Steve Boros
Stephen Boros Jr. was an American professional baseball infielder, coach, manager, scout, and administrator. Best known for his scientific approach to the sport and his use of computers, Boros' baseball career spanned almost 50 years from his debut as a player for the University of Michigan in 1956 to his retirement in 2004 as an executive with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.
After playing college baseball for the University of Michigan from 1956 to 1957, Boros signed as a bonus baby with the Detroit Tigers in June 1957. He remained in the Tigers organization from 1957 to 1962. He was the most valuable player in the American Association in 1960 and had his best major league season in 1961 despite missing six weeks with a broken collar bone. During his tenure with the Tigers, Boros was the subject of widespread coverage of his tendency to read history books and fine literature and of his aspiration to become a professor of literature. He finished his major league playing career with the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds from 1963 to 1965. In 1964, he set a Reds club record with 50 consecutive errorless games at third base. He played a total of 13 years in professional baseball, including stints with several minor league clubs from 1957 to 1969.
In 1970, Boros began a lengthy career as a baseball manager, scout, and coach. While working in the Kansas City Royals farm system, he developed a reputation as a leading advocate of the stolen base. Under his leadership, the San Jose Bees set a modern minor league record with 372 stolen bases in one year. As the first base coach of the Kansas City Royals from 1976 to 1979, he became known for his scientific approach to the stolen base, taking measurements with a stopwatch and maintaining a book on every pitcher and catcher in the American League. The Royals led the league in stolen bases in both 1978 and 1979. As the Montreal Expos' first base coach, he was credited with helping Tim Raines lead the National League in stolen bases in both 1981 and 1982.
In 1983, Boros became the manager of the Oakland Athletics. He drew widespread press coverage after he hired a sabermetrician to track every pitch and feed the data into a mainframe computer in Philadelphia. Boros studied the data on a daily basis using an Apple II computer which he kept in the clubhouse. Boros's cerebral approach to the game drew criticism from baseball traditionalists and resulted in unwanted press coverage for a team that finished in fourth place in 1983. After the A's started the 1984 season with a 20–24 record, and as the press coverage of "Computer Ball" mounted, Boros was fired by the A's in May 1984.
In February 1986, Boros was hired as the manager of the San Diego Padres after the sudden resignation of Dick Williams. The Padres finished in fourth place in 1986, and Boros was fired. Boros spent the next 18 years working as a scout, coach, and front office administrator for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, and Detroit Tigers. His advance scouting of the Oakland A's, and his identification of Dennis Eckersley's tendency to throw a backdoor slider on 3–2 counts to left-handed hitters, was credited with a behind-the-scenes assist in one of the most memorable moments in World Series history—Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series home run.
Early years
Boros was a native of Flint, Michigan, where his father, Stephen Boros Sr., and mother, Helen Boros, operated a grocery store. He had one brother and three sisters, David, Barbara, Rosemary, and Patricia. Boros learned to play baseball on the playgrounds of Flint's North End and attended Flint Northern High School. He helped Flint Northern win Saginaw Valley League baseball championships in both 1952 and 1953. He married Sharla and had a son, Stephen, and a daughter, Sasha, who are both married with children.University of Michigan
He enrolled at the University of Michigan where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. He played baseball as a shortstop for the Michigan Wolverines baseball team in 1956 and 1957. He had a.324 batting average in 1956 and.381 in 1957. He was selected as an All-Big Ten Conference player in 1957. After an outstanding junior year in 1957, Boros was selected by his teammates as the captain of the 1958 team. However, Boros became the subject of a bonus bidding war among 14 major league teams. He signed in June 1957 with the Detroit Tigers who paid him a $25,000 bonus. Michigan's head coach Ray Fisher was angered at the loss of Boros and told the press: "Major league baseball is a cut-throat game, and they are cutting their own throats as well. Boros told me he didn't intend to sign. He's a good hitter and has power as good as Dick Wakefield's when he connects."Boros later credited college baseball with having made him a better player: "My last year in high school I hit but.275 and was a terrible fielder. I guess college matured me. I gained some weight and picked up the confidence I lacked in high school. If I hadn't gone to college and had signed right out of high school, I might have had one bad year and quit."
Baseball player
Rookie season in Detroit
Boros made his major league debut on June 19, 1957, just days after signing his bonus contract with the Tigers. Under the rules in effect at that time, a player receiving a signing bonus was required to be kept on the major league roster for a year, a rule described as "that era's effort to prevent big-revenue teams from stockpiling the best talent." Boros briefly moved into the Tigers starting lineup, replacing a slumping Reno Bertoia at third base. Detroit manager Jack Tighe praised Boros as "a cool customer" with "strong wrists and a quick bat." Boros appeared in 24 games for the 1957 Tigers, including nine at third base and five at shortstop, but hit for only a.146 average.Minor leagues
Boros spent most of the 1958 season in the minor leagues, including stints with the Augusta Tigers, Birmingham Barons, and Charleston Senators. He also appeared in six games for the Tigers in 1958, with only two at-bats.During the 1959 season, Boros spent the entire season with the Birmingham Barons. He appeared in 147 games, beginning the season at third base and then moving into the outfield. By early August, he had earned a reputation as "one of the quickest bats in the league." He compiled a.305 batting average for the Barons with 24 doubles, seven triples, 16 home runs, 85 runs batted in, and 23 stolen bases.
Boros spent the 1960 season with the Denver Bears of the Class AAA American Association. He hit home runs in his first and third at bats for Denver and narrowly missed with a towering foul ball in his second at bat. He was named the league's most valuable player while Carl Yastrzemski was named the league's best rookie. He tied for the league lead with 119 RBIs, hit 30 home runs, stole 22 bases, and compiled a.317 batting average,.402 on-base percentage, and.576 slugging percentage.
Detroit Tigers
Boros spent the full 1961 season with the Detroit Tigers, including 115 games as the team's starting third baseman. As the season got underway, Boros was touted as a "can't miss" star. Joe Falls, who was later inducted into the writers' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame, wrote:'Steve Boros can't miss. He's got all the tools. Great hands, great speed, great desire – and watch him swing that bat. He's got everything.' It may be so, too. For this young man up from Denver... is the most celebrated rookie to move up to the Detroit Tigers since Frank Bolling in 1954.
He got off to a quick start, and by late May, he was batting.341 and "getting as much ink as Roger Maris" who went on to hit 61 home runs for the season. On May 23, 1961, he tied a major league record when Norm Cash, Boros, and Dick Brown hit successive home runs for the Tigers in a game against the Minnesota Twins. A 5-for-55 slump followed, and his batting average dipped to.283 by July. He was hospitalized overnight at Detroit Osteopathic Hospital after being struck behind the left ear and knocked unconscious by an Eli Grba pitch on July 9 at Tiger Stadium. Boros, who was carried off the field on a stretcher, said he never saw the pitch. Detroit manager Bob Scheffing said the batting helmet had saved Boros from a serious injury.
Boros suffered a more serious injury on July 24, 1961, after colliding with pitcher Frank Lary while both were chasing a bunt. Boros suffered a broken left collar bone and missed six weeks as the Tigers fought for the pennant with the New York Yankees. At the time of the injury, the Tigers were in first place in the American League, and Boros already had 53 RBIs, one more than Al Kaline. Boros spent the night at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City before flying home to Detroit while the rest of the team flew to the west coast for a road trip. The 1961 Tigers finished with an impressive 101–61 record, but the 1961 Yankees won the pennant with a 109–53 record.
Despite missing six weeks with the collar bone injury, Boros compiled a.270 batting average with a.382 on-base percentage and 62 RBIs. The Sporting News noted that Boros' 63 RBIs in 396 at-bats compared favorably with the league's best third baseman, as Brooks Robinson collected 61 RBIs in 668 at-bats.
In addition to having a solid season at third base, Boros also gained attention as "a book worm who can — and does — read as many as four books at the same time." With plans to return to the University of Michigan in the fall to complete a degree in history, Boros' traveling library during the 1961 season included The History of Russia, Survey of Russia, and Greek and Roman History. Boros told reporter Joe Falls, "I never read just to be entertained. I read to be informed, and my favorite is modern history, if it can be called that — books on Eisenhower and Kennedy and our present-day administration."
During the off-season between the 1961 and 1962 seasons, Boros returned to the University of Michigan seeking to complete the required coursework for his bachelor's degree. Joe Falls quipped that Boros "has learned that hitting the books is one thing; hitting an inside fastball is another." The Associated Press also published a feature story about Boros' studious nature in March 1962. The article noted that Boros was studying contemporary literature in the off-season and hoped to become a professor of literature. The article added: "Hardly a day goes by when Boros isn't carrying two or three books under his arms. He reads in hotel rooms, on planes and on trains." Boros recalled that some of his minor league coaches had opposed his reading, claiming it was bad for his eyes. As for ribbing by his fellow players, he noted that Detroit pitcher Paul Foytack replied to a good fielding play by Boros by yelling, "Atta boy, Steve. Just for that I'll buy you a book."
In December 1961, Boros became the third member of the Tigers to sign a contract for the 1962 season. Detroit vice president Rick Ferrell said at the time, "Boros got a good raise. He was entitled to it. He had a wonderful first year. Steve will be even better next summer, in my opinion."
In 1962, Boros saw his batting average slump to.228, though his propensity to draw bases on balls buoyed his on-base percentage over 100 points to.331. His 14 doubles and 16 home runs provided a.407 slugging percentage. On August 6, 1962, Boros became the eighth Detroit Tigers player to hit three home runs in one game — accomplishing the feat against the Cleveland Indians, including two home runs off Sam McDowell. After the game, Boros said, "I'm swinging the bat like I did two years ago." Two weeks later, he hit his first major league grand slam in the first inning of a game against the Washington Senators. The next day, he achieved a less desirable distinction when he tied an American League record by committing four errors, two in one inning.