John McHale
Encyclopedia
John Joseph McHale was an American
first baseman
and executive in Major League Baseball
who served as the general manager
of three teams: the Detroit Tigers
, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves
, and Montreal Expos
. He served as the first president and executive director of the Expos during their maiden years in the National League
, and owned ten percent of the team. His son John McHale, Jr. is the current MLB executive vice president (administration).
, and attended Detroit Catholic Central High School
(Class of 1938) and the University of Notre Dame
. He batted left-handed
and threw right-handed, stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, and weighed 200 pounds (90.7 kg). He signed with his hometown Tigers in 1941 and two years later made his first MLB appearance. In five seasons and 64 games with the Tigers (1943–45, 1947–48), McHale compiled a batting average
of .193 with 22 hits
. He was hitless in three at bat
s in the 1945 World Series
, in which Detroit defeated the Chicago Cubs
.
He eventually became director of minor league operations for the Tigers and was named general manager in at the young age of 35. But he soon was recruited by the defending NL champion Braves, where he succeeded John Quinn
as general manager in January .
was in the prime of his career, eventual Hall of Famers Warren Spahn
and Eddie Mathews
, along with Del Crandall
, Lew Burdette
, Joe Adcock
and other stars of the Braves' 1950s contending club, aged and fell off in production, and young players developed by the team's farm system could not pick up the slack. However, according to an April 8, 1963 article in Sports Illustrated, it was McHale himself who disposed of young talent and decimated the farm system: "With General Manager John McHale trading away brilliant young pitchers ( Joey Jay and Juan Pizarro) and solid everyday performers like Billy Bruton and Joe Adcock, and then unloading over half the once fertile farm clubs, Bragan will have to depend on old Braves who may prefer peace to war."
As the Braves slipped into the middle ranks of the National League, attendance declined precipitously. In , the club was sold to a group of Chicago-based investors. By , the Braves were rumored (correctly) to be moving to Atlanta
. In , during their lame-duck season in Milwaukee, McHale was the figurehead for a supremely unpopular ownership.
In , the Atlanta Braves' first year, the club started slowly. McHale was replaced as general manager in mid-season by Paul Richards
, a legend in Atlanta since his days as playing manager of the Southern Association
Atlanta Crackers
from 1938-42. McHale then became the chief aide to Baseball Commissioner
William Eckert
.
. A few weeks after McHale's appointment, Eckert was fired as commissioner and McHale emerged as a leading contender to succeed his former boss, along with executives Michael Burke
of the New York Yankees
and Chub Feeney
of the San Francisco Giants
.
He had strong support in the American League
, but NL owners — who wanted McHale's experienced hand turned toward the fledgling Expo franchise — intervened and McHale's candidacy was halted. (The commissionership eventually went to NL attorney Bowie Kuhn
).
. While McHale concentrated on upper management responsibilities during his first decade with the Expos, he eventually assumed their general manager portfolio as well, and it was during his watch (as GM from 1978–84) that the Expos achieved their only playoff appearance, in . McHale resigned as general manager in favor of Murray Cook
at the close of the season, then stepped down from the club presidency in ; he was succeeded in the latter post by Claude Brochu
.
McHale was also the last non-Hall of Fame member of the Hall's Veterans Committee, having been grandfathered in
when the structure of the committee was updated in 2001.http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/veterans/veterans_committee.htm He died in Stuart, Florida
, at age 86.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
and executive in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who served as the general manager
General manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
of three teams: the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, and Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
. He served as the first president and executive director of the Expos during their maiden years in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
, and owned ten percent of the team. His son John McHale, Jr. is the current MLB executive vice president (administration).
Detroit Tigers' player and executive
McHale was born in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, and attended Detroit Catholic Central High School
Detroit Catholic Central High School
Detroit Catholic Central High School is a private, Catholic, all-male, college preparatory high school in Novi, Michigan. Founded in 1928 in Detroit, Michigan by the Archdiocese of Detroit, the school is operated by the Congregation of St. Basil...
(Class of 1938) and the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. He batted left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
and threw right-handed, stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, and weighed 200 pounds (90.7 kg). He signed with his hometown Tigers in 1941 and two years later made his first MLB appearance. In five seasons and 64 games with the Tigers (1943–45, 1947–48), McHale compiled a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of .193 with 22 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
. He was hitless in three at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s in the 1945 World Series
1945 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 3, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 2:Thursday, October 4, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 3:Friday, October 5, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan...
, in which Detroit defeated the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
.
He eventually became director of minor league operations for the Tigers and was named general manager in at the young age of 35. But he soon was recruited by the defending NL champion Braves, where he succeeded John Quinn
John Quinn (baseball executive)
John Jacob Quinn was an American executive in Major League Baseball and a member of one of the game's most celebrated multi-generational families....
as general manager in January .
Career in Milwaukee and Atlanta
As it turned out, McHale presided over the slow decline of the Braves on the field — while superstar Henry AaronHenry Aaron
Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron , nicknamed "Hammer," "Hammerin' Hank," and "Bad Henry," is a retired American baseball player whose Major League Baseball career spanned the years 1954 through 1976. Aaron is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time...
was in the prime of his career, eventual Hall of Famers Warren Spahn
Warren Spahn
Warren Edward Spahn was an American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in the National League. He won 20 games each in 13 seasons, including a 23-7 record when he was age 42...
and Eddie Mathews
Eddie Mathews
Edwin Lee "Eddie" Mathews was an American Major League Baseball third baseman. He is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen ever to play the game.-Early life:...
, along with Del Crandall
Del Crandall
Delmar Wesley Crandall is a former professional baseball catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who played most of his career with the Boston & Milwaukee Braves...
, Lew Burdette
Lew Burdette
Selva Lewis Burdette, Jr. was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played primarily for the Boston and Milwaukee Braves...
, Joe Adcock
Joe Adcock
Joseph Wilbur "Billy Joe" Adcock was an American first baseman and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the powerful Milwaukee Braves teams of the 1950s, whose career included numerous home run feats...
and other stars of the Braves' 1950s contending club, aged and fell off in production, and young players developed by the team's farm system could not pick up the slack. However, according to an April 8, 1963 article in Sports Illustrated, it was McHale himself who disposed of young talent and decimated the farm system: "With General Manager John McHale trading away brilliant young pitchers ( Joey Jay and Juan Pizarro) and solid everyday performers like Billy Bruton and Joe Adcock, and then unloading over half the once fertile farm clubs, Bragan will have to depend on old Braves who may prefer peace to war."
As the Braves slipped into the middle ranks of the National League, attendance declined precipitously. In , the club was sold to a group of Chicago-based investors. By , the Braves were rumored (correctly) to be moving to Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. In , during their lame-duck season in Milwaukee, McHale was the figurehead for a supremely unpopular ownership.
In , the Atlanta Braves' first year, the club started slowly. McHale was replaced as general manager in mid-season by Paul Richards
Paul Richards (baseball)
Paul Rapier Richards was an American professional baseball player, manager, scout and executive in Major League Baseball. During his playing career, he was a catcher and right-handed batter with the Brooklyn Dodgers , New York Giants , Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers...
, a legend in Atlanta since his days as playing manager of the Southern Association
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...
Atlanta Crackers
Atlanta Crackers
The Atlanta Crackers were minor league baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee in 1966....
from 1938-42. McHale then became the chief aide to Baseball Commissioner
Baseball Commissioner
The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive of Major League Baseball and its associated minor leagues. Under the direction of the Commissioner, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts...
William Eckert
William Eckert
William Dole "Spike" Eckert was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force, and later the fourth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1968.-Before baseball:...
.
Candidacy for Baseball Commissioner
In , the year before the NL expanded to 12 teams, McHale was named president of the fledgling Montreal Expos by their owner, Seagrams heir Charles BronfmanCharles Bronfman
Charles Rosner Bronfman, is a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. With an estimated net worth of $US 2.0 billion , Bronfman was ranked by Forbes as the 15th wealthiest Canadian and 595th in the world....
. A few weeks after McHale's appointment, Eckert was fired as commissioner and McHale emerged as a leading contender to succeed his former boss, along with executives Michael Burke
E. Michael Burke
Edmund Michael Burke was a U.S. Navy Officer, O.S.S. agent, C.I.A. agent, general manager of Ringling Bros...
of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and Chub Feeney
Chub Feeney
Charles Stoneham "Chub" Feeney was an American front office executive in Major League Baseball and president of the National League during a 40-plus year career in baseball....
of the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
.
He had strong support in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
, but NL owners — who wanted McHale's experienced hand turned toward the fledgling Expo franchise — intervened and McHale's candidacy was halted. (The commissionership eventually went to NL attorney Bowie Kuhn
Bowie Kuhn
Bowie Kent Kuhn was an American lawyer and sports administrator who served as the fifth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from February 4, , to September 30,...
).
Founding president of the Montréal Expos
Putting the commissioner election behind him, McHale focused on building the first MLB franchise located in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. While McHale concentrated on upper management responsibilities during his first decade with the Expos, he eventually assumed their general manager portfolio as well, and it was during his watch (as GM from 1978–84) that the Expos achieved their only playoff appearance, in . McHale resigned as general manager in favor of Murray Cook
Murray Cook (baseball)
George Earl Murray Cook is a Canadian scout and former front office executive in Major League Baseball...
at the close of the season, then stepped down from the club presidency in ; he was succeeded in the latter post by Claude Brochu
Claude Brochu
Claude Brochu, CM , is a Quebec businessman.He was named president of the Montreal Expos baseball club by Charles Bronfman in 1986, replacing John McHale....
.
McHale was also the last non-Hall of Fame member of the Hall's Veterans Committee, having been grandfathered in
Grandfather clause
Grandfather clause is a legal term used to describe a situation in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations, while a new rule will apply to all future situations. It is often used as a verb: to grandfather means to grant such an exemption...
when the structure of the committee was updated in 2001.http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/veterans/veterans_committee.htm He died in Stuart, Florida
Stuart, Florida
Stuart is the only incorporated city of Martin County, Florida, on Florida's Treasure Coast. The population was 14,633 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 15,964....
, at age 86.