John Grady (minors)

John J. Grady

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown
• Height 5' 7", Weight 150 lb.
• High School Edson School

• Born June 18, 1860 in Lowell, MA USA
• Died July 15, 1893 in Lowell, MA USA

Biographical Information

John Grady was a catcher who played for a number of minor league teams in the 19th century. He never played in the majors, but his birth and death dates became wrongly associated with another John Grady, who was briefly in the Union Association. However, that year, 1884, he was with the Reading Actives of the Eastern League, and not with the Altoona Mountain City squad. In June of that year, Grady was accused of assaulting a laundry owner. He also with Trenton that year.

He had been with Atlantic City in 1882 and Pottsville in 1883. He later appeared with Newark in 1885, then was in the New England League with Brockton and Lawrence in 1886. After playing with a team in Charleston, SC in 1887, he was back in the New England League in 1888 with Lowell and Manchester His brother Patrick was also a professional player. For many of his stops, he was a teammate lifelong friend Barney McLaughlin.

When he died in 1893 at 34, his obituary in Sporting Life called him a "well-known catcher". It stated that he had suffered a stroke in 1890 that had forced him to retire from playing. He then went into the liquor business and was a councilman for the city of Lowell, MA at the time of his death. He had apparently suffered another stroke the previous winter, and had died of complications.

Further Reading

• "John Grady Found", in Bill Carle, ed.: "Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, March/April 2019, pp. 1-4.