Jack Mealey
Catcher
Born: April 28, 1899
Glen Carbon, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: August 1971 (aged 72)
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
debut
1922, for the Joplin Miners
Last appearance
1944, for the Muskogee Reds
Career highlights and awards

Maurice F. "Jack" Mealey (April 28, 1899 – August 1971) was a long-time minor league baseball catcher, who also managed in the minor leagues and served as president of the Sooner State League[1][2] for five years. He was born in Glen Carbon, Pennsylvania.

Playing career

Mealey began his professional career in 1922, playing for the Okmulgee Drillers and Joplin Miners, hitting a combined .248 in 73 games.[3] In 1923, he played for Okmulgee again, upping his batting average to .264 in 70 games.[3] From 1924 to 1926, he played for the Asheville Tourists, hitting .276 in 99 games in 1924, .304 with a career high 13 home runs in 103 games in 1925 and .258 with 10 home runs in 113 games in 1926.[3] Back with Okmulgee in 1927, he hit .337 with 10 home runs in 111 games.[3][4]

He split 1928 between the Independence Producers and Dallas Steers, hitting .269 in 65 games overall, and garnering a tryout with the White Sox in the fall.[3] With the Steers again in 1929, he hit only .239 in 72 games, but according to The Pittsburgh Press he "had a lot to do with that club's winning the Texas League pennant", and had a .983 fielding percentage.[3] In 1930, Mealey played for the Wichita Aviators, hitting .279 in 84 games, earning a spot on the Western League All-Star team.[3][4][5][6] The Pittsburgh Press described him in 1931 as a "Western League luminary", who had "earned a high reputation in the Western League for his cleverness and cool-headedness.... it is in gauging just what is best for his battery partner that Mealey shines."[3]

Mealey made it to the Major Leagues in 1931 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but did not officially play in any games for almost two months. On June 13, Mealey was released by the Pirates.[7] He played the rest of the season with the San Francisco Seals,[8] hitting .242. With the San Antonio Indians in 1932, Mealey hit .246 in 84 games.[4]

From 1933 to 1936 he played for the Galveston Buccaneers and later became a player-manager in 1935.[9] From 1933 to 1934 he served as assistant to the previous coach, Billy Webb.[10] He hit only .218 in 1933. In 1934, he upped his batting average to .233, and in 1935 he raised it again to .281.

Mealey resigned from his position as manager on after being suspended for a melee on May 29, 1936, where Mealey tried to help teammate Jack Jakucki fight several fans in the stands.[11] Mealey finished the 1936 season with the Tulsa Oilers, hitting a combined .270 in 56 games that season. He played for the Jackson Senators and Augusta Tigers in 1937, hitting a combined .270 in 87 games. With the Oilers again in 1938, he hit only .173 in 33 games.[4]

He didn't play professionally in 1939, although he played from 1940 to 1942 for the Muskogee Reds. In 1940, he hit .228 in 80 games, in 1941 he hit .268 in 76 games, and in 1942 he hit .299 in 31 games. He retired from professional baseball after 1942, at age 43.[4]

Overall, Mealey spent 20 seasons in the minors, hitting .263 in 1,538 games. In 4,857 at-bats, he collected 1,279 hits – 263 of which were doubles, 52 of which were triples and 77 of which were home runs.[4]

Managerial career

Mealey spent a few years as a player-manager.[12][13][14]

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

YearTeamLeagueRecordFinishOrganizationPlayoffs
1935Galveston BuccaneersTexas League86–75[15]3rdnoneLost in 1st round
1936Galveston BuccaneersTexas League15–27–none–replaced by Jake Atz (42–69) May 29
1937Augusta TigersSouth Atlantic League–New York Yankees–replaced by Troy Agnew
Jackson SenatorsSoutheastern League4thNew York YankeesLost in 1st roundreplaced Ike Boone
1940Muskogee RedsWestern Association90–49[16]1stnoneLost in 1st round[17]
1941Muskogee RedsWestern Association64–69[18]5thChicago Cubs
1942Muskogee RedsWestern Association76–582ndnone

References

  1. ↑ "Bob Hall to Pilot Clinton". The Sporting News. January 22, 1947. p. 23.
  2. ↑ J.G. Taylor Spink (1950). "Baseball guide and record book 1950". The Sporting News. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fred Wertenbach (February 1, 1931). "Jack Mealey Given Boost at Backstop; Newcomer from Wichita Praised as 'Smart' Receiver". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Minor League Statistics and History at Baseball-Reference.com
  5. ↑ Bob Rives (2004). Baseball in Wichita. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-3316-5. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  6. ↑ W. C. Madden, Patrick J. Stewart (2002). The Western League: a baseball history; 1885 through 1999. MacFarland. ISBN 0-7864-1003-5. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Pirates Release Rookie Catcher". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. June 14, 1931. p. C6.
  8. ↑ Fred Wertenbach. "First Team Plays Seals Tomorrow". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Mealey Named by Galveston as Successor to Billy Webb". The Sporting News. November 22, 1934. p. 7.
  10. ↑ "Makes Industry Pay - Maurice F. (Jack) Mealey". The Sporting News. December 6, 1934. p. 8.
  11. ↑ Murphy, John (June 4, 1936). "Jack Mealey 'Resigns;' Atz Pilots Galveston". The Sporting News. p. 1.
  12. ↑ Judson Bailey (July 21, 1942). "Player Mix-Up has Baseball Fans Rattled". The Evening Independent. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Non-Paying Fans Get Into Trouble". Ottawa Citizen. July 25, 1940. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Players Chase Fans!". The Leader-Post. July 27, 1940. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Texas League Final Standings". The Sporting News. September 19, 1935. p. 9.
  16. ↑ "Western Association Final Standings". The Sporting News. September 5, 1940. p. 13.
  17. ↑ "Western Association Playoffs". The Sporting News. September 19, 1940. p. 11.
  18. ↑ "Western Association Final Standings". The Sporting News. September 4, 1941. p. 9.
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