Denis Menke

Denis John Menke (July 21, 1940 – December 1, 2020) was an American professional baseball infielder and coach. He played all or parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1974. He played for the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1962–67), Houston Astros (1968–71, 1974) and Cincinnati Reds (1972–73), all of the National League. He was elected to the National League All-Star team in 1969 and 1970.

Menke was born in Bancroft, Iowa, and raised on a 480-acre farm in the northern part of the state. He played at St. John's High School in Bancroft, where he pitched for the school's team. Menke signed with the Milwaukee Braves in 1958 for $175,000 (equivalent to $1,907,238 in 2024).

In October 1965, Bancroft held a Denis Menke Day.

Menke played full-time in the Braves minor league system from 1958 to 1961. In 1958–59, he split his time between Class-D and Class-B baseball, playing shortstop. In 1960, he played a full season for the Class-B Yakima Braves of the Northwest League. Again playing shortstop, he had a .336 batting average, with 28 home runs, 114 runs scored, 103 runs batted in (RBI), 88 bases on balls and a 1.039 on-base plus slugging (OPS).

In 1961, still only 20-years old, Menke was promoted to the Triple-A Vancouver Mounties of the Pacific Coast League. He hit .293, with 15 homes runs, 75 runs scored, 73 RBIs and 89 bases on balls. He again played shortstop, and had a .956 fielding percentage, the best of his minor league career at that position.

In 1962, he split the season between the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Triple-A International League and the Milwaukee Braves. He began the season with the Braves, but could not find a place in the lineup and was assigned to Toronto. Of the 79 games he played in Toronto, most were at first base, with some at second and third base. None were at shortstop. In 1961–62, the Braves had Roy McMillan at shortstop. Although McMillan only hit .220 and .246 respectively those years, his .975 fielding percentage in 1961 led all shortstops in major league baseball. McMillan's 1962 fielding percentage was .972, second in the league to José Pagán's .973.

Menke played his first major league games in 1962, appearing in 50 games for the Braves. He hit .192 in 146 at bats, with only two home runs; the first one of which was a grand slam. He played second base, third base and first base in the field; though unlike his time in Toronto, the majority of his games were at second and third base.

In 1963, Menke played a full season with Milwaukee, batting .234 with 11 home runs. He played over 80 games at shortstop, as well as playing over 50 games at second base and over 20 at third base. He had a .976 fielding percentage at shortstop, .971 at second base, and .928 at third base. From 1964 to 1967 he played a variety of positions for the Braves, but the majority of his games were at shortstop. He suffered injuries in 1965, including missing 38 games with phlebitis after a violent collision at home plate. Over his full six-year Braves career (in Milwaukee and Atlanta), he had a .245 batting average with 59 homes runs, 257 runs scored and 248 RBIs.