Marty Marion Biography

Martin Whiteford Marion, nicknamed Slats, the Octopus, and Mr. Shortstop, was an American professional baseball shortstop and manager who lived from 1917 to 2011. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Browns from 1940 to 1953. He was a defensive stalwart of the Cardinals' dynasty in the 1940s, winning the National League MVP award in 1944 as the first shortstop to earn the honor. His older brother Red Marion was briefly an outfielder in the American League and later served as a long-time minor league manager. After the 1941 season, Marion stated that Crespi's play was the best he had ever seen from a second baseman. In 1958, Marion purchased the Double-A minor league Houston Buffaloes from the Cardinals and successfully advanced the team to the Triple-A level under the Chicago Cubs farm system. In 1957, Marion and business partner Milton Fischman attempted to buy the Minneapolis Lakers of the National Basketball Association with plans to relocate the team to Kansas City, Missouri.