1934-36 Diamond Stars: #140 Mike Kreevich

Sunday, January 18, 2026

#140 Mike Kreevich - Chicago White Sox

Michael Andreas Kreevich

Chicago White Sox

Outfield

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5'7" Weight: 168

Born: June 10, 1908, Mount Olive, IL

Major League Teams: Chicago Cubs 1931; Chicago White Sox 1935-41; Philadelphia Athletics 1942; St. Louis Browns 1943-45; Washington Nationals 1945

World Series Appearances: St. Louis Browns 1944

Died: April 25, 1994, Pana, IL (85)

Short of stature, Mike Kreevich persevered through six full seasons in the minors, earning a cup of coffee with the Cubs in 1931 and with the White Sox in 1935, before earning regular playing time in 1936 as the everyday centerfielder for the White Sox. His career year would come in 1937 when he led the league with 16 triples and batted .302 with 12 home runs and 73 RBIs for the third place White Sox. Kreevich was the starting left fielder for the American League All-Stars in 1938, and he'd have another big year for Chicago in 1939, batting a career-best .323 with a career high 77 RBIs.

Kreevich's speed made him an above-average defender, and modern statistics place him 38th all-time in Range Factor/Game as a center fielder with a 2.62 mark. He led all outfielders twice in fielding percentage. Also a skilled bunter, he led the league in sacrifices in both 1939 and 1940, with 22 and 21 respectively. He steadily declined beginning in 1940, but he did have a late career resurgence with the American League Champion Browns in 1944. In 1,241 major league games, Kreevich batted .283 with 221 doubles, 75 triples, 45 home runs and 514 RBIs.

Building the Set

December 16, 2020 from Albion, NY

Within days of officially deciding to collect the Diamond Stars set, I found myself searching for the 1993 extension set consisting of 36 more "what if" cards this time issued by the Chicle Fantasy Company. Individual cards from this set are very prevalent on eBay, but I wanted to buy a complete set to save myself some time and money. Given this is a relatively modern set, I was somewhat surprised at the closing auction prices for previously sold complete sets and I was happy to win my set at a lower price.

These cards are gorgeous, and I can tell a lot of hard work and love for the originals went into making this tribute set. What's more, the set's creators were smart enough to start the numbering with card #121, given the 1981 extension set had left off with #120.

Variations Available

1 - 1993 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1993 copyright

The Card / White Sox Team Set

Kreevich is depicted making a diving play in the outfield, fitting given his stellar defensive skills. The back of the card highlights his speed and encourages other short ballplayers to follow Kreevich's example. For such a successful player from his era, Kreevich has surprisingly few contemporaneous baseball cards. While not a Hall of Famer, I'm glad he was included in this extended set.

1936 Season

From Kreevich's SABR biography, written by John Gabcik and Jack Zerby:

Early in the 1935-36 offseason he was projected as the starting third baseman for the White Sox, but by the time spring training ended in late April, he was in center field. He stayed there, also playing the outfield corners, for the entire season. Again, he continued to hit well.

By midseason 1936, "the popular little fellow," still a rookie, was becoming such a fan favorite that the White Sox held Mike Kreevich Day at Comiskey Park on Sunday, June 28. Honored with a "big floral horseshoe and other gifts," Kreevich sat out the first game of the day's twin bill as Chicago lost. He failed to hit safely in four trips to the plate in the second game but drove in a run on a double-play grounder. The fans went home happy as the White Sox beat Washington, 4-1, with their honoree in the lineup. Later that season Kreevich had a career-high five hits in a game on September 11 against Philadelphia. He finished the campaign at .307 in 550 at-bats.

Early in the 1936 season, Chicago had entertained thoughts of trading Kreevich to the Boston Red Sox "for any outfielder on the Boston roster and Boston laughed." As it developed, he became a fixture in the Comiskey Park outfield of a solid rookie year.