Les Mallon

Leslie Clyde Mallon

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 160 lb.

• Debut April 14, 1931
• Final Game September 29, 1935
• Born November 21, 1905 in Sweetwater, TX USA
• Died April 17, 1991 in Granbury, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Les Mallon played in the National League for four seasons, getting into 383 games. He is listed as a regular during three of those four years, playing primarily second base.

Les was born in Sweetwater, TX, two hundred miles west of Fort Worth, TX. In 1927 he played in the Texas Valley League with the Mission Grapefruiters, hitting .356 with 11 home runs. The next year he hit .294 for the Akron Tyrites with 12 home runs and then in 1929 split his time between Akron (most of the season) and the Fort Worth Panthers. He hit .335 with 13 home runs for Akron in 107 games. In 1930 he was with Fort Worth all of the season, hitting .334 and slugging .549. The next year he was in the majors.

With the Philadelphia Phillies in 1931 he appeared in 122 games, getting 414 plate appearances. He hit .309 but with little power. He was playing in a hitter's era in a hitter's park, and his .309 average was only fourth among the eight regulars. He was one year younger than teammate Chuck Klein.

Les came back with the Phillies in 1932, still getting listed as a regular although he was in 103 games. This time he hit .259, again without much power, while every other regular hit at least .298. The following year, 1933, the Phils decided to go with Jack Warner at second base, although Jack had not hit well in the minors in 1932.

Les spent 1933 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, hitting .274 with 38 doubles. His doubles led the team and he was fourth among the regulars in batting average. Les then spent most of 1934 in the minors with the Buffalo Bisons, hitting .345 and slugging .503 in 84 games. He came back to the majors for the remainder of the 1934 season, appearing with the Boston Braves in 42 games, and hitting .295 without power. Les shared second base with Marty McManus, who was at the end of his big league career.

Les returned to be the regular with the Braves in 1935, hitting .274 but getting 24 doubles, his best in the majors. The team hit .263 without much power, so Mallon's hitting numbers were not out of line with the other regulars. However, the team went 38-115 for the year, and changes were made. The following year the team acquired Tony Cuccinello to play second base.

Les, for his part, spent 1936 in the minors with the Dallas Steers, hitting .344 with 36 doubles. He had easily the highest batting average on the team and was named MVP of the Texas League, but his age (30) may have been why he didn't return to the majors. He continued to play minor league ball in Texas at least two more years.

Notable Achievements

• 1936 MVP Texas League Dallas Steers