Former All-Star outfielder George Altman has passed away at age 92. The news was announced last night by Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
Altman was a dual sport athlete (baseball and basketball) at Tennessee State University. He began his professional career with the Negro American League’s Kansas City Monarchs in 1955. Altman played for Hall of Fame player-manager Buck O’Neil that year. The Cubs hired O’Neil as a scout in 1956. On the legendary evaluator’s recommendation, Chicago signed the 6’4″ Altman to a minor league contract.
After his first minor league season, Altman was forced to pause his career upon being conscripted into the Army. He returned to professional baseball in 1958 and made his big league debut the following season when he started in center field on Opening Day. Altman hit .245 with 12 home runs as a rookie but would improve over the next few years.
His average ticked up to .266 in year two before a career season in 1961. Altman batted .303/.350/.560 with a personal-high 27 home runs across 573 trips to the plate. He led the National League with 12 triples and tied for 19th in the majors in homers. Altman finished 14th in MLB in average, 12th in slugging percentage, and tied for 16th in OPS (min. 500 plate appearances). He drove in 96 runs, leading a Chicago team that — despite finishing 64-90-2 on the year — had future Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and Billy Williams in the lineup.
Altman was named to both the midseason and postseason National League All-Star teams. (Between 1959-62, Major League Baseball played two All-Star Games annually.) He finished 14th in MVP voting. Altman had an equally impressive ’62 campaign, batting .318/.393/.511 with 22 homers and 74 RBI to earn another All-Star nod. He was one of 13 qualified hitters with a combined OPS above .900 over that two-year run. Eight of those players would eventually wind up in Cooperstown, and the group of non-Hall of Famers included star hitters Norm Cash, Rocky Colavito and Roger Maris.
Obviously, Altman didn’t maintain that star pace into his 30s. His numbers dropped off as he played through injuries after he was traded to the Cardinals over the 1962-63 offseason. Altman wound up playing parts of five more MLB seasons between the Cards, Mets, and a second stint with the Cubs.
The second half of his big league career wasn’t especially impressive, but he seemed reinvigorated by a move to Japan in 1968. Altman had a second act as a star hitter in Nippon Professional Baseball, where he hit .309 while slugging 205 homers over eight seasons. He played through age 43 and might have been an even more accomplished NPB player were it not for a colon cancer diagnosis in 1974. Altman beat the disease and lived another five decades, working as a commodities trader in Chicago before moving to the St. Louis area in retirement.
Altman finished his MLB career with a .269 average in just under 1000 games. He topped 100 homers and 400 RBI and stole 52 bases. He was among the best hitters in the game over a two-year peak and played professionally for 20 years between the Negro League, the National League, and NPB. MLBTR sends our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.
What a shame. God bless, George Altman.
will19008: It’s not a shame when someone lives to be 92. Save that for people who don’t make it to at least 70.
It’s a shame when anyone passes!
He had a good run.
Aloha folks, not around during his time but because of my father and collecting bb cards, I enjoyed sets like 1961, 62, 63 and remember getting George’s cards to complete the set. Arigatou Gozaimasu and Mahalo George, RIP.
Only left-handed batter to hit 2 HRs off Koufax in the same game… ever
RIP George…..
What an incredible life. RIP.
Really nice write up, too.