. : 4 : 37 He also was the starting center for the high school basketball team. During this time, he continued to play on the Farmers Union team in the American Amateur Baseball Congress, and had 19 wins and four losses for Farmers Union one season. : 20Ī student at Van Meter High School, Feller was a starting pitcher for the school's baseball team. His catcher during this period was Nile Kinnick, who later won the Heisman Trophy in 1939 and became a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. : 13 From the age of 15, he began to pitch for the Oakviews after a starting pitcher was injured while doing so, Feller continued to play American Legion baseball. Feller died at the age of 92 in 2010.įeller played primarily as a shortstop or outfielder, emulating Rogers Hornsby's batting stance. He was elected the inaugural President of the Major League Baseball Players' Association and both organized and participated in barnstorm exhibition games which featured players from both the Major and Negro leagues. Baseball Hall of Fame member Ted Williams called Feller 'the fastest and best pitcher I ever saw during my career.' Hall of Famer Stan Musial believed he was 'probably the greatest pitcher of our era.' He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 on his first ballot with the then fourth highest percentage of votes. He was a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. In 1946 he recorded 348 strikeouts, the most since 1904 and then believed to be a record.Īn eight-time All-Star, Feller was ranked 36th on Sporting News 's 1999 list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was named the publication's 'greatest pitcher of his time'. Feller led the American League in wins six times and in strikeouts seven times. He helped the Indians win a World Series title in 1948 and an American League-record 111 wins and the pennant in 1954. He threw no-hitters in 1940, 1946, and 1951, and 12 one-hitters, both records at his retirement. Feller became the first pitcher to win 24 games in a season before the age of 21. His career was interrupted by four years of military service (1942–1945) as a United States Navy Chief Petty Officer aboard USS Alabama during World War II. His career 2,581 strikeouts were third all-time upon his retirement.Ī prodigy who bypassed baseball's minor leagues, Feller made his debut with the Indians at the age of 17. In a career spanning 570 games, Feller pitched 3,827 innings and posted a win–loss record of 266–162, with 279 complete games, 44 shutouts, and a 3.25 earned run average (ERA).

Robert William Andrew Feller (Novem– December 15, 2010), nicknamed ' the Heater from Van Meter', ' Bullet Bob', and ' Rapid Robert', was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians between 19.

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