George Myatt

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George Edward Myatt (June 14, 1914 — September 14, 2000) was an infielder, coach and interim manager in American Major League Baseball. In 1936, Boston Red Sox general manager Eddie Collins traveled to San Diego to scout Myatt in a Pacific Coast League game, but came away more impressed with his 17-year-old teammate, a San Diegan and a recent Hoover High School graduate. So Collins passed on Myatt and signed Ted Williams, who became perhaps the greatest modern hitter and was elected, as Collins was, to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Myatt, however, had a long career in the game himself. A lefthanded-hitting middle infielder - primarily a second baseman - he played for the New York Giants (1938-39) and the Washington Senators (1943-47), compiling a .283 batting average and stealing 26 bases in 1944 and 30 more in 1945.

Myatt managed in the minor leagues before becoming a major league coach for over 20 years with the Senators (1950-54), Chicago White Sox (1955-56), Chicago Cubs (1957-59), Milwaukee Braves (1960-61), Detroit Tigers (1962-63) and Philadelphia Phillies (1964-72). He twice served as interim manager of the Phils, in both 1968 (for one game) and 1969 (for the final third of the season). His career record: 20 wins, 35 defeats (.364).

A native of Denver, Colorado, Myatt came by three nicknames: Foghorn, for his loud voice; Mercury, for his speed on the bases; and Stud, a name he applied to almost every other player, coach and manager he encountered in baseball.

He died at age 86 in Orlando, Florida.