Shanty Hogan

James Francis Hogan

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 240 lb.

• Debut June 23, 1925
• Final Game June 13, 1937
• Born March 21, 1906 in Somerville, MA USA
• Died April 7, 1967 in Boston, MA USA

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Biographical Information

"With the sole exception of Babe Herman, I doubt that any player has been the subject of more anecdotes than Shanty Hogan." - Bill James in the New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, who also picked him as one of the top 100 catchers of all time

As catchers go, Shanty Hogan was a pretty good hitter, with a .295 lifetime average. In 1928, playing for the New York Giants, his .333 average was in the top ten in the National League. He was also among the league leaders in hit-by-pitch several times.

Hogan spent six years with the Boston Braves, from 1925 to 1927 and 1933 to 1935, but played most of his games in his five years with the New York Giants from 1928 to 1928, primarily under manager John McGraw. Following the 1928 season, he paired up with second baseman Andy Cohen to perform on vaudeville; the two comedians played up on Jewish and Irish stereotypes, which were common comedy tropes at the time.

He was always a heavy guy, criticized for his weight. But when he lost 50 pounds in 1937, he didn't hit and his major league career was over. He was traded to the Indianapolis Indians in 1937. He had also played for the Minneapolis Millers in 1935 and Albany Senators in 1936.

He is the only major leaguer remembered with the first name "Shanty", although Cliff Daringer was also nicknamed "Shanty".