I have to admit it. Joe Presko is the youngest looking player appearing in the 1952 Topps checklist, a trait that likely contributed heavily to his nicknames “Baby Joe” and “Little Joe.”
I read a story in which it was said that the New York Yankees had considered signing Presko, but ultimately passed because of his height. Joe Presko stood 5’9″ tall (5’10” on the inflated numbers used by Topps), which happens to be the exact average stature for an American male in 1950. Of course, the average guy wasn’t a professional baseball player and a reading of the rest of the 1952 Topps checklist shows the average major leaguer was 6′ tall. Still, about 1 in 6 were at Presko’s height or shorter. Were these guys relegated to backup duty? Hardly. Let’s put together an All-Star team comprised entirely of players 5’9″ and below who played for the New York Yankees from the team’s formation through the end of Presko’s career.
| Name | Position | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Willie Keeler (HOF) | OF | 5’4″ |
| Phil Rizzuto (HOF) | SS | 5’6″ |
| Joe Sewell (HOF) | 3B | 5’6″ |
| Yogi Berra (HOF) | C | 5’7″ |
| Snuffy Stirnweiss (Batting Champ) | 2B | 5’8″ |
| Paul Waner (HOF) | OF | 5’8″ |
| Roger Bresnahan (HOF) | 1B* | 5’9″ |
| Enos Slaughter (HOF) | OF | 5’9″ |
| Jack Chesbro (HOF) | Pitcher | 5’9″ |
Notice any common threads across this lineup? The Yankees had zero problem getting baseball talent out of Presko-sized players. A few years later the team even actively engineered a lopsided deal for all 5’7″of Bobby Shantz once they gained effective control of the Athletics’ franchise and moved the team to Kansas City.
Maybe the scouts just couldn’t believe the story of how Presko came to be standing on a pitcher’s mound. Presko first played baseball as a 17 year old high school senior. He learned the game as a corner infielder, and just weeks into his walk-on high school career he was transitioned to pitching duties. He enjoyed the game and ended up playing for two seasons in the local amateur Ban Johnson league, in which he casually racked up MVP honors for both years and captured the attention of pro scouts. Not bad for a guy who could set down the side in order and then ask his coach, “Am I doing this right? I’m new at this.”
Presko was signed by the Cardinals and promptly won a strikeout title and piled up 46 victories in three minor league seasons (for a last place team) before getting called up to the big league club. He posted a promising stat line for his rookie campaign (7-4, 3.45 ERA) but tore up his shoulder and sat out the last two months of the season. The rest of his career fell off after the injury, ultimately relegating his baseball cards to the common bin.
The most striking aspect of any Joe Presko baseball card is that he is always smiling. He is grinning not just on his ’52 Topps rookie, but every other playing days issued card of his career.
Maybe he just liked baseball cards. His obituary specifically notes “Joe enjoyed the daily mail requesting autographs of baseball cards and memorabilia.” He was also married for 70 years – something I haven’t seen often in going through the biographies of the players in this set.
Good job Joe.
*Bresnahan was primarily a catcher and outfielder. However, he was capable of handling duties at first base and did fill in from time to time at this position.
