Former Philadelphia Phillies Infielder, Minor League Manager, Dies at 93
Bobby Malkmus, who played in six Major League seasons, including his final three with the Philadelphia Phillies, died recently at 93 years old.
The funeral home handling Malkmus’ service posted his obituary.
Malkmus was a light-hitting infielder his entire career. He landed in Philly in 1960 as part of the previous offseason’s Rule 5 draft. It was the second time he was selected in the Rule 5 draft by a MLB team, and this time he stuck.
He settled into a utility role in 1960 as he slashed .211/.267/.278/.545 in 79 games with one home run and 12 RBI.
His following season in 1961 was his best. He slashed .231/.276/.327/.603 with seven home runs and 31 RBI in 121 games. The Phillies were awful that year, as they went 47-107-1 under manager Gene Mauch. But, mysteriously, Malkmus received one National League MVP vote after the season, putting him in a tie for 22nd for the award. Frank Robinson of the Cincinnati Reds won the award.
Before arriving in Philly, he was with the Washington Senators in 1958-59 and with the Milwaukee Braves in 1957.
Malkmus signed with the Boston Braves in 1951 out of South Side High School in Newark, N.J. and he earned his first call-up in 1957. That was a fortuitous season for the Braves.
The Braves won the World Series that year, beating the New York Yankees in seven games. The Milwaukee featured a collection of future Hall-of-Famers, including Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Red Schoendienst and Warren Spahn. But the series’ star was pitcher Lew Burdette, who won three complete games and was named the MVP.
Malkmus got to play 13 games for that team, but he batted below .100 and was sent back to the minors before the playoffs.
He had a lifetime slash line of .215/.265/.301/.565 with eight home runs and 46 RBI in 268 MLB games.
A few years after his playing career ended, Malkmus moved into managing in the minor leagues and spent time with the Phillies organization, along with the Montreal Expos and the Baltimore Orioles. From 1967-1975 he went 508-463. With the Phillies, he led the Spartanburg Phillies to a 71-54 record in 1968, where they lost in the league finals.
He also guided the Lewiston Broncs, the Orioles’ farm team in the Northwest League, to a 1972 championship.
He spent his remaining years as a scout in organizations like the Cleveland Guardians and the San Diego Padres.
