By Dave Jordan

On April 12, 2009 - Easter Sunday, Eugene Louis “Gene” Handley passed away, reducing the number of living Philadelphia Athletics players to 52.

Gene played 125 games for the A’s in 1946 and 1947, mostly at second base with a few at third and two at shortstop. He hit .252 for those two seasons, his only ones in the majors. Who’s Who in Baseball in 1947 said Gene Handley was “fast, clever and a fair hitter.”

Born November 25, 1914, in Kennett, Missouri, Handley was signed originally in 1935, coming out of Bradley University with a B.S. degree, by Frank Lane for the Cincinnati Reds, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Lee, who put together a 10-year career as an infielder for the Reds, Pirates, and Phillies. Before coming to the big leagues, Gene was in the Pittsburgh organization (there is a fascinating photo of Gene and Lee in the Pirates’ 1940 spring camp, posed with another brother combination, the Pirates’ Paul and Lloyd Waner). The Cardinals picked up Gene on April 15, 1940, and he wound up with their Sacramento club in the Pacific Coast League. He spent five seasons with the Solons, with 1943 on the inactive list, and was drafted by Connie Mack in November 1945.

After his tenure with the Athletics, Gene went back to the PCL, where he spent six years with the Hollywood Stars, batting a high of .321 in 1948. In 1955, he signed on with the Chicago Cubs and spent 54 years with the team, as a player-manager of their Stockton Ports farm in the California League in 1955, as manager of Fort Worth in the Texas League in 1957, and as a scout the rest of the years, including 1984-87 as a cross-checker and as a Special Assignment scout since 2003. Among the many players Handley found for the Cubs were Dick Ellsworth, Bill Stoneman, Boby Pfeil, Jim Qualls, Ken Rudolph, Bill Bonham, Mike Krukow, and Pete LaCock.

Gene Handley was a perfect example of a baseball “lifer,” and we were fortunate to have him with the A’s for his big league career. The Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society will miss him and offers condolences to his family.