R.I.P Norm Siebern

R.I.P Norm Siebern

Occasionally we inextricably link two people in our minds, like Abbott and Costello, or Ralph Branca and Bobby Thompson. When I think of Norm Siebern, my mind immediately jumps to Jerry Lumpe.

They were both born in Missouri, about two months apart, both grew to 6'2" and were right-handed throwers who batted left-handed.

They were both signed by the Yankees and played together in 1951 at McAlester in the class-D Sooner State League, where Lumpe hit .355 and Siebern chipped in with .331.

They played together again in 1952, back in Missouri at Joplin in the class-C Western Association. This time Siebern was the star, hitting .324 and developing a power swing while Lumpe hit .293, but with only two homers.

They were still in college at the time, and in 1953 they played together again, as teammates on the two-time NAIA national basketball champions at Southwest Missouri State.

That was the draft era, so in 1954, upon leaving college, they both entered military service and missed about two years of minor league baseball.

By 1957 they were each in triple A, but with two different Yankee affiliates. Siebern, who had already seen some major league action in 1956, absolutely crushed the American Association in Denver, where he hit .349 with 45 doubles, 15 triples and 24 dingers. Lumpe, playing 3B and shortstop, hit .297 in the International League and got a call-up to the Yankees, who needed some infield help. Lumpe provided it. He hit .340 in 40 games, mostly substituting for Yankee third baseman Andy Carey.

In 1958 and 1959 they were both teammates on the Yankees, and both of them played in the 1958 World Series, in which the Yankees got their revenge against the Milwaukee Braves. (Lumpe had also seen substantial playing time in the 1957 Series, hitting a solid .286 in six games. Siebern got a single plate appearance in the 1956 Series, an unsuccessful pinch-hitting assignment in game two, but he got to join the stars in two key celebrations: one when the Yankees won and another when Larsen pitched his perfect game.)

Siebern was already showing signs of becoming a star in that 1958 season. He became the Yankees' starting left fielder, hit .300 with both walks and power (136 OPS+), and won a gold glove. He finished second on the team in WAR, behind Mickey, but ahead of Yogi, Elston, Skowron and the rest!

But Siebern failed to develop in 1959. In fact, he backslid a bit, and the Yankees slumped to a rare poor year (79-75). Siebern was considered expendable because the Yankees really coveted a certain 24-year old Kansas City outfielder named Roger Maris, so in 1959 Siebern was traded to the Kansas City A's in the Maris deal. Meanwhile, Lumpe was also traded to KC in 1959 in the Ralph Terry deal, so the twins were again conjoined for the 1960 season, but with a different team. The fact that that two Missouri boys ended up back together in Kansas City seemed highly appropriate. They would remain teammates on the As until 1963, and would even appear together on joint baseball cards in 1961 and 1962. (Topps didn't even bother to take another picture in 1962!) Siebern had two excellent years in 1961 and 1962, especially 1962 when he had 25 homers, 117 RBI, and a .412 OBP. Lumpe also had his best year in 1962, batting over .300 for the only time in a full season, and reaching double figures in both triples and homers, two more feats he could never again duplicate.

As always, the wily Yankees got the best of the deals. Lumpe and Siebern were good players, but Terry and Maris turned out to be superior. Terry followed a 16-3 season in 1961 with a brilliant 23-win effort in his 1962 campaign that culminated as the World Series MVP. Terry then led the league in WHIP and complete games in 1963 before he essentially threw his arm out. Maris, of course, won back-to-back MVPs and broke Babe Ruth's sacred single-season homer record.

Back to 2015 ...

More than 50 years after their last alliance as teammates, Lumpe and Siebern died about a year apart.