The Wytheville Cardinals were a minor league baseball team based in Wytheville, Virginia, United States. From 1957 to 1959, the "Cardinals" played as members of the Class D level Appalachian League, serving as a minor league affiliate of their namesake, the St. Louis Cardinals.
Following The Cardinals, Wytheville continued play in the Appalachian League through the 1973 season, as the franchise played as a minor league affiliate of the Washington Senators (1960), Minnesota Twins (1961–1963), Kansas City Athletics (1964), Washington Senators (1965, 1968), Cincinnati Reds (1967) and Atlanta Braves (1971–1973), adopting the affiliate team nickname in those seasons. The Wytheville Senators won the Appalachian League championship in 1960.
The Wytheville teams all hosted home minor league games at Withers Field in Wytheville, which is still in use today as a public park, known as Withers Park.
Baseball Hall of Fame member Tony Oliva played for the Wytheville Twins in 1961, hitting .410 in his first professional season.
History Minor league baseball was first hosted in Wytheville, Virginia in 1948, when the Wytheville Pioneers became as members of the six–team Class D level Blue Ridge League. Wytheville played in the 1949 Blue Ridge League season as the Wytheville Statesmen, before the team moved into the Appalachian League in 1950. The Statesmen played in the Appalachian League through the 1955 season.
After the Appalachian League did not play in 1956, the Wytheville "Cardinals" returned to the reformed Class D level Appalachian League in 1957, aa the franchise became a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Bluefield Dodgers (Brooklyn Dodgers affiliate), Johnson City Phillies (Philadelphia Phillies), Kingsport Orioles (Baltimore Orioles), Pulaski Cubs (Chicago Cubs) and Salem Rebels (Pittsburgh Pirates) teams joined Wytheville in beginning league play on June 25, 1957. The league was a structured as a short season league, ending play on September 2, 1957, with no playoffs.
Johnny Grodzicki was the Wytheville Cardinals' manager in their first season of play after returning to the Appalachian League. Grodzicki's professional baseball playing career was interrupted by four years of military service during World War II. Grodzicki served in the United States Army's 17th Airborne Division as a paratrooper. In combat in Germany on March 29, 1945, Grodzicki sustained shrapnel wounds to both legs and was awarded a Purple Heart. Grodzicki's injuries required surgery and extensive rehabilitation and he was able to play baseball again before becoming a minor league coach and manager. Grodzicki managed for the St, Louis Cardinals' minor league affiliates and served as scouted for the Cardinals. He then served as a minor league instructor for the Detroit Tigers for over a dozen years. In 1979, he served as the Detroit Tigers' pitching coach.
On August 17, 1957, Wytheville defeated the Kingsport Orioles in Appalachian League play. In the game, Kingsport pitcher Steve Dalkowski walked 21 Cardinals batters and threw 6 wild pitches as Wytheville won the game by the score of 7–6.
In returning the Appalachian League, the Wytheville Cardinals placed fourth in their first season in the reformed six -team league. With a record of 32–28, playing under manager Johnny Grodzicki, Wytheville finished 16.5 games behind the first place Bluefield Dodgers. Wytheville led the league in attendance, drawing 26,027 home fans for the season. Ken Clark of Wytheville hit 11 home runs to lead the Appalachian League.
Whitey Kurowski became the Wytheville Cardinals' manager in 1958. In a successful baseball career, Kurowski overcame childhood osteomyelitis that eventually caused part of a bone on his right forearm to be surgically removed. As a player, Kurowski was an MLB All-Star during five consecutive seasons beginning in 1943. After retiring as a player following the 1949 season, Kurowski coached and managed in the minor leagues for 18 years through the 1972 season.
The 1958 Wytheville Cardinals placed second in the five-team Appalachian League. The Cardinals ended the regular season with a 44–28 record, finishing 3.5 games behind the first place Johnson City Phillies, while playing under manager Whitey Kurowski. Wytheville led the league in attendance for the second straight season, drawing 26,198.
In their final season as a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate, the 1959 Wytheville Cardinals placed fifth in the Appalachian League standings. As the league played with six teams, the Cardinals ended the 1959 season with a record of 29–37 record. Playing under manager Don Pries, Wytheville finished 11.0 games behind the first place Morristown Cubs in the final standings.
1960 to 1969 - championship & five affiliates
In 1960, the team became an affiliate of the Washington Senators and won the Appalachian League championship as the Wytheville "Senators." Manager Del "Red" Norwood began a four-season tenure as the Wytheville manager. The Senators ended the season with a record of 43–27, to ende the season in first place in the final regular season standings. Wytheville finished 5.0 games ahead of the second place Kingsport Pirates in the six-team league as no playoffs were held.https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/-league.cgi?id=2a3b3698 Joey Gritts of Wytheville hit 24 home runs and had 60 RBI to lead the Appalachian League in both categories. Gerald Cassidy of Wytheville led the league with 65 runs scored. Senators' pitcher Vern Merrick had a league best 2.59 ERA.
Future actor Paul Gleason played for Wytheville in 1960, in his final professional baseball season at age 21. Following his baseball career, Gleason became a long time Hollywood actor and producer, best known for his memorable acting role in the teenage comedy The Breakfast Club and a long-time role in the soap opera All My Children.
In 1961, the Washington major league franchise moved to become the Minnesota Twins and Wytheville remained an affiliate and became known as the "Twins," with a hall of famer on their roster. A native of Cuba, the Twins signed and assigned Baseball Hall of Fame member Tony Oliva to the Wytheville Twins in the Appalachian League. Oliva played in 64 games for Wytheville and won the league batting championship. Oliva was signed by scout Joe Cambria prior to the 1961 Appalachian League season. Oliva then used his brother Antonio’s passport to leave Cuba and became known as “Tony”, which replaced his real name of Pedro. Tony Oliva would make his major debut with the Minnesota Twins in 1962.
In the 1961 Appalachian League standings, Wytheville finished as the league runner-up. Playing under returning manager Del "Red" Norwood, the Wytheville Twins ended the season with a record of 38–29, finishing in second place, 1.5 games behind the first place Middlesboro Senators in the six-team league. Tony Oliva led the Appalachian league with a .410 average and 81 RBI. His 102 total hits also led the league.
Frank Quilici played for the 1961 Wytheville Twins. After playing for the Minnesota Twins through 1970, in 1971, Quilici was named to manager Bill Rigney's coaching staff on the Minnesota Twins, replacing Sherry Robertson who had been killed in an automobile accident. Quilici was named as a coach and was to be used as a player if needed.King, Norm, Frank Quilici. Society for American Baseball Research Biography Project On July 6, 1972, Quilici was named to replace the fired Rigney as the Minnesota Twins manager."Quilici Is Named Twins' Manager," The Associated Press (AP), Thursday, July 6, 1972. Retrieved June 9, 2020. At age 33, Quilici was the youngest manager in the major leagues at the time. The Twins finished 41–43 under Quilici in 1972 in the first of three straight third-place finishes, which included 81–81 in 1973 and 82–80 in 1974. After the Twins ended the season with fourth place with a 76–83 record in 1975, Quilici was fired after the last game of the season, a 6–4 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Metropolitan Stadium on September 28, 1975."Twins Aim Higher Than Third," The Associated Press (AP), Sunday, September 28, 1975. Retrieved April 12, 2022. Gene Mauch was hired to replace Quilici."Mauch New Twins' Manager," The Associated Press (AP), Monday, November 24, 1975. Retrieved April 12, 2022. Quilici remained in the Twins' organization, serving as a radio commentator on the team's broadcasts through 1987.
Continuing play in the 1962 Class D level Appalachian League, the Wytheville Twins again placed second, playing the season under returning manager Red Norwood. The Wytheville Twins ended the season with a final record of 40–30. With their second-place finish, the Twins finished 7.0 games behind the first place Bluefield Orioles. The 1962 season was the final season that the Appalachian league played as a Class D level league. Jerry Pritchett of Wytheville led the Appalachian League with both 66 RBI and 86 runs scored. Twins' pitcher Geoff Maloney tied for the league lead with 8 wins on the season. Maloney was signed by the Minnesota Twins out of Queens College. Maloney developed arm troubles that ended his professional career.
The 1963 Appalachian League became classified as a Rookie level league and the Wytheville Twins continued play in the six-team league, managed for the final time by the returning Del Norwood. The Wytheville Twins ended the Appalachian League season with a record of 35–35. The Twins ended the season in third place, finishing 10.5 games behind the first place Bluefield Orioles as the six-team league held no playoffs. Twins' player Matt Szykowny tied for the league lead with 11 home runs. Szkowny had been a three-sport athlete in his collegiate career at the University of Iowa. Szkowny started at quarterback for the 1960 Big Ten champion football team, was a starter on the basketball team that finished second in the 1961 Big 10 season and started for the baseball team that finished second in the Big 10 in 1963. Szkowny was drafted by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1963 NFL draft, had a tryout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and then played minor league baseball after signing with the Minnesota Twins organization.
In his first professional season, Reggie Smith played for Wytheville in 1963, having been signed by the Minnesota Twins out of Centennial High School in California. Smith would go on to become a seven-time all-star in the major leagues and played in both the All-star game and world series representing both the American League and National League. Smith was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000. Smith later became a coach and was on the coaching staff of the 2000 U.S. Olympic baseball team that won the Olympic Gold Medal. Playing for Wytheville in 1963, Smith hit .257 with 8 home runs, 37 RBI and 12 stolen bases playing in 66 games.
At age 19, Charlie Manuel was a teammate of Smith on the 1963 Wytheville Twins. In the aftermath of his father's suicide in 1963, Manuel turned down college scholarship offers to support his family, signing with the Minnesota Twins and receiving a signing bonus of $20,000. After beginning play with Wytheville, Manuel would send money home to his family during his first professional season. Playing for Wytheville in 1963, Manuel hit .358 with 7 home runs in 58 games. After his playing career ended, Manuel became a minor league manager and then managed both the Cleveland Indians (2000-2002) and Philadelphia Phillies (2005-2015). His 2008 Phillies team won the 2008 World Series and the 2009 Phillies won the National League pennant.