Johnny Cooney, baseball player, 1921-1944

Johnny Cooney

Born: 3/18/1901 in Cranston, RI, USA

Died: 7/8/1986 in Sarasota, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1921-04-19 | Final Game: 1944-07-30

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: John Walter Cooney

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Biography

Johnny Cooney, born in 1901, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1921 to July 30, 1944. He played during an era of great transition in Major League Baseball, witnessing the decline of the deadball era and the rise of more power-oriented play. Cooney was known for his resilience on the mound and his ability to keep games competitive, finishing his career with a record of 34 wins and 44 losses. His earned run average (ERA) stood at 3.72, showcasing his capacity to limit opposing scoring opportunities over his time in the league. Over the course of his career, Cooney accumulated a total of 224 strikeouts and recorded 6 saves, highlighting his effectiveness as a late-inning reliever as well as a starter. Although he may not have achieved the fame of some of his contemporaries, Cooney contributed to the teams he played for with his steady pitching and competitive spirit, leaving a mark in the annals of baseball history as a reliable arm during a pivotal time in the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
34 44 159 76 44 7 6 795.3 858 329 41 223 224 3.72 0

Career ERA 3.72 vs. league average 4.28 across their career seasons — 13.1% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1921 BSN NL 0 1 8 1 0 0 0 20.7 19 9 10 9 3.92 4.02 (+3%) -837.3
1922 BSN NL 1 2 4 3 1 0 0 25.0 19 6 6 7 2.16 4.18 (+48%) 442.6
1923 BSN NL 3 5 23 8 5 2 0 98.0 92 36 22 23 3.31 4.03 (+18%) 763.1
1924 BSN NL 8 9 34 19 12 2 2 181.0 176 64 50 67 3.18 4.13 (+23%) 2252.4
1925 BSN NL 14 14 31 29 20 2 0 245.7 267 95 50 65 3.48 4.55 (+24%) -781.5
1926 BSN NL 3 3 19 8 3 1 0 83.3 106 37 29 23 4.00 4.11 (+3%) 622.8
1928 BSN NL 3 7 24 6 2 0 1 89.7 106 43 31 18 4.32 4.13 (-4%) -1395.8
1929 BSN NL 2 3 14 2 1 0 3 45.0 57 25 22 11 5.00 4.60 (-9%) -996.5
1930 BSN NL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 7.0 16 14 3 1 18.00 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1172 3372 409 965 130 26 2 219 30 208 107 0.286 0.329 0.342 0.671 -4647.9

Career AVG .286 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .329 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .342 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 12.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.671 vs. league average 0.733 across their career seasons — 8.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1921 BSN NL 8 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1922 BSN NL 4 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1923 BSN NL 42 66 7 25 1 0 0 3 0 4 2 0.379 .282 (+34%) .344 (+20%) .390 (+1%) .734 (+10%) 135.3
1924 BSN NL 55 130 10 33 2 1 0 4 0 9 5 0.254 .283 (-11%) .345 (-13%) .389 (-27%) .734 (-20%) -458.4
1925 BSN NL 54 103 17 33 7 0 0 13 1 3 6 0.320 .288 (+11%) .349 (-1%) .407 (-5%) .756 (-3%) -62.4
1926 BSN NL 64 126 17 38 3 2 0 18 6 13 7 0.302 .279 (+8%) .345 (+6%) .390 (-8%) .735 (-2%) -9.4
1927 BSN NL 10 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1928 BSN NL 33 41 2 7 0 0 0 2 0 4 3 0.171 — — — — 0.0
1929 BSN NL 41 72 10 23 4 1 0 6 1 3 3 0.319 .289 (+10%) .353 (avg) .415 (-3%) .769 (-1%) -23.5
1930 BSN NL 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1935 BRO NL 10 29 3 9 0 1 0 1 0 3 2 0.310 — — — — 0.0
1936 BRO NL 130 507 71 143 17 5 0 30 3 24 15 0.282 .283 (-1%) .349 (-10%) .404 (-17%) .753 (-14%) -1494.3
1937 BRO NL 120 430 61 126 18 5 0 37 5 22 10 0.293 .276 (+6%) .342 (-4%) .398 (-10%) .740 (-7%) -683.5
1938 BSN NL 120 432 45 117 25 5 0 17 2 22 12 0.271 .272 (-1%) .341 (-10%) .392 (-10%) .734 (-10%) -976.3
1939 BSN NL 118 368 39 101 8 1 2 27 2 21 8 0.274 .274 (avg) .342 (-7%) .393 (-19%) .735 (-14%) -967.2
1940 BSN NL 108 365 40 116 14 3 0 21 4 25 9 0.318 .267 (+19%) .335 (+8%) .387 (-4%) .722 (+2%) 160.8
1941 BSN NL 123 442 52 141 25 2 0 29 3 27 15 0.319 .262 (+22%) .332 (+8%) .373 (+3%) .705 (+5%) 418.2
1942 BSN NL 74 198 23 41 6 0 0 7 2 23 5 0.207 .253 (-18%) .323 (-10%) .349 (-32%) .672 (-22%) -687.3
1943 BRO NL 37 34 7 7 0 0 0 2 1 4 3 0.206 — — — — 0.0
1944 BRO NL 7 4 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.750 — — — — 0.0
1944 NYY AL 10 8 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0.125 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 93 0 681 45 4 60
OF 794 0 1791 56 22 12
P 159 0 62 190 9 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1921 BSN P 8 0 2 5 0 0
1922 BSN P 4 0 1 6 0 1
1923 BSN 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1923 BSN OF 11 0 27 3 0 0
1923 BSN P 23 0 5 14 0 1
1924 BSN 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1924 BSN OF 16 0 50 1 3 0
1924 BSN P 34 0 18 32 2 3
1925 BSN 1B 3 0 18 1 1 4
1925 BSN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1925 BSN P 31 0 14 60 4 6
1926 BSN 1B 31 0 241 24 1 27
1926 BSN OF 1 0 3 0 0 0
1926 BSN P 19 0 7 21 2 1
1928 BSN 1B 3 0 16 0 1 2
1928 BSN OF 2 0 2 0 0 0
1928 BSN P 24 0 11 32 0 3
1929 BSN OF 16 0 45 0 0 0
1929 BSN P 14 0 4 16 1 1
1930 BSN P 2 0 0 4 0 0
1935 BRO OF 10 0 23 0 0 0
1936 BRO OF 130 0 336 11 2 3
1937 BRO 1B 2 0 2 0 0 0
1937 BRO OF 111 0 279 9 7 2
1938 BSN 1B 13 0 87 4 0 7
1938 BSN OF 110 0 209 6 4 2
1939 BSN 1B 2 0 5 0 0 0
1939 BSN OF 116 0 236 10 2 2
1940 BSN 1B 7 0 56 4 0 5
1940 BSN OF 99 0 238 5 2 0
1941 BSN 1B 4 0 41 2 0 4
1941 BSN OF 111 0 274 9 1 3
1942 BSN 1B 23 0 195 10 1 10
1942 BSN OF 54 0 59 2 1 0
1943 BRO 1B 3 0 16 0 0 1
1943 BRO OF 2 0 4 0 0 0
1944 BRO OF 2 0 3 0 0 0
1944 NYA OF 2 0 3 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 159
First Base 93
Left Field 47
Center Field 632
Right Field 130

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1941 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 20.0 336 0
1940 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 31.0 336 0
1937 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 4.0 80 0