Monchak was a native of
Bayonne, New Jersey. He served in
World War II, achieving the noncommissioned officer (NCO) rank of Staff Sergeant (S-SGT), the campaigns in which he served include Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe receiving the following citations: American Theater Ribbon, European-African-Middle Eastern Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, and Victory Medal, according to War Department Adjutant General's Office Form (WD AGO Form) 53-55 dated 1 November 1944 Box 32 Battles and Campaigns, Box 33 Decorations and Citations, and Box 38 Highest Grade Held. Before the war, his MLB career began as the shortstop with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1940. During the 1940 season, he was a .143 hitter (2-for-14) with one
run and one
stolen base in 19 games. Following his military service, Monchak continued to pursue his childhood dream of a career in baseball by being on the field of play. He became a
Minor League manager from 1949 to 1961, acting as a player/manager through 1956, and winning four championship titles. He later served as a
scout and instructor in the
California Angels system (1962–70). Both he and
Joe Lonnett were named first- and third-base
coaches respectively by
manager Chuck Tanner with the
Chicago White Sox on October 2, 1970. All three would serve in similar capacities together with the White Sox (
1971–
75),
Oakland Athletics (
1976) and
Pittsburgh Pirates (
1977–
84). His childhood dream came true when he was the first base coach with the
"We Are Family" Pirates in 1979, who became MLB World Champions. He continued as Tanner's first-base coach when he joined the
Atlanta Braves on October 14, 1985, and would serve with the team from
1986 to
1988. Monchak was named the 2009 winner of the
Roland Hemond Award by
Baseball America in December 2009. The award recognizes baseball figures who have made long-term contributions to scouting and
player development operations. Monchak died on September 12, 2015, at the age of 98. At the time of his death, he was recognized as the third oldest living Major League player. ==References==