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Stubby the Third, redux[Next Page - Bighorn Bonanza]
February 28, 2023
[Photos]

One of the all-time great baseball names is Stubby Clapp, the third of his clan to bear that nickname. He was born Richard Clapp in Windsor, Ontario, son of Keith "Stubby" Clapp and grandson of David "Stubby" Clapp. I first became aware of him when he was a St. Louis Cardinals prospect playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 2000 Arizona Fall League. The Cardinals also sent another minor leaguer to the AFL that year, Albert Pujols, and the two split time at third base with the Scorpions.

Pujols eventually found his position in the majors at first base and retired after 2022 with 703 home runs, 2,218 RBIs, and three MVP awards. Stubby had a cup of coffee with the Cardinals in 2001, going 5 for 25 with one RBI. After the 2000 AFL, I encountered him for a second time when he was playing with the Edmonton Cracker Cats against the Kansas City T-Bones in the independent Northern League in 2005. As I commented back in 2005, Stubby was probably making about $5,000 with the Cracker Cats and Pujols was being paid $11 million by the Cardinals.

Stubby's playing career came to an end after playing second base for Canada in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, and he began his climb as a coach through the minor leagues in 2007. He is beloved in Memphis for his minor league playing career there and for his stint as Redbirds manager 2016-18. There is a bobblehead of Stubby in a Memphis Redbirds uniform on eBay for $79.99. After paying his dues in the minors, he became first base coach for the Cardinals in 2019 and is occasionally mentioned as an MLB managerial prospect.

I often reflect on the divergent paths Pujols and Clapp took after sharing time at third base with the Scorpions. Pujols rode his immense talent to super stardom and will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in a couple years. The less-talented Clapp hung around, hung around, hung around, and he's still around. He only wore the Cardinals uniform in 23 major league games as a player, but for the past four seasons he has dressed in a major league uniform every gameday as a coach. When Albert hit his 700th home run against the Dodgers late in the 2022 season, the first to congratulate him as he was rounding the bases was the first base coach, Stubby Clapp. Success has different definitions.

Stubby Clapp
Scottsdale Scorpions third baseman Stubby Clapp, 2000

Albert Pujols
Scottsdale Scorpions third baseman Albert Pujols, 2000

Stubby Clapp
Stubby Clapp as a Cracker Cat in 2005


Pujols and Clapp celebrate Albert's 700th home run, September 2022.
Photo by Robert Cohen, St. Louis Post Dispatch.


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