Former big league infielder Bobby Malkmus has passed away at 93. His obituary is available courtesy of a New Jersey funeral home.
Malkmus was a Newark native. A 5’9″ second baseman, he reached the majors with the 1957 Milwaukee Braves team that won the World Series. Malkmus appeared in 13 games as a rookie. The Washington Senators selected him in the Rule 5 draft the following offseason. He spent two years in a depth role before landing with the Phillies via another Rule 5 selection.
The righty-hitting infielder concluded his career with parts of three seasons for Philadelphia. He appeared in a career-high 121 games in 1961, hitting .231/.276/.327 with seven homers and 31 RBI while playing good defense at three infield positions. He received one NL MVP vote, finishing 22nd on the ballot. Malkmus finished his playing days as a .215/.265/.301 hitter in parts of six MLB seasons.
After his playing career, Malkmus worked as a minor league manager and scout. He began scouting for Cleveland in 1980 and continued in that role in a part-time capacity into the 2010s. MLBTR sends our condolences to Malkmus’ family, friends, loved ones and former colleagues.
R.I.P. Bobby Malkmus. I love that he received an MVP vote as a 1961 Phillie.
(I wonder if he’s any relation to Stephen Malkmus of Pavement.)
They actually look a lot alike