Johnny Cooney
After a sore arm ended his pitching career, Johnny Cooney spent nearly five full seasons playing in the minor leagues before earning a trip back to the majors as an outfielder. In his "second career," Cooney batted .300 twice, played until he was 43 years old, and was one of the finest defensive center fielders in the National League. When the defending league champion Boston Braves struggled in 1949, Cooney replaced manager Billy Southworth in August. Though the team was satisfied with his efforts over the last six weeks of the season, Cooney was not interested in managing permanently, and declined to come back in 1950.
Played For
Boston Braves (1921-1930)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1935-1937)
Boston Braves (1938-1942)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1943-1944)
New York Yankees (1944)
Managed
Boston Braves (1949)
Minor League Experience
Cooney won a batting title with Toledo of the American Association.
Description
Cooney was a wonderful athlete. His ling, gliding strides in the outfield drew comparisons to Joe DiMaggio.
Where He Played
Cooney was a pitcher from 1921-1930, and an outfielder from 1935-1944. Always a good hitter, Cooney was used as an outfielder and first baseman occasionally between starts during the pitching phase of his career.
As a Manager
When Cooney took over the Braves in mid-August of 1949, he went to a set outfield, reversing Billy Southworth's platoon strategy.
Born
John Walter Cooney was born on March 18, 1901, in Cranston, RI.
Died
July 8, 1986, Sarasota, FL
Batted: Right
Threw: Left
Primary Position: OF
Primary Team: BSN
Major League Debut
April 19, 1921
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1921
Goose Goslin
Kiki Cuyler
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Luke Sewell
Riggs Stephenson
Lu Blue
Earl Sheely
Ray Kolp
Lew Fonseca
Family Tree
Cooney's father, Jimmy, was an infielder with Chicago in the 1890s. Jimmy's four sons all excelled at baseball, and in addition to Johnny, another son, Jimmy Jr., also played in the majors.
Related Players
Billy Southworth
Transactions
January 23, 1931: Purchased by the Toledo Mudhens (American Association) from the Boston Braves.
November 5, 1931: Sent by the New York Giants to Indianapolis (American Association) to complete an earlier deal made on August 11, 1931. The New York Giants sent players to be named later to Indianapolis for Len Koenecke. The New York Giants sent Johnny Cooney (November 5, 1931), Joe Heving (November 5, 1931), Jack Berly (November 5, 1931), and Harry Rosenberg (November 5, 1931) to Indianapolis (American Association) to complete the trade.
Before 1932 Season: Purchased by Toledo from the New York Giants.
September 10, 1935: Sent from Indianapolis (American Association) to the Brooklyn Dodgers in an unknown transaction.
October 4, 1937: Traded by the Brooklyn Dodgers with Jim Bucher, Roy Henshaw, and Joe Stripp to the St. Louis Cardinals for Leo Durocher.
April 18, 1938: Released by the St. Louis Cardinals.
April 19, 1938: Signed as a Free Agent with the Boston Bees.
January 16, 1943: Released by the Boston Braves.
January 21, 1943: Signed as a Free Agent with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
June 14, 1944: Released by the Brooklyn Dodgers.
June 17, 1944: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Yankees.
August 4, 1944: Released by the New York Yankees.
Learn More about Johnny Cooney
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