JOE TORRE

Baseball

Born: July 18, 1940, Brooklyn, New York
Position: Catcher
Played For: Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1960-68), St. Louis Cardinals (1969-1973), New York Mets (1975-1977)

Joe Torre won National League Most Valuable Player honors with the Cardinals in 1971, highlighting an 18-year playing career split between catcher (he won a Gold Glove in 1965), first base, third base and the outfield. He also managed the Cardinals from 1990 to 1995.

Torre was named Major League Baseball’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations on Feb. 26, 2011. In this capacity, Torre oversees areas that include Major League Operations, On-Field Operations, On-Field Discipline and Umpiring. He serves as the Office of the Commissioner’s primary liaison to the general managers and field managers of the 30 Major League clubs regarding all baseball and on-field matters.

Torre was traded by the Atlanta Braves to the Cardinals in 1969 for Orlando Cepeda and played six seasons for the Redbirds (1969-74). With the Cardinals, he averaged 16 home runs and a .308 batting average. But his finest season with the Cards came in 1971, when he had 230 hits, 24 home runs, 137 RBIs and batted .363 en route to winning the National League batting title National League MVP honors. He also was a nine-time All-Star, including five with the Cardinals.

In December 1971, Torre was awarded the 1971 Hutch Award, given annually to the player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire of former Cardinal manager Fred Hutchinson. But after the 1974 season, he was traded to the New York Mets for pitchers Ray Sadecki and Tommy Moore.

He retired as a player in 1976, but not from baseball. Torre embarked on a successful managing career, leading the New York Mets from 1977-1981, the Braves from 1982-1984, the Cardinals from 1990-1995, the New York Yankees from 1996-2007, and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008-2009.

With the Yankees, Torre reached the postseason every year and won 10 American League East Division titles, six American League pennants, four World Series championships. Overall, he compiled a .605 winning percentage. His 2,326 career managerial victories ranks fifth in Major League Baseball history.

Torre has also worked as a television color commentator for the California Angels for NBC’s Game of the Week telecasts, where he shared duties with Jay Randolph.

Torre is Chairman of the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation, which he and his wife, Ali, launched in 2002. In 2010, he was appointed by President Obama to serve on the National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women.