George Stovall

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GeorgeStovall.jpg

George Thomas Stovall
(Firebrand)

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 2", Weight 180 lb.

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Biographical Information[edit]

Stovall (left) speaks with Vince DiMaggio at a California shipyard during WW2 in a gov't propaganda photo.
Stovall during WW2

George Stovall played twelve years in the majors during the dead-ball era and was also a player-manager during five of those years.

He primarily played first base, although early in his career he filled in quite a bit at other infield positions and occasionally in the outfield.

Not a great hitter, his best year with the bat was 1908 when he was seventh in the league in both batting average and slugging percentage.

Reputed to have a hot temper, he was nevertheless a very popular player in Cleveland. The fans were sorry to see him go to St. Louis, where he was player-manager for a couple years but left under a cloud of controversy. While with the Federal League he was successful in luring quite a few major leaguers over to the new league.

The most similar player is his contemporary Kitty Bransfield.

George's brother Jesse Stovall pitched for the Cleveland Naps with a record of 5-1 in 1903, the year before George came up. In 1904, George made his debut with Cleveland, but Jesse was now with the Detroit Tigers. On October 7th, George hit the first home run of his career against his brother, who was pitching the final game of his career.

George played for the Toledo Iron Men in 1916 and managed the Vernon Tigers in 1917. He then worked in the shipyards during World War I. He managed the Jacksonville Indians in 1922. Afterwards he managed semi-pro teams in California and was a coach at Loyola Marymount University. He then scouted for Pittsburgh and later again worked in the shipyards, building Liberty ships in the California shipyards during World War II (as shown in the picture above).

One main source: The Cleveland Indians Encyclopedia.


Preceded by
Deacon McGuire
Cleveland Indians Manager
1911
Succeeded by
Harry Davis
Preceded by
Bobby Wallace
St. Louis Browns Manager
1912-1913
Succeeded by
Jimmy Austin

Year-By-Year Managerial Record[edit]

Year Team League Record Finish Organization Playoffs Notes
1904 Burlington River Rats Iowa State League -- none replaced F.L. Sullivan May 30, replaced by Bob Black July 2.
1911 Cleveland Naps American League 74-62 3rd Cleveland Naps replaced Deacon McGuire (6-11) on May 3
1912 St. Louis Browns American League 41-74 7th St. Louis Browns replaced Bobby Wallace (12-27) on June 2
1913 St. Louis Browns American League 50-84 -- St. Louis Browns replaced by Jimmy Austin on September 7
1914 Kansas City Packers Federal League 67-84 6th Kansas City Packers
1915 Kansas City Packers Federal League 81-72 4th Kansas City Packers
1917 Vernon Tigers Pacific Coast League 84-128 6th none
1922 Jacksonville Indians Florida State League none

Related Sites[edit]