Jack Onslow

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Jack Onslow

|position=Catcher

|image=(Hank Gowdy (soldier) & Jack Onslow, New York NL (baseball)) LOC 23157425512 (cropped).jpg

|caption=Onslow with the New York Giants in 1917

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date|1888|10|13|mf=y}}

|birth_place=Scottdale, Pennsylvania, U.S.

|death_date={{death date and age|1960|12|22|1888|10|13}}

|death_place=Concord, Massachusetts, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=May 2

|debutyear=1912

|debutteam=Detroit Tigers

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=October 3

|finalyear=1917

|finalteam=New York Giants

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.169

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=0

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=4

|teams=

As Player

Detroit Tigers (1912)
New York Giants (1917)

As Manager

Chicago White Sox (1949–1950)

}}

John James Onslow (October 13, 1888 – December 22, 1960) was an American player, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball. A catcher during his playing days, he spent a dozen years in the minor leagues, but only 36 games played in the majors. The native of Scottdale, Pennsylvania, threw and batted right-handed, stood {{convert|5|ft|11|in}} tall and weighed {{convert|180|lb}}.

Baseball career

At age 60, Onslow became one of the oldest rookie managers in MLB annals when he was named skipper of the Chicago White Sox in the fall of 1948, succeeding Hall of Fame pitcher Ted Lyons. Onslow managed the South Siders for the entire {{baseball year|1949}} season, finishing sixth in the American League with a 63–91 record. Compounding matters, he could not get along with his boss, Chisox general manager Frank Lane, and clashed with players and the Chicago press. He avoided being fired by Lane when vice president Chuck Comiskey, son of the White Sox' owner, Grace Comiskey, stepped in on Onslow's behalf at the close of 1949.Hoffman, John C., "Onslow's 64th Victory", Baseball Digest, February 1950, pp. 13-18 But, after a poor start to {{baseball year|1950}}, when the White Sox dropped 22 of their first 30 contests, Onslow was replaced by one of his coaches, Red Corriden. His career record as a manager: 71 wins, 113 defeats (.386).

In Onslow's 36 games as a major league catcher for the 1912 Detroit Tigers and 1917 New York Giants, he batted only .169 with 13 total hits. But he would become a popular baseball figure as a longtime coach for a number of teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates (1925–26), Washington Senators (1927), St. Louis Cardinals (1928), Philadelphia Phillies (1931–32) and Boston Red Sox (1934). In addition, he scouted for the White Sox and Boston Braves for several years and was holding a similar job with the Red Sox when he died, at 72, in Concord, Massachusetts, from a heart attack in {{baseball year|1960}}. To people around the game, Onslow was known as one of the most garrulous raconteurs of his day.

Onslow also managed minor league clubs for six seasons. His Memphis Chicks won 92 games in 1948, finishing second in the Southern Association, prompting his promotion to manager of the parent White Sox. Onslow's younger brother, Eddie, also played Major League Baseball and managed in the minor leagues.

Managerial record

rowspan="2"\|Team	rowspan="2"\|Year	colspan="5"\|Regular season	colspan="4"\|Postseason
class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
Games	Won	Lost	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
CWS\|\| {{mlby\|1949}} \|\|154\|\|{{WinLossPct\|63\|91}}\|\| 6th in AL \|\| – \|\| – \|\| – \|\| –
CWS\|\| {{mlby\|1950}} \|\|30\|\|{{WinLossPct\|8\|22}}\|\| fired \|\| – \|\| – \|\| – \|\| –
colspan="2"\|Total \|\|184\|\|{{WinLossPct\|71\|113}}\|\| \|\| {{WinLossPct\|0\|0}} \|\|

References

External links

[https://www.baseball-reference.com/o/onsloja01.shtml Baseball Reference]
[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=onsloja01 Baseball Almanac]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20061113002002/http://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Onslow.Jack.Obit.html The Deadball Era]

{{succession box | title=Boston Red Sox Pitching Coach | before=Jack Ryan | years=1934 | after= Herb Pennock}}

Category:1888 births

Category:1960 deaths

Category:Baseball players from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Category:Boston Braves scouts

Category:Boston Red Sox coaches

Category:Boston Red Sox scouts

Category:Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players

Category:Chattanooga Lookouts managers

Category:Chicago White Sox managers

Category:Chicago White Sox scouts

Category:Dallas Giants players