Joe Cronin
Joe Cronin figures greatly in the history of the Boston franchise from the mid-thirties on. Acquired by Tom Yawkey for a record $225,000 prior to the 1935 season, Cronin was a fixture at shortstop until 1946 and as manager through the 1947 season. On the field the right-handed hitter was a solid shortstop in the field and excellent at the plate. Eleven times he topped the .300 mark, finishing at.301 for his career, all but the first nine seasons spent in a Red Sox uniform.
Played For
Pittsburgh Pirates (1926-1927)
Washington Senators (1928-1934)
Boston Red Sox (1935-1945)
Managed
Washington Senators (1933-1934)
Boston Red Sox (1935-1947)
All-Time Rankings
Joe Cronin ranks #9 among the Top 50 all-time at SS. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1930
Cronin batted .346 with a .422 OBP and .513 SLG (this is when shortstops had names like Rabbit and Sparky and were not expected to bat anywhere but 8th). He laced 203 hits, scoring 127 runs, driving in 126 (he topped the century mark in ribbies eight times, including 5 straight seasons from 1930-34). Cronin wasn't the fastest shortstop but he fielded his position well.
Description
Cronin was a fiesty leader, moody at times. He was also very sensitive, especially concerning his throwing problems early in his career. Aggresive, Cronin was scrappy, had an untamed temper, and hated the Yankees. In a celebrated fight in May of 1938, Cronin intercepted Yankee Jake Powell as the latter was charging the mound to confront red Sox hurler Archie McKain (McKain had unsuccessfully aimed for Powell's head before plunking the Yank in the stomach with one of his fastballs). Cronin and Powell tussled in the middle of the diamond and after both wrere ejected from the game, they resumed their hostilities under the Yankee Stadium stands. According to reports, Cronin received the worst of it, including several cuts to the face, but with several Yankees surrounding the two, Joe was outnumbered.
Born
Joseph Edward Cronin was born on October 12, 1906, in San Francisco, CA.
Died
September 7, 1984, Osterville, MA
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: SS
Primary Team: BOS
Major League Debut
April 29, 1926
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1926
Mel Ott
Paul Waner
Joe Cronin
Tony Lazzeri
General Crwoder
Babe Herman
Ethan Allen
Bump Hadley
Ski Melillo
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1947 |
BBWAA |
6 |
3.7% |
1948 |
BBWAA |
25 |
20.7% |
1949 |
BBWAA |
33 |
21.6% |
1949 |
Run Off |
16 |
8.6% |
1950 |
BBWAA |
33 |
19.6% |
1951 |
BBWAA |
44 |
19.5% |
1952 |
BBWAA |
48 |
20.5% |
1953 |
BBWAA |
69 |
26.1% |
1954 |
BBWAA |
85 |
33.7% |
1955 |
BBWAA |
135 |
53.8% |
1956 |
BBWAA |
152 |
78.8% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1933 World Series
Batting Feats
- September 2, 1929: Cycle...
- August 2, 1940: Cycle...
Hitting Streaks
22 games (1932)
20 games (1930)
Transactions
October 26, 1934: Traded by the Washington Senators to the Boston Red Sox for Lyn Lary and $225,000 cash; June 6, 1946: Released by the Boston Red Sox.
It's worth noting that Cronin was married to Washington owner Calvin Griffith's niece when he was traded to the Red Sox. That must have resulted in an interesting Thanksgiving.
All-Star Selections
1933 AL
1934 AL
1935 AL
1937 AL
1938 AL
1939 AL
1941 AL
Replaced
He beat out Bobby reeves, another young shortstop, for the Senators' shortstop job in 1928.
Replaced By
Johnny Pesky
Best Strength as a Player
Hitting for average.
Largest Weakness as a Player
His throwing arm was erratic and he was almost always among league leaders in errors at shortstop.
Learn More about Joe Cronin
Search Amazon.com for Books about Joe Cronin ⇒
Search for Joe Cronin at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
