page_title: Paul Krichell
section_title: Playing and managing career
hierarchical_section_title: Paul Krichell / Playing and managing career
caption_attribution_description: Tigers great Ty Cobb slides into St. Louis Browns catcher Paul Krichell in 1912
context_page_description: Paul Bernard Krichell was a Major League Baseball catcher, best known for being the head scout for the New York Yankees for 37 years until his death. Krichell's talent evaluations and signings played a key role in building up the Yankees' run of success from the Murderers' Row teams of the 1920s to the 1950s teams led by Casey Stengel.
  Krichell began his professional career in the minor leagues, playing as the reserve catcher for the St. Louis Browns before a serious injury threatened his career. He continued to play in the minor leagues and began to move into coaching before Yankees manager Ed Barrow signed him as a scout in 1920. Considered one of the greatest scouts in baseball history, Krichell signed over 200 players who later played professional baseball, including future Baseball Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig, Hank Greenberg, Phil Rizzuto, Whitey Ford, and Tony Lazzeri. His recommendation of Stengel as the Yankees manager was instrumental in Stengel's appointment in 1948. Barrow called Krichell "the best judge of baseball players he ever saw".
context_section_description: In 1911, Krichell joined the St. Louis Browns as a reserve catcher, playing 28 games with a .232 batting average, 19 hits and 8 runs batted in during 82 at bats. The following year, he managed 59 games while sharing catching duties with Jim Stephens. In 161 at bats, Krichell achieved 35 hits and a .217 batting average. His fielding percentage was .959 that season. Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers stole second, third, and home plate in the same inning of a game while Krichell was catching. In a later game, a famous photograph captures Cobb appearing to Intentionally be flying foot-first into Krichell’s crotch while the catcher squints in pained anticipation. There is a 1950s interview with Krichell, and by his own testimony, Cobb was aiming his foot at the ball in Krichell’s glove, and succeeded in knocking it to the backstop. “The ball hit the grandstand on the fly. I was mad and stunned. Cobb was mad and shaken. In a way it was really my fault. I was standing in front of the plate, instead of on the side, where I could tag Ty as he slid in. But out of that mix-up I learned one thing: never stand directly in front of the plate when Cobb was roaring for home.”
  After the 1912 season, the Browns released Krichell, but after recovering from his injury, he played six seasons in the minor leagues. He was the starting catcher for the Buffalo Bisons in 1914 when Babe Ruth made his professional debut with the Baltimore Orioles, hitting a double and a single against his pitching. From 1917 to 1918, Krichell served as manager for Bridgeport of the  Eastern League, making several playing appearances over the two seasons. He resigned on June 27, 1918, after two wins were forfeited when he used a player not under contract. He worked in the shipyards during the First World War. During the offseason, Krichell became the owner of a saloon popular with players in the Bronx, before Prohibition forced Krichell to close and return to baseball. For the 1919 season, he coached the New York University baseball team, and after the season ended, he signed with Ed Barrow to become a coach and scout for the Boston Red Sox in the following season.
caption: Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers crashing into Krichell in 1912 to make him drop the ball.
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