Jack Roche

John Joseph Roche
(Red)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 178 lb.

• Debut May 24, 1914
• Final Game April 18, 1917
• Born November 22, 1890 in Los Angeles, CA USA
• Died March 30, 1983 in Peoria, AZ USA

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Biographical Information

Jack Roche played three seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals (1914, 1915 and 1917). While he was a catcher, he was utilized mostly as a pinch-hitter, appearing 50 times as a pinch-hitter and 10 as a catcher.

Jack was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1890, at a time when 50,000 people lived there. He began in the minors with the Centralia Pets of Centralia, WA, and then spent two seasons in Western Canada with the Calgary Bronchos, finishing second on the Bronchos in batting average in 1912 and leading the team in batting average in 1913. In 1912, playing semi-pro ball in St. Louis, he led the Trolley league with a .431 average in 20 games, scoring 23 runs.

Roche was then drafted by the St. Louis Browns in the 1913 Rule V Draft, and later sent by the Browns to the Cardinals before the 1914 season began. Jack had only 10 plate appearances with the Cards that year, but got 6 hits, 3 of which were for extra bases. He came back with the Cardinals in 1915, appearing in 46 games, but hit .205 with only one extra-base hit.

In 1916 he was with the Portland Beavers, hitting .299 with 24 doubles; his batting average was second-best on the team behind Billy Southworth. The Cards brought him back for one more at-bat at the start of 1917, and then he played for the Oakland Oaks. He continued to play in the minors through 1928, although the last season was as a player-manager.