Les Mann

Leslie Mann
(Major)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 172 lb.

• Debut April 30, 1913
• Final Game September 30, 1928
• Born November 18, 1893 in Lincoln, NE USA
• Died January 14, 1962 in Pasadena, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Les Mann moved around a lot during 16 seasons in the majors, making 8 different stops. Except for one year in the Federal League, he always played in the National League and he appeared in the World Series in two different seasons.

Mann began his pro career with the Nebraska City Foresters of the MINK League as a 17-year-old in 1910. After hitting .300 with 23 home runs for the Seattle Giants of the Northwestern League in 1912, he joined the Boston Braves in 1913. A regular in the outfield for the "Miracle Braves" in 1914, he played in just 3 games of the World Series that year, as he was one of the players being platooned as part of manager George Stallings' innovative strategy.

Prior to the 1915 season, Mann jumped from the Braves to the Chicago Whales of the upstart Federal League. He hit .306 for the team and led the circuit with 19 triples. After the league folded, he returned to the NL with the Chicago Cubs in 1916 before being traded back to the Braves during the 1919 season. Following the 1920 season, his contract was purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals. He hit well over .300 in each of three summers with the club despite seeing limited playing time. During the 1922 season, he turned in New York Giants pitcher Phil Douglas for offering to throw a game, eventually leading to Douglas' ban from baseball.

Dealt to the Cincinnati Reds late in the 1923 season, Mann returned for a third stint with the Braves from 1924 to 1927. He ended his big league career after a season and a half with the Giants and retired as a player following a handful of games for the Buffalo Bisons of the International League in 1929.

Mann went on to manage the Braves' farm team, the Harrisburg Senators, in 1934. The team finished 8th in the New York-Pennsylvania League, with a 60-75 record. He later became involved in amateur baseball, managing a team that played an exhibition game during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. In 1938, he led a squad of amateurs who played for the world title of the International Baseball Federation. He was a co-founder and the first president of IBAF.

Notable Achievements

• FL Triples Leader (1915)
• Won a World Series with the Boston Braves in 1914

Further Reading

• Maurice Bouchard: "Les Mann", in Bill Nowlin, ed.: The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston's Original Worst-to-First World Series Champions, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2014, pp. 113-121. ISBN 978-1-933599-69-4

Related Sites

• Les Mann at the SABR Bio Project