John Woolf Beall (March 12, 1882 – June 14, 1926) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
who played for the
Cleveland Naps
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...
,
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
,
Cincinnati Reds and
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
.
Career
Beall was born in
Beltsville, Maryland
Beltsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The community was named for Truman Belt, a local landowner. The 2020 census counted 20,133 residents. Beltsville includes the unincorporated ...
. On September 16, , he was drafted by the Cleveland Naps in the Denver (Western) rule 5 draft. He signed to play in the Naps organization.
He made his major league debut on April 17, with the Naps at age 31. On May 29, he was traded to
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
(
American Association American Association may refer to:
Baseball
* American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891
* American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997
* American Association of Profe ...
) to complete an earlier trade. However, in June 1913 the trade was voided, and Beall returned to the Naps.
On June 6, he was claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox. After only about one month with Chicago, he was traded back to Milwaukee. This time, the trade didn't void. In 1913, Beall
batted .258 in 66
at bats. He did not play in the major leagues in 1914. On September 15, , Beall was claimed by the Cincinnati Reds in the
rule 5 draft. In 1915, he hit .235 in 34 at-bats; in 1916, he hit .333 in 21 at-bats and on April 20 he hit the first ever
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
at
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago ...
. In April of that year, the Milwaukee team purchased Beall from the Reds. He did not play in the major leagues in 1917. It is unknown how Beall got to the Cardinals, but in 1918 he hit .224 in 49 at-bats in St. Louis.
His final major league game was on July 16 of that year.
At the time of his retirement, Beall had a career batting average of .253. He finished with 170 at bats in 58 games. He
drove in 17 runs during his career. Beall hit three
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s over the course of his career. His lifetime
fielding percentage was .972.
Beall died at age 44 in his hometown of Beltsville.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beall, Johnny
1882 births
1926 deaths
Baseball players from Maryland
Major League Baseball outfielders
Cleveland Naps players
Chicago White Sox players
Cincinnati Reds players
St. Louis Cardinals players
People from Beltsville, Maryland
Minor league baseball managers
Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players
Denver Grizzlies (baseball) players
Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players