William Barney McCosky (April 11, 1917 – September 6, 1996) was an American

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

. From 1939 through 1953, he played for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

(1939–42, 1946),

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...

(1946–1948, 1950–1951),

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

(1951), and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

(1951–1953). McCosky batted left-handed and threw right-handed. McCosky played in 1,170 games, 535 in center field and 477 in left field. He had a career batting average of .312.

Early years

McCosky was born in Coal Run, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, the last of nine children. His mother died when he was one year old, and McCosky moved to Detroit at age 4 with his older brother Tony McCosky. McCosky grew up in Detroit in the midst of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. He later recalled: "Nobody had any money. We took mustard sandwiches and ketchup sandwiches to school." McCosky attended Southwestern High School in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, where he was All-City and captain in both baseball and basketball. McCosky had a .727

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

his senior year — a Detroit public school record.

Professional baseball player

Minor leagues

In 1936, McCosky was signed out of high school by Tigers'

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

Wish Egan. In 1936, he hit .400 for the Charleston Senators and led the

Mid-Atlantic League The Middle Atlantic League (or Mid-Atlantic League) was a lower-level circuit in American minor league baseball that played during the second quarter of the 20th century. History The Middle Atlantic League played from 1925 through 1951, except f ...

. He played next for the

Beaumont Exporters The Beaumont Exporters was the predominant name of a minor league baseball team located in Beaumont, Texas that played between 1920 and 1957 in the Texas League and the Big State League. Beaumont rejoined the Class AA Texas League (1983-1986) and ...

from 1936 to 1938. He hit .318 in 1937 and .307 in 1938.

Detroit Tigers

In 11 major league seasons, McCosky was a .312 hitter with 24

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 397 RBIs in 1,170

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Associat ...

. McCosky was a good contact hitter who hit over .300 in six of his first seven seasons. A fine

with a strong throwing arm, he collected a .984

fielding average In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, di ...

with only 41

errors An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...

in 2579 chances. In 1939, McCosky's rookie season, he was an immediate success both at bat and in the field. He started 145 games in center field and hit for a .311

— trailing only

Hank Greenberg Henry Benjamin Greenberg (January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", and "the Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB), p ...

and his boyhood hero,

Charlie Gehringer Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played for the Detroit Tigers for 19 seasons from 1924 Detroit Tigers season, 1924 to 1943 Det ...

, among the Tigers' starters. With great range and speed in the outfield, he led all American League outfielders with 428

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (PO) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base (a tag ...

s and led the league's center fielders with a .986 fielding percentage. His 1939

Range factor Range Factor (commonly abbreviated RF) is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by the number of innings or games played at a given defense position. The statistic is premised on the notion ...

of 3.00 was a career-high and 0.65 points above the league average. He was also near the top of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

leaderboard in 1939 with 120 runs scored (fourth), 190 hits (fourth), 20 stolen bases (fourth), 262 times on base (fifth), 33 doubles (sixth) and 14 triples (second). He placed 27th in the American League Most Valuable Player voting. His most productive season came for the Detroit Tigers

champions, when he was among the AL league leaders with a .340

(6th in the AL), 200

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

(tied for 1st in the AL), 19

triples TripleS (; ; stylized as tripleS) is a South Korean 24-member multinational girl group formed by Modhaus. They aim to be the world's first decentralized idol group, where the members will rotate between the full group, sub-units, and solo activi ...

(1st in the AL), 123 runs (3rd in the AL), 264 times on base (4th in the AL), and 39 doubles (7th in the AL). In the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

, he hit .304 (7-for-23) with five runs as Detroit lost to the Cincinnati Reds in seven games. McCosky finished No. 16 in the MVP voting for 1940. Since 1940, the only Tiger to exceed McCosky's 19 triples is

Curtis Granderson Curtis Granderson Jr. (born March 16, 1981), nicknamed "the Grandyman", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Ange ...

in 2007. McCosky had another solid season in 1941, as he hit .324 and finished No. 15 in the American League MVP voting.

U. S. Navy

In December 1942, McCosky joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. McCosky lost three years in the prime of his career (at ages 26–28) to military service during World War II. He was discharged in October 1945.

Philadelphia Athletics

McCosky returned to Detroit in 1946. After a disappointing .198 start in 25 games, he was traded to the

in mid-May for

George Kell George Clyde Kell (August 23, 1922 – March 24, 2009) was an American professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from 1943 to 1957, most prominently as a member of the D ...

. In his autobiography, Kell recalled being shocked that the Tigers would trade a "legitimate star" and "hometown boy" like McCosky for an "unknown third baseman." At the time of the trade, McCosky told Kell: "You'll be better off here in Detroit. You're going to love it here. I hate to leave because this is home. I've had good years here." Playing for manager

Connie Mack Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. Mack holds records for the most wins (3,731), losses (3,948), ties (76), and ga ...

, McCosky broke out of his early season slump and hit .354 for the A's. In 1947, McCosky batted .328 (2nd best in the AL) for the Athletics and finished a career-best No. 11 in the AL MVP voting. In 1948, he hit .326 (5th best in the AL), had a .405 on-base percentage (6th in the AL), and scored 95 runs. McCosky missed the entire 1949 season after a back injury, and was never the same batter afterward. He returned to the Athletics in 1950, but his average dropped 86 points from .326 in 1948 to .240 in 1950. On April 26, 1951, McCosky broke up a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

bid of Washington Senators

Connie Marrero Conrado Eugenio Marrero Ramos (April 25, 1911 – April 23, 2014), nicknamed "Connie", was a Cuban professional baseball pitcher. The right-handed Marrero pitched in Major League Baseball from to for the Washington Senators. Marrero was a p ...

with a home run.

Cincinnati and Cleveland

One week later, McCosky was sold to the

. He was then released and picked up off waivers by the

. He managed only 37 hits in 1951 for a .268 average. McCosky finished his career playing with the Indians, as his batting average dropped further to .213 in 1952 and .190 in 1953. Six times he was considered in the

American League MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. The award has been presented by the Baseball Writers' ...

vote (1939–42, 1947–48). In 1995, he was inducted into the

National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame The National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 1973. The mission of the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame is to recognize and preserve outstanding achievement by individuals of Polish heritage in the field o ...

Later years

McCosky married his wife, Jane, in 1946. After his baseball career ended, he operated Barney McCosky's party store on Joy Road between Greenfield and Southfield in Detroit from 1953 to 1963. He then worked as an automobile salesman at Les Stanford Chevrolet in

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Dearborn borders Detroit to the south and west, roughly west of downtown Detroit. In the 2020 United States ...

, until he retired in 1982. In 1982, McCosky and his wife moved to

Venice, Florida Venice is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The city includes what locals call "Venice Island", a portion of the mainland that is accessed via bridges over the artificially created Intracoastal Waterway. The city is located in ...

, where they lived for 14 years. In 1996, McCosky died from jaw cancer at Bon Secour-Venice Hospital in Venice. He was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in

Southfield, Michigan Southfield is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Southfield borders Detroit to the north, roughly northwest of downtown Downtown Detroit, Detroit. As of the 2020 Uni ...

.baseball-almanac.com
/ref> In 1957, a baseball little league was formed and named the Barney McCosky Little League.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCosky, Barney 1917 births 1996 deaths American people of Polish descent Baseball players from Detroit Baseball players from Somerset County, Pennsylvania Beaumont Exporters players Charleston Senators players Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Indians players Detroit Tigers players Major League Baseball center fielders Major League Baseball left fielders Philadelphia Athletics players 20th-century American sportsmen Southwestern High School (Michigan) alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II