Vern Rapp

Vernon Fred Rapp (May 11, 1928 – December 31, 2015) was a Major League Baseball manager and coach. A career minor league catcher and a successful skipper in the minors, Rapp had two brief tours of duty as a big league manager.

Minor League playing career

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Rapp signed his first playing contract out of high school in 1945 with his hometown St. Louis Cardinals. A right-handed batter and thrower, he reached the triple A level with the Columbus Red Birds in 1948, but never made it to the major leagues. After missing two seasons due to military service during the Korean War, Rapp was released by the Cardinals in 1955, and signed with the independent Charleston Senators of the American Association for the 1956 season. The experience provided him his first managing job, when, at age 27, he succeeded Danny Murtaugh as field boss of the last-place Senators. As player-manager, Rapp guided his club to only 19 victories in 59 games.

The following season, Rapp joined the New York Giants organization, and batted .302 with eleven home runs for their triple A affiliate, the Minneapolis Millers. After spending 1957 with the Louisville Colonels, Rapp became a player/coach with the Denver Bears. Denver was a New York Yankees affiliate when he joined the club in 1958, and he remained with them through 1960, by which time they were a Detroit Tigers affiliate. During three seasons with the Denver Bears, he became associated with Denver owner Bob Howsam, who would play an influential role later in Rapp's career.