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Jimmy Cooney (cooneji02)
From BR Bullpen
James Edward Cooney
(Scoops)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 160 lb.
- Debut September 22, 1917
- Final Game June 16, 1928
- Born August 24, 1894 in Cranston, RI USA
- Died August 7, 1991 in Warwick, RI USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Jimmy Cooney played seven seasons in the big leagues, most notably as a regular in 1924, 1926 and more-or-less in 1927.
After cups of coffee with the Boston Red Sox in 1917 and the New York Giants in 1919, Cooney spent several years playing for the Milwaukee Brewers before coming back to the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1924, when he had his best major league season, hitting .295 and serving as the double-play combo with Rogers Hornsby, who was one year younger. He played 54 games for the Cards in 1925, hitting .273, then was the starting shortstop for the Chicago Cubs in 1926, when he played 141 games and batted .288. On June 7, 1927, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies with P Tony Kaufmann for P Hal Carlson. He hit .242 in 33 games for the Cubs that year, and improved to .270 in 70 games for the Phils. However, he had very little power and did not draw any walks, so his decent batting averages were really his only contribution on offense. His career OPS+ is only 67.
He closed out his major league career as a backup with the Boston Braves in 1928, where Hornsby was the regular second baseman.
In 1930 and 1931, he managed the Buffalo Bisons to a 104-166 record. The team finished in 6th place in the International League in 1930 and 8th place in 1931.
He was the son of Jimmy Cooney (who was also a major league shortstop) and the brother of Johnny Cooney.
He turned an unassisted triple play on May 30, 1927. Hall of Famer Paul Waner was the batter. Cooney lived to age 96, and his 1991 Associated Press obituary remembered him primarily for the triple play.
The book The American Association Milwaukee Brewers has a photo of him from 1924 and says he played five seasons for the Brewers, stealing 60 bases in 1923.
He lived in Naragansett in later life for 25 years.
