page_title: Nick Koback
section_title: Later career (1955–1960)
hierarchical_section_title: Nick Koback / Baseball career / Later career (1955–1960)
caption_attribution_description: English: Del Wilber of the Boston Red Sox
context_page_description: Nicholas Nicholie "Nick" Koback was a Russian American professional baseball player whose career spanned eight seasons, three of which were spent with the Major League Baseball Pittsburgh Pirates. At the age of 17, Koback signed with the Pirates as a bonus baby out of Hartford Public High School. He made his MLB debut without ever playing in the minor leagues. At the time, he was the youngest Pittsburgh Pirates player ever. During his first career start, Koback caught a complete game shutout by Pirates pitcher Murry Dickson. Most of Koback's time with Pittsburgh was spent as a bullpen catcher. Over his three-year MLB career, Koback compiled a .121 batting average with one run scored, four hits, one triple and one base on balls in 16 games played. The majority of his playing career was spent in the minor leagues with the Lincoln Chiefs, Williamsport Grays, Hollywood Stars, New Orleans Pelicans, Columbus/Gastonia Pirates and Charleston Senators. He batted and threw right-handed. During his career, he weighed 187 pounds and stood at 6 feet. After retiring from baseball, Koback played pro–am golf in Connecticut.
context_section_description: On July 12, 1955, the Pittsburgh Pirates sold Koback to the minor league Lincoln Chiefs of the Class-A Western League. The Chiefs, who represented Lincoln, Nebraska, were managed by former St. Louis Browns and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bill Burwell. His teammates featured past and future MLB players Bill Bell, Joe Christopher, Bennie Daniels, Dick Hall, Cholly Naranjo, Earl Smith, Jim Waugh and George Witt. With the Lincoln club that season, Koback batted .223 with 23 hits, five doubles and two triples in 38 games played. In November 1955, Koback was assigned to the minor league Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League, which was to be under an open classification in 1956. His manager with the Stars was long-time minor league player and manager Clay Hopper. Most of Koback's teammates on the Stars had major league experience one time or another over their careers. He played with Hollywood during their season opener on April 10, 1956. With the Starts that season, Koback batted .176 with three hits and three runs batted in (RBIs) in 10 games played. Defensively, Koback had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 42 total chances. In early-May, Koback was farmed out to the minor league New Orleans Pelicans of the Double-A Southern Association. In five games played with the Pelicans under the management of Andy Cohen, Koback accumulated one hit. Later in May, he was again sent to another team, this time it was the Williamsport Grays of the Class-A Eastern League. The manager of Williamsport was Jack Fitzpatrick, a long-time minor league player and manager. With the Grays that season, Koback batted .313 with 62 hits, 16 doubles and two home runs in 68 games played.
  In October 1956, Koback joined the Venados de Mazatlán of the Mexican Pacific League. On March 1, 1957, Koback played a charity game as a member of the Hartford, Connecticut Young Democrats against the Hartford Young Republicans. Koback began the 1957 season with the Hollywood Stars. Koback batted .167 with five hits, one of which was a double, in 11 games played. In the field, he had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 52 total chances. In May, Koback was farmed out to the Mobile Bears of the Double-A Southern Association. He later joined the New Orleans Pelicans, also of the Southern Association. Koback batted .230 with 28 hits, six of which were doubles, in 41 games played. Before the start of the 1958 season, Koback joined the minor league Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League. However, before the start of the regular season, Koback broke his finger. By May, Koback was played for the minor league Lincoln Chiefs of the Class-A Western League. Monty Basgall, a former MLB player, was Koback's manager that season. On the season, he batted .240 with 54 hits, four doubles, four triples and three home runs in 68 games played.
  After the 1958 season, Koback enlisted in the Nebraska National Guard and took up primary residence in that state. He spent the entire 1959 season with the minor league Pirates who represented Columbus, Georgia and Gastonia, North Carolina. The Pirates, who were members of the Class-A South Atlantic League, were managed by former MLB pitcher Ray Hathaway. On the season, Koback batted .226 with 18 runs scored, 30 hits, six doubles, two triples, three home runs and 30 RBIs in 50 games played. Defensively, he made four errors, had 21 assists and 188 putouts. In April, Koback was traded by the Salt Lake City Bees, who still owned his contract, to the minor league Charleston Senators in exchange for outfielder Chick King. The Senators, who were members of the Triple-A American Association, were managed by Del Wilber, a former MLB player. Koback played five games with the Senators that season. In those games, he went hitless in four at-bats. That season would later prove to be his final in professional baseball.
caption: Del Wilber (pictured) served as Koback's manager during his final professional baseball season in 1960.
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