Johnny Bero

John George Bero

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 170 lb.
• School Western Michigan College
• Debut September 26, 1948
• Final Game July 22, 1951
• Born December 22, 1922 in Gary, WV USA
• Died May 11, 1985 in Gardena, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Johnny Bero was one of three shortstops for the St. Louis Browns in 1951. Bero appeared in 55 games at the position and hit .213. Muscles Upton, the regular shortstop from 1950, appeared in 47 games at shortstop in 1951, hitting .198. Bill Jennings made his debut July 19th and appeared in 64 games at shortstop, hitting .179. Bero's last game was July 22nd, so the Browns must have decided that Jennings would get the job for the rest of the season, as they traded Bero to the Brooklyn Dodgers two days later, along with Joe Lutz, for Ben Taylor. Of the three shortstops, Jennings had the best range, although they all had similar fielding percentages. Bero, though, was the best hitter, slugging 5 home runs while the other two had none. Neither Bero nor Jennings appeared in the majors after 1951, while Upton came back in the following season for 5 games with the Washington Senators and was done.

He was playing for the Buffalo Bisons in 1948 when called up to play a few games for the Detroit Tigers. A spot opened up for him when Hoot Evers went into the hospital with lung congestion. Bero played for the Toledo Mud Hens in 1949 and 1950, the Fort Worth Cats in 1951, and the Oakland Oaks in 1952 and 1953.

Related Sites

• Picture of Johnny Bero from 1953.