Johnny Logan

Johnny Logan is the first in a new series that I will publish on this blog. Since my blog’s main purpose is to honor baseball’s forgotten greats and educate average baseball fans in baseball’s history, I have decided to write a few articles on certain players who don’t really have a case for Cooperstown, but nonetheless deserve to be remembered. 

Johnny Logan was a shortstop in the Major Leagues from 1951 through 1963. On March 23, 1926, Logan was born to a Croatian mother and an influential Russian father in New York. As a child he acquired his famous nickname: “Yatcha”, a moniker that he’d keep throughout his Big League career. He was drafted into the military almost immediately after his high school graduation early in 1945, stayed in service for 18 months, and received an honorable discharge in 1946. While he was in the military, he played baseball (as many soldiers did) and signed with the Boston Braves organization in 1947. After four seasons in the minors, he earned his call up to the big club in April 1951. Logan quickly established himself as a premier shortstop in the National League, thrice topping NL shortstops in fielding percentage and four times leading in assists. He also made a living as a hitter, consistently hitting 10 or 15 home runs per season and leading the league with 37 doubles in 1955. Twice he played in all the Braves’ 154 games, in 1954 and 1955. He also helped the Braves to two World Series, taking home the Championship in 1957. As a result of his always stellar play, Logan received MVP votes in six consecutive seasons and was named an all-star four times. 

In 1955, a young lefthanded pitcher debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Logan was the first batter he ever faced. A few of you reading may have heard of him - his name was Sandy Koufax. Logan hit a single in that plate appearance, and was one of the few hitters to find success against Koufax in his career (nine hits including a home run). 

Logan had a relatively late start in baseball (he made his MLB debut at 25) and wasn’t an everyday player until he was 27. His last big season was 1959, when he hit .291 with 13 homers at the age of 33. In 1960, however, his average slid to .245 and he went into a decline. He played parts of three seasons with the Pirates, who tried him out at third base as well as shortstop (their regular shortstop at that time was Dick Groat) and often used him as a pinch hitter. Logan played his last MLB game in September 1963. He wasn’t finished, however, as he went to Japan and played 96 games for the Nankai Hawks in 1964, who won the Japan Series that year. 

In retirement, Logan helped found the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association. Other than that, he lived a relatively quiet life back home in Milwaukee. He died on August 9, 2013.