{{short description|American baseball player (1943-2018)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Al Stanek |position=Pitcher |image=Al Stanek.jpeg |caption= |bats=Left |throws=Left |birth_date={{Birth date|1943|12|24}} |birth_place=Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |death_date={{Death date and age|2018|5|8|1943|12|24}} |death_place=Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=April 26 |debutyear=1963 |debutteam=San Francisco Giants |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=September 27 |finalyear=1963 |finalteam=San Francisco Giants |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Win–loss record |stat1value=0–0 |stat2label=Earned run average |stat2value=4.73 |stat3label=Innings pitched |stat3value={{frac|13|1|3}} |teams= *San Francisco Giants ({{mlby|1963}}) }} '''Albert Wilfred Stanek''' (December 24, 1943 – May 8, 2018), nicknamed "'''Lefty'''", was an American professional baseball player. He pitched in the major leagues during 1963 with the San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw left-handed, stood {{convert|5|ft|11|in}} tall and weighed {{convert|190|lb}}.
==Biography== Born in 1943 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Stanek was signed by the San Francisco Giants in 1962 after graduating from Chicopee High School. Signed in late June, his signing bonus was reported to be at least $40,000 {{USDCY|40000|1962}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/des-moines-tribune-bonus-to-prep/169734664/ |title=Bonus to Prep |agency=AP |newspaper=Des Moines Tribune |page=18 |date=June 29, 1962 |accessdate=April 6, 2025 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>
Stanek began his professional career that year with the local Springfield Giants, a Class A Giants farm team in the Eastern League.<ref name=brm/> In 12 games (11 starts) with the minor-league Giants, he recorded a 4.71 earned run average (ERA) while striking out 63 batters in 65 innings pitched and compiled a 3–3 win–loss record.<ref name=brm>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=stanek001alb |title=Al Stanek Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics |website=Baseball Reference |accessdate=April 6, 2025}}</ref>
Stanek spent the 1963 season, at age 19, with the major-league Giants under the terms of the bonus rule.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sacramento-bee-al-stanek-giants-bon/169735987/ |title=Al Stanek, Giants Bonus Hurler, Knows About Control |first=Tom |last=Kane |newspaper=The Sacramento Bee |page=E2 |date=March 3, 1963 |accessdate=April 6, 2025 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> At this time, a team could send one "bonus rookie" to the minor leagues without exposing that player to being signed by another team.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-the-baseball-beat/169721561/ |title=The Baseball Beat |first=Ed |last=Honeywell |newspaper=The News Tribune |location=Tacoma, Washington |page=8 |date=February 23, 1963 |accessdate=April 6, 2025 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-breeze-how-bonus-rule-works/169747556/ |title=How Bonus Rule Works |newspaper=Daily Breeze |location=Torrance, California |page=27 |date=April 8, 1963 |accessdate=April 6, 2025 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> The Giants demoted fellow rookie pitcher Bob Garibaldi while keeping Stanek with the big league team.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-robinson-sent-down-by-gi/169722625/ |title=Robinson Sent Down By Giants |newspaper=Oakland Tribune |page=41 |date=April 12, 1963 |accessdate=April 6, 2025 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Stanek posted a 0–0 record, with a 4.73 ERA, in 11 appearances (all in relief) during what proved to be his only major-league season.<ref name=br>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/staneal01.shtml |title=Al Stanek Stats |website=Baseball Reference |accessdate=April 6, 2025}}</ref>
Stanek's professional career lasted through the 1967, as he remained in the Giants' farm system. Overall during five seasons in Minor League Baseball, he compiled a 29–37 record with a 3.51 ERA in 557 innings pitched while striking out 436 batters.<ref name=brm/>
Chicopee High School honored Stanek by retiring his jersey, number 21,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-republican-honor-two-former-high-sch/169735330/ |title=Honor Two Former High School Athletes |newspaper=The Republican |location=Springfield, Massachusetts |page=13 |date=February 18, 1963 |accessdate=April 6, 2025 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> and inducting him to the school's athletic hall of fame.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pacerathletics.org/hall-of-fame-inductees-2009 |title=Hall of Fame Inductees 2009 |website=pacerathletics.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929010759/https://pacerathletics.org/hall-of-fame-inductees-2009/ |archive-date=September 29, 2020 |via=Wayback Machine}}</ref> He was inducted to the Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.<ref name=brown/> Stanek died on May 8, 2018.<ref name=brown>{{cite news |url=http://www.masslive.com/sports/2018/05/remembering_al_stanek_ace_pitc.html |title=Remembering Al Stanek, ace pitcher, great family man and caring tutor |first=Garry |last=Brown |website=masslive.com |date=May 10, 2018}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats |br=s/staneal01 |brm=stanek001alb |retro=S/Pstana101}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanek, Al}} Category:1943 births Category:2018 deaths Category:Baseball players from Springfield, Massachusetts Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Sportspeople from Chicopee, Massachusetts Category:Baseball players from Chicopee, Massachusetts Category:Phoenix Giants players Category:San Francisco Giants players Category:Springfield Giants players Category:Tacoma Giants players Category:Waterbury Giants players Category:Chicopee High School alumni Category:20th-century American sportsmen