{{short description|American baseball player (born 1933)}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography | name=Al Spangler | image=Al Spangler 1961.png | caption=Spangler in 1961 | position=Outfielder | birth_date={{Birth date and age|1933|7|8}} | birth_place=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | death_date= | bats=Left | throws=Left |debutleague = MLB | debutdate=September 16 | debutyear=1959 | debutteam=Milwaukee Braves |finalleague = MLB | finaldate=September 11 | finalyear=1971 | finalteam=Chicago Cubs |statleague = MLB | stat1label=Batting average | stat2label=Home runs | stat3label=Runs batted in | stat1value=.262 | stat2value=21 | stat3value=175 | teams= *Milwaukee Braves (1959–1961) *Houston Colt .45s / Astros (1962–1965) *Los Angeles / California Angels (1965–1966) *Chicago Cubs (1967–1971) | highlights= *Drove in first run in Houston Colt .45s history. }}
'''Albert Donald Spangler''' (born July 8, 1933) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and coach.<ref name="data">{{Cite web |title=Al Spangler Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/spangal01.shtml |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Spangler appeared in 912 games in the majors between {{mlby|1959}} and {{mlby|1971}} for the Milwaukee Braves, Houston Colt .45s / Astros, Los Angeles / California Angels, and Chicago Cubs. Born in Philadelphia, he threw and batted left-handed, and was listed as {{convert|6|ft}} tall and {{convert|175|lb}}.
== High school and college career == Spangler, nicknamed "Spanky", attended Philadelphia's Olney High School. After turning down a professional contract offer from the Chicago White Sox, he was slated to attend Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, with a full scholarship, but decided to attend Duke University. He was an All-American college selection after his junior year as Blue Devil, thanks to his .406 batting average.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Skelton |first=David E. |title=Al Spangler |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Al-Spangler/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=Society for American Baseball Research |language=en}}</ref>
== Professional career == Not quite four weeks before his 21st birthday, Spangler signed as a free agent with the Braves on June 14, 1954. He made his MLB debut on September 16, {{mlby|1959}}, and would go on to play his final game on September 11, {{mlby|1971}}.<ref name="data" />
After spending both {{mlby|1960}} and {{mlby|1961}} as a reserve outfielder for Milwaukee, Spangler was drafted by the Houston Colt .45s as a premium selection in the 1961 Major League Baseball expansion draft. He was the Colt .45s' starting center fielder in the club's first major-league game, played against the Cubs on April 10, {{mlby|1962}}. Batting second in the order, he drove in the first run in franchise history with a RBI triple in the bottom of the first inning off Cubs' starting pitcher Don Cardwell, knocking in teammate Bob Aspromonte.<ref>{{cite news |date=11 April 1962 |title=Shantz, Mejias Spark Houston |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IT1aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PUwNAAAAIBAJ&pg=749,597569 |accessdate=31 August 2011 |newspaper=St. Joseph Gazette |page=9 |via=Google News Archive |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> His .285 mark during the Colt .45s' maiden season was second by .001 to fellow outfielder Román Mejías' .286,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 1962 Houston Colt .45s Roster |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1962/UPHOU01962.htm |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=Retrosheet}}</ref> but the following year Spangler was the team's batting average leader at .281 in 120 games played.<ref>{{cite news |date=10 October 1961 |title=Player Draft Buffs Shine On Fading Ex Stars |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1U0fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jNEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1664,1760278 |accessdate=31 August 2011 |newspaper=Daytona Beach Morning Journal |page=8 |via=Google News Archive |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref name="Ballplayers">{{cite book |author1=Charlton, James |author2=Shatzkin, Mike |author3=Holtje, Stephen |title=The Ballplayers: Baseball's Ultimate Biographical Reference |publisher=Arbor House/William Morrow and Company |location=New York City, New York |year=1990 |page=[https://archive.org/details/ballplayersbaseb00shat/page/1025 1025] |isbn=0-87795-984-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/ballplayersbaseb00shat/page/1025 }}</ref>
After his hitting declined in both {{mlby|1964}} (.245) and {{mlby|1965}} (.214), Spangler was traded to the Angels on June 1, 1965.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1965-06-02 |title=Angels trade for Spangler |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-greenville-news-angels-trade-for-spa/164324488/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |work=The Greenville News |page=9 |via=Newspapers.com |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> He appeared in only 57 games (starting 20) for the Angels over the next season and a half, and spent most of {{mlby|1966}} at Triple-A Seattle. Released by the Angels on February 13, {{mlby|1967}}, Spangler signed with the Cubs as a free agent three days later. Although he spent part of 1967 and {{mlby|1970}} at Triple-A Tacoma, Spangler played the rest of his big-league tenure with the Cubs. On June 12, {{mlby|1969}}, he hit two home runs and drove in four runs in a 12 to 6 victory over the Atlanta Braves.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carnicelli |first=Joe |date=1969-06-13 |title=Spangler Cubs latest hitting star |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FNwbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UlEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6692%2C3075443 |access-date=2025-01-30 |work=The Dispatch |pages=13 |publication-place=Lexington, North Carolina |via=Google News Archive |agency=United Press International}}</ref>
The Cubs released Spangler as an active player after the {{mlby|1970}} season and named him to manager Leo Durocher's coaching staff for {{mlby|1971}}. On August 30, 1971, he was added to the team's active list, and pinch hit five times during the month of September, garnering two hits. That brief stint concluding his MLB career. In his 912 games played, Spangler batted .262 with 21 career home runs and 175 runs batted in. His 594 hits also included 87 doubles and 26 triples.
Spangler remained with the Cubs' organization for another three seasons; he managed in their farm system in 1972 and 1973, then returned to their big-league coaching staff in 1974 for a final season.<ref>{{cite news |date=5 October 1973 |title=Lockman Gets Reprieve As Cubs Start Shakeup |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G-tRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_3IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3885,3029553 |accessdate=31 August 2011 |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |page=2-C |via=Google News Archive |agency=United Press International}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats |br=s/spangal01 |brm=spangl001alb |retro=S/Pspana101}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spangler, Al}} Category:1933 births Category:Living people Category:Baseball players from Philadelphia Category:California Angels players Category:Chicago Cubs coaches Category:Chicago Cubs players Category:Duke Blue Devils baseball players Category:Evansville Braves players Category:Houston Astros players Category:Houston Colt .45s players Category:Jacksonville Braves players Category:Los Angeles Angels players Category:Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Category:Major League Baseball outfielders Category:Seattle Angels players Category:Tacoma Cubs players Category:Wichita Braves players