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
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 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | BSN | NL | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.7 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 3.92 | -799.0 |
| 1922 | BSN | NL | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25.0 | 19 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 2.16 | 486.8 |
| 1923 | BSN | NL | 3 | 5 | 23 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 98.0 | 92 | 36 | 22 | 23 | 3.31 | 903.7 |
| 1924 | BSN | NL | 8 | 9 | 34 | 19 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 181.0 | 176 | 64 | 50 | 67 | 3.18 | 2654.4 |
| 1925 | BSN | NL | 14 | 14 | 31 | 29 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 245.7 | 267 | 95 | 50 | 65 | 3.48 | 962.0 |
| 1926 | BSN | NL | 3 | 3 | 19 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 83.3 | 106 | 37 | 29 | 23 | 4.00 | 556.6 |
| 1928 | BSN | NL | 3 | 7 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 89.7 | 106 | 43 | 31 | 18 | 4.32 | -1240.6 |
| 1929 | BSN | NL | 2 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 45.0 | 57 | 25 | 22 | 11 | 5.00 | -931.4 |
| 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 | -4867.7 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | 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 | 129.2 |
| 1924 | BSN | NL | 55 | 130 | 10 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 0.254 | -479.5 |
| 1925 | BSN | NL | 54 | 103 | 17 | 33 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0.320 | -82.9 |
| 1926 | BSN | NL | 64 | 126 | 17 | 38 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 6 | 13 | 7 | 0.302 | 0.3 |
| 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 | -23.7 |
| 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 | -1482.2 |
| 1937 | BRO | NL | 120 | 430 | 61 | 126 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 37 | 5 | 22 | 10 | 0.293 | -705.4 |
| 1938 | BSN | NL | 120 | 432 | 45 | 117 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 22 | 12 | 0.271 | -1030.7 |
| 1939 | BSN | NL | 118 | 368 | 39 | 101 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 27 | 2 | 21 | 8 | 0.274 | -1018.5 |
| 1940 | BSN | NL | 108 | 365 | 40 | 116 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 4 | 25 | 9 | 0.318 | 142.1 |
| 1941 | BSN | NL | 123 | 442 | 52 | 141 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 3 | 27 | 15 | 0.319 | 375.5 |
| 1942 | BSN | NL | 74 | 198 | 23 | 41 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 23 | 5 | 0.207 | -691.9 |
| 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 | P | 23 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 1923 | BSN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923 | BSN | OF | 11 | 0 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924 | BSN | P | 34 | 0 | 18 | 32 | 2 | 3 |
| 1924 | BSN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924 | BSN | OF | 16 | 0 | 50 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1925 | BSN | P | 31 | 0 | 14 | 60 | 4 | 6 |
| 1925 | BSN | 1B | 3 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 1925 | BSN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1926 | BSN | P | 19 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 2 | 1 |
| 1926 | BSN | 1B | 31 | 0 | 241 | 24 | 1 | 27 |
| 1926 | BSN | OF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928 | BSN | P | 24 | 0 | 11 | 32 | 0 | 3 |
| 1928 | BSN | 1B | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1928 | BSN | OF | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929 | BSN | P | 14 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 1929 | BSN | OF | 16 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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 |