Johnny Bero
From BR Bullpen
John George Bero
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 170 lb.
- School Western Michigan College
- Debut September 26, 1948
- Final Game July 22, 1951
- Born December 22, 1922 in Gary, WV USA
- Died May 11, 1985 in Gardena, CA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Johnny Bero was one of three shortstops for the 1951 St. Louis Browns. Bero appeared in 55 games at the position, and hit .212. Muscles Upton, the regular shortstop from 1950, appeared in 47 games at shortstop in 1951, hitting .198. And Bill Jennings made his debut on July 19, and appeared in 64 games at shortstop that season, hitting .179. Bero's last game was July 22, so the Browns must have decided that Jennings would get the job for the rest of the season. Of the three players, Jennings had the best range, although they all had similar fielding percentages. Bero, though, was the best hitter, slugging 5 home runs while the other shortstops had none.
Neither Bero nor Jennings appeared in the majors after 1951, while Upton came back in 1952 for 5 games and was done.
Bero played for the Toledo Mud Hens in 1949 and 1950, the Fort Worth Cats in 1951, and the Oakland Oaks in 1952 and 1953.
He was playing for Buffalo in 1948 when called up to play a few games for the 1948 Detroit Tigers. A spot opened up for him when Hoot Evers went into the hospital with lung congestion.
