# Val Picinich
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{{Short description|American baseball player (1896–1942)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Val Picinich
|image=Picarrich, Boston, 1924 LOC npcc.11203 (cropped).jpg
|caption=Picinich, circa 1924
|position=[Catcher](/source/Catcher)
|birth_date={{birth date|1896|9|8}}
|birth_place=[New York, New York](/source/New_York_City), U.S.
|death_date={{Death date and age|1942|12|5|1896|9|8}}
|death_place=[Nobleboro, Maine](/source/Nobleboro%2C_Maine), U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate= July 25
|debutyear= 1916
|debutteam= Philadelphia Athletics
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=August 28
|finalyear=1933
|finalteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[Batting average](/source/Batting_average_(baseball))
|stat1value=.258
|stat2label=[Home run](/source/Home_run)s
|stat2value=26
|stat3label=[Runs batted in](/source/Run_batted_in)
|stat3value=298
|teams=
* [Philadelphia Athletics](/source/Philadelphia_Athletics) ({{mlby|1916}}–{{mlby|1917}})
* [Washington Senators](/source/Washington_Senators_(1901%E2%80%9360)) ({{mlby|1918}}–{{mlby|1922}})
* [Boston Red Sox](/source/Boston_Red_Sox) ({{mlby|1923}}–{{mlby|1925}})
* [Cincinnati Reds](/source/Cincinnati_Reds) ({{mlby|1926}}–{{mlby|1928}})
* [Brooklyn Robins / Dodgers](/source/History_of_the_Brooklyn_Dodgers) ({{mlby|1929}}–{{mlby|1933}})
* [Pittsburgh Pirates](/source/Pittsburgh_Pirates) ({{mlby|1933}})
|highlights=
}}
'''Valentine John Picinich''' (September 8, 1896 – December 5, 1942) was an American professional [baseball](/source/baseball) [catcher](/source/catcher). He played in [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball) (MLB) from 1916 to 1933 for the [Philadelphia Athletics](/source/Philadelphia_Athletics), [Washington Senators](/source/Washington_Senators_(1901%E2%80%9360)), [Boston Red Sox](/source/Boston_Red_Sox), [Cincinnati Reds](/source/Cincinnati_Reds), [Brooklyn Robins / Dodgers](/source/Brooklyn_Dodgers), and [Pittsburgh Pirates](/source/Pittsburgh_Pirates).[[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/picinva01.shtml "Val Picinich Statistics and History"]. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved May 21, 2017.]
In 18 seasons, Picinich played in 1,037 games and hit .258 with 26 [home runs](/source/home_runs) and 298 [RBI](/source/Run_batted_in).[ He debuted with the Athletics in 1916 and played with the team through 1917.][ From 1918 to 1922, Picinich played for the Washington Senators and was the [personal catcher](/source/personal_catcher) for [Walter Johnson](/source/Walter_Johnson); he only sat out two of Johnson's games during that time.][ Picinich caught three no-hitters, all early in his career (one by [Bullet Joe Bush](/source/Bullet_Joe_Bush), 1916; one by Johnson, 1920; and one by [Howard Ehmke](/source/Howard_Ehmke), 1923).][{{cite book|last1=Outland|first1=George E.|last2=Outland|first2=John W.|title=Baseball Visions of the Roaring Twenties: A Fan's Photographs of More Than 400 Players and Ballparks of the Era|date=2009|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786453863|page=350|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2sRO59OvBmcC&pg=PA350|language=en}}][{{cite book|last1=Weeks|first1=Jonathan|title=Cellar Dwellers: The Worst Teams in Baseball History|date=2012|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810885325|page=64|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U10jcZXGGi0C&pg=PA64|language=en}}]
Picinich may have had his best season for the Cincinnati Reds in 1928. He played in a major league career-high 96 games that year and hit .302. The next year, Picinich appeared in 93 games, but his batting average dropped to .260.[ He seemed to struggle defensively that year, leading the league in two dubious categories: passed balls (9) and stolen bases allowed (75).][{{cite web|title=1929 National League Fielding Leaders|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1929-fielding-leaders.shtml|website=[Baseball-Reference.com](/source/Baseball-Reference.com)|access-date=May 5, 2018}}]
After 1929, Picinich never played in more than 41 major league games in any season. He last appeared in the major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1933.[ In 1934, he wrote to [Ford Frick](/source/Ford_Frick) to say that he was creating a baseball school in Brooklyn.][{{cite web|title=Letter from Val Picinich to Ford Frick, 1934 June 02 {{!}} PASTIME Digital Collection|url=https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/letter-val-picinich-ford-frick-1934-june-02-3#page/1/mode/1up|website=collection.baseballhall.org|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=September 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}] Picinich then spent four seasons managing in the minor leagues.[
==Later life==
After leaving baseball, Picinich bought a chicken farm in Maine.][{{cite news|title=Val Picinich, 18 year baseball veteran, is dead|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/370731785/|work=[Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune)|agency=[Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press)|date=December 6, 1942|language=en}}] He then worked as the personnel service and morale director for [Bath Iron Works](/source/Bath_Iron_Works). In 1942, Picinich contracted bronchial influenza and was diagnosed with pneumonia a few days later. He died in [Nobleboro, Maine](/source/Nobleboro%2C_Maine), at the age of 46. He was survived by his parents, a wife, and a daughter, Barbara.[{{cite news|title=Val Picinich, who managed Allentown Wings in 1940, succumbs to pneumonia|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/275133721/|work=[The Morning Call](/source/The_Morning_Call)|date=December 6, 1942}}]
His daughter was married to [Roland L. Bragg](/source/Roland_L._Bragg), U.S. Army paratrooper and the namesake of [Fort Bragg](/source/Fort_Bragg).[{{Cite news |date=January 14, 1999 |title=Obituary - Roland L. Bragg |work=[Portland Press Herald](/source/Portland_Press_Herald)}}][{{Cite web |title=Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Renames Fort Liberty to Fort Roland L. Bragg |url=https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4062245/secretary-of-defense-pete-hegseth-renames-fort-liberty-to-fort-bragg/ |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=U.S. Department of Defense |language=en-US}}]
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
==External links==
{{Baseballstats|br=p/picinva01|brm=picini001val}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Picinich, Val}}
Category:1896 births
Category:1942 deaths
Category:Atlanta Crackers players
Category:Baltimore Orioles (International League) players
Category:Baseball players from New York City
Category:Boston Red Sox players
Category:Brooklyn Dodgers players
Category:Brooklyn Robins players
Category:Charleston Senators players
Category:Cincinnati Reds coaches
Category:Cincinnati Reds players
Category:Jersey City Skeeters players
Category:Major League Baseball catchers
Category:Minor league baseball managers
Category:New York Giants (baseball) scouts
Category:Philadelphia Athletics players
Category:20th-century American sportsmen
Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players
Category:Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players
Category:Washington Senators (1901–1960) players
Category:People from Nobleboro, Maine
Category:Deaths from influenza in the United States
Category:Deaths from pneumonia in Maine
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Val Picinich](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Picinich) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Picinich?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.