Joe Cronin

Hall of Fame shortstop, player-manager, and American League president.

Joseph Edward Cronin (October 12, 1906 – September 7, 1984) was an American professional baseball player, manager and executive. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop, most notably as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Cronin spent over 48 years in baseball, culminating with 14 years as president of the American League (AL).

Quick Facts

Position: Shortstop; Manager
Born: 12 October 1906
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died: 7 September 1984
Place of death: Osterville, Massachusetts, U.S.
Bats: Right
Debut league: MLB
Debut date: April 29

Lore & Background

During his 20-year playing career (1926–1945), Cronin played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Senators and the Boston Red Sox; he was a player-manager for 13 seasons (1933–1945), and served as manager for two additional seasons (1946–1947). A seven-time All-Star, Cronin became the first American League player to become an All-Star with two teams; he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956.

Reader's Guide

Cronin was born in the Excelsior District of San Francisco, California. His parents lost almost all of their possessions in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Cronin attended Sacred Heart High School. He played several sports as a child and won a city tennis championship for his age group when he was 14.

As he was not greatly interested in school, Cronin's grades improved only when the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League began giving away tickets to students with good conduct and attendance. At the time, the nearest MLB team was nearly 2000 mi from San Francisco. Cronin began his major league career playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1926 and 1927. Baseball promoter Joe Engel signed Cronin to the Senators in 1928.

In 1930, Cronin ranked 26th in the league for batting average at .346, 35th for home runs with 13, and 13th for RBI with 126. Cronin won both the AL Writers' MVP and the AL Sporting News MVP. In his 1931 season, he posted a .306 average, 12 home runs, and 126 RBIs. Cronin led the Senators to the 1933 World Series and later married Mildred Robertson, the niece of Senators' owner Clark Griffith.

Cronin was named player-manager of the Senators in 1933, a post he would hold for two years. In his first year, he led the Senators to what would be their last pennant in Washington. While on his honeymoon, he received a telegram from Griffith informing him that the Boston Red Sox had offered the Senators their starting shortstop, Lyn Lary, in return for Cronin and $250,000. Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey also offered Cronin a five-year contract as player-manager.

Cronin accepted the trade. Cronin remained as player-manager of the Red Sox until 1945, then continued solely as manager until 1947. As early as 1939, it was apparent to the Red Sox that Cronin's playing career was nearly over. Red Sox farm system director Billy Evans thought he had found Cronin's successor in Pee Wee Reese.

However, when Yawkey and Evans asked Cronin to scout Reese, Cronin realized he was scouting his potential replacement. Believing he still had enough left to be a regular player, Cronin deliberately downplayed Reese's talent and suggested the Red Sox trade him. Reese was eventually traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he had a Hall of Fame career. Cronin's last year as a full-time player was 1941; after that season he never played more than 76 games per season.