Detroit’s regular third baseman from 1915 through 1917, Vitt was a marginal ballplayer who never batted higher than .254. But he was a smart, scrappy baseball man who became a minor league manager and earned a reputation for leading aggressive teams to pennants. He was hired by the Indians to instill new life into the team in 1938 and finished third in 1938 and 1939, but his tactics were resisted by the Cleveland players. They petitioned for his removal in 1940, becoming known as The Crybabies, and lost the pennant they had been expected to win, finishing a game behind the first-place Tigers. Vitt was replaced by Roger Peckinpaugh for 1941.
