Johnny Humphries

John William Humphries

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
• School University of North Carolina
• Debut May 8, 1938
• Final Game July 28, 1946
• Born June 23, 1915 in Clifton Forge, VA USA
• Died June 24, 1965 in New Orleans, LA USA

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Biographical Information

Right-hander Johnny Humphries spent twelve seasons in professional baseball from 1937 to 1948. The 22-year-old Virginia native was signed out of the University of North Carolina by the Cleveland Indians and was optioned to the New Orleans Pelicans as a rookie; his 20 wins led the Southern Association in 1937.

Humphries spent the next nine seasons (1938-1946) in the major leagues. He spent three seasons with the Cleveland club (1938-1940) and was 11-14 during this period. He also led the American League in appearances with 45 in 1938. He was traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Chicago White Sox for Clint Brown on February 7, 1941.

The slender pitcher spent five seasons with the White Sox (1941-1945), winning 41 and losing 49. On December 7, 1945, he was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies from the Chicago team. Johnny made just ten appearances with no decisions in 1946 and was released by the Phillies on March 29, 1947. This marked the end of his major league run and he ended with a 52-63 record and a 3.78 ERA while appearing in 201 games.

Humphries spent the next two seasons (1947-1948) spending time with both the New Orleans Pelicans (where he appeared in eleven games, losing his only decision) and the Douglas Rebels of the class D Georgia State League, (where he was a player-manager for a portion of the year, going 3-2). He left the game at the age of 33 in 1948. His minor league stats show that he had a 27-24 record in 89 games.

After baseball, he resided in the New Orleans area where he worked and lived until his death, after a brief illness, on June 24, 1965. John William Humphries was 50 years of age.