Johnny Nee

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John Coleman Nee

BR minors page

Biographical Information[edit]

Johnny Nee was a major league baseball scout and a minor league player-manager.

Nee, a young minor league infielder of 22, was chosen to skipper the Terre Haute team in 1912 as a player-manager. He served as a player-manager at many of his minor league stops including his last post as the leader of the Virginia League Kinston Eagles (1925-1926). During that final managerial season, one of his young charges was future Hall of Famer Rick Ferrell.

Starting in 1927, Nee began a long career as a major league scout for the New York Yankees and was credited with discovering many future major leaguers including Bill Dickey, Gene Bearden , Marv Breuer , Ben Chapman , Atley Donald , Tommy Henrich , Chink Outen , Billy Werber , Johnny Allen , Dixie Walker , Spud Chandler , Billy Hitchcock and Willie Jones. He left the Yankees for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1946. At the end of the 1949 season, Nee was named head of the Phillies farm system.

Nee and his wife of many years, Willa (née Harpe), lived in Pinellas County, Florida where Willa passed away in 1952 and Johnny died in 1957.


Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]

Year Team League Record Finish Playoffs
1912 Terre Haute Terre-iers Central League 10th none replaced Angus Grant
1913 Dayton Veterans Central League 62-77 4th none
1914 Dayton Veterans Central League 85-49 1st none League Champs
1916 Dayton Veterans Central League 73-57 2nd League Champs
1917 Dayton Veterans Central League 44-68 7th
1918 Topeka Kaw-nees / Hutchinson Salt Packers Western League 37-31 2nd League suspended operations July 7
1919 Evansville Evas Three-I League 63-58 3rd none
1920 San Antonio Bears Texas League 79-71 5th none
1921 San Antonio Bears Texas League 60-98 8th none
1922 Evansville Evas Three-I League 74-64 4th none
1923 Evansville Evas Three-I League 72-65 5th none
1924 Augusta Tygers South Atlantic League 74-47 1st League Champs
1925 Kinston Eagles Virginia League 52-80 6th none
1926 Kinston Eagles Virginia League 69-83 5th none