Obituary: Dan Dobbek (1934-2023)

RIP to Dan Dobbek, an outfielder for the original Washington Senators franchise at the time it moved to Minnesota. He died on November 28 at his Oregon home from congestive heart failure and dementia. He was 88 years old. Dobbek played for the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins from 1959-1961.

Daniel John Dobbek was born in Ontonagon, MI, on December 6, 1934. He was an all-around athlete at Ontanagon High School, as he competed in track, football, basketball and baseball. Dobbek was a good pitcher as well as a hitter, and he was named an Eastern Michigan All-Star in 1951. After graduating high school in 1952, he went to Western Michigan College of Education, where he was something of a novelty. The Western Michigan Broncos hadn’t had a player from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in 25 years before Dobbek and a couple of other UP players tried out for the team. Dobbek also played for a semipro Archway Cookies team that was based in Battle Creek, MI, and gained some national recognition playing in the 1955 World Baseball Congress Amateur Baseball tournament. Dobbek didn’t hit for a high average, but he showed impressive power when he connected with the ball.

Source: *Battle Creek Enquirer*, May 8, 1960.

Washington Senators scout Dick Wiencek signed Dobbek, and the 21-year-old outfielder was sent to the Hobbs (NM) Sports of the Southwestern League in 1956. He spent almost the entire year in the hitter-friendly league and came out of it with a .340/.391/.597 slash line. He hit 33 doubles, 16 triples and 23 home runs while driving in 144 runs. Dobbek impressed Washington manager Charley Dressen in training camp in 1957, but the ballplayer was called away to military service. “I really hate to see him go,” Dressen said. “The kid had tremendous poise and I was beginning to think we had a real prospect in camp… I’ll tell you frankly he looked better than some of my outfielders who have a lot more experience.” Dobbek kept hitting well over the next couple of years, but it was with the 52nd Group of the Fort Sill League, based on Oklahoma.

Dobbek returned to professional ball in 1959 and was assigned to Chattanooga of the Southern Association. The power was still evident, as he homered 23 times and drove in 73 runs. His batting average was a little low at .265, but a little rust could be expected after missing two years. Washington didn’t seem to mind, as the team brought him to the majors in September and let him take over right field to finish out the year. Dobbek’s major-league debut came in a 5-1 loss on September 9 against the Chicago White Sox, and he singled off starter Bob Shaw in 4 at-bats. After three hitless games, Dobbek put together a modest 7-game hitting streak that included his first major-league home run on September 20, off Baltimore’s Billy O’Dell. He hit .250 in 16 games, with a double, 2 triples and the one home run in 16 games with Washington. He drove in 5 runs, and he was also flawless in the field. Manager Cookie Lavagetto was very high on Dobbek and predicted he would win an outfield spot with the Senators in 1960. “Calvin Griffith [Senators president] tells me Washington hasn’t had a right fielder in 10 years who could climb the fences and get the ball with Dobbek’s skill,” said Lavagetto.

Dobbek was, according to Lavagetto, the first left-handed power threat the team had had since Mickey Vernon in the early 1950s — and Vernon topped 20 homers in a season just once in his long career. When the rookie belted a game-winning, pinch-hit 3-run homer to beat Baltimore on April 21, 1960, Lavagetto gave him a string of starts in center field. Dobbek’s batting average dipped under .200 for a time, but a 3-game series against the Kansas City Athletics from June 17-19 picked him up. He had 2 hits in each game, with 3 home runs and 6 RBIs. He homered in his next game against Cleveland as well, but he soon slumped again. Lavagetto ended up giving Lenny Green more playing time in center field, and Dobbek moved to a pinch-hitter and back-up outfielder role. In 110 games, he slashed .218/.316/.387. He hit 10 home runs and drove in 30, and he played all three outfield positions.

The Senators moved to Minnesota for the 1961 season, and Dobbek had a part in the very first Minnesota Twins game, against the New York Yankees on April 11. He entered the game in the seventh inning as a defensive replacement for left fielder Jim Lemon. When he came to bat in the top of the ninth inning, he was hit by a Jim Coates pitch — making him the first Minnesota Twins batter to reach base via the HBP. He then stole second base, which was the Twins’ third stolen base of the inning after Zoilo Versalles swiped second and third base earlier. The Twins won that first game 6-0, and Dobbek became very familiar with coming off the bench as a pinch-hitter or defensive replacement. The Twins finished in seventh place, but the managers — Lavagetto followed by Sam Mele — used a regular outfield tandem of Lemon, Green and Bob Allison. Dobbek was sent to the minors for a little over a month in August and September, but he was busy while he was in the majors. He started games in all three outfield spots and had the best defensive season of his major-league career, committing just one error in 66 total chances. His best game as a hitter came on May 19, when he homered against Kansas City A’s pitchers Don Larsen and Ed Rakow and drove in 5 runs in an 11-1 rout. When he came up to bat in the third inning against Rakow with the bases loaded, Twins publicity director Herb Heft announced to the press box, “Dan Dobbek will now hit the first grand slam of his major-league career.” And he did! But in 72 games, Dobbek batted just .168, and those 2 homers against the A’s represented half of the round-trippers he hit that season. His time with Minnesota ended in early 1962; the Twins traded him to Cincinnati on January 30 for catcher Jerry Zimmerman.

Source: *The Winona Daily News*, January 3, 1962.

Dobbek began 1962 with the San Diego Padres, the Triple-A affiliate for the Reds in the Pacific Coast League. He hit .235 with no power and was demoted to the Class-A Macon Peaches, as the team needed some veteran presence to compete for the Sally League pennant. He batted .241 with 12 home runs for Macon, but the team finished in third place in spite of an excellent 80-59 record. Dobbek played for three different minor-league teams in 1963 and hit an even .200. “It’s sort of a funny feeling being down here in the minors with bad lights and having trouble hitting the ball,” he told the Durham Sun in August of 1963, after he had been released by Macon and joined Class-A Wilson. “The main thing that’s wrong with me is that I’ve lost my timing. I haven’t played too much in the last couple of years.” Dobbek’s online obituary points to another culprit for his decline. It notes that he collided with a wall playing the outfield in 1961 and injured his neck, requiring surgery. He was then hampered by a bad back in 1962, and it seems the injuries sapped much of his hitting ability. After his struggles in 1963, he retired from the game at the age of 28.

In parts of 3 seasons, Dobbek appeared in a total of 198 games and slashed .208/.297/.363. He had 12 doubles, 5 triples and 15 home runs among his 90 hits. He drove in 49 runs and scored 50 times, and he had a career OPS+ of 76. Dobbek also had a .980 fielding percentage as an outfielder.

Dobbek lived in Portland, OR, after his playing career ended, and he had a 30-year career working in the laundry industry in the city. He is survived by his wife Helen and children Thomas and Daniel.