John Albert Niehoff (May 13, 1884 – September 8, 1974) was a
second baseman in
Major League Baseball who played for four clubs from the 1913 to 1918 seasons. He batted and threw right-handed.
Playing career
A native of
Louisville, Colorado, Niehoff entered the majors in 1913 with the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
, playing for them two years before joining the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
(1915–1917),
St. Louis Cardinals (1918) and
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
(1918). He was a classic line-drive hitter and steady
double play
In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs.
In Major Leag ...
partner for
shortstops
Buck Herzog (Reds) and
Dave Bancroft (Phillies). His most productive season came in 1916 with Philadelphia, when he posted career-highs in
runs (65) and
runs batted in (61), while leading the
National League hitters with 42
doubles. He also was a member of the Phillies team that lost the
1915 World Series
The 1915 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1915 season. The 12th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Boston Red Sox against the National League champion Philadelphia Philli ...
to the
Boston Red Sox.
In a six-season career, Niehoff was a .240 hitter (489-for-2037) with 12
home runs and 207 RBI in 581 games, including 210 runs, 104 doubles, 19
triples
TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...
and 71
stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...
s.
Post-playing career
Following his playing days, Niehoff enhanced his baseball career as a
manager,
coach,
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, sectio ...
and
general manager. He was one of the first managers selected by the
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...
, along with fellow former big leaguers
Johnny Gottselig and
Josh Billings and minor leaguer
Eddie Stumpf
Edward Stumpf (May 15, 1894 – October 16, 1978) was an American player, manager and executive in Minor league baseball.
Stumpf began his professional baseball career as a catcher in the American Association, playing from 1916 through 1919 for ...
. From 1943 to 1944 Niehoff managed the
South Bend Blue Sox The South Bend Blue Sox was a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented South Bend, Indiana, and played their home games at Bendix Fi ...
, a team that included talented players as
Bonnie Baker,
Doris Barr and
Dottie Schroeder
Dorothy "Dottie" Schroeder (April 11, 1928 – December 8, 1996) was a shortstop who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 150 lb., Schroeder batted and threw right-handed. She was born in ...
(the only woman who played every season of the AAGPBL).
Additionally, Niehoff coached for the
1929 New York Giants; scouted both for the
New York Yankees (1948–1949) and
California Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
(1961–1968), and spent 1952 as the
Mobile Bears general manager.
As a minor league manager, Niehoff compiled an 1824–1713 record in 24 seasons between 1922 and 1954, including 15 years in the
Southern Association and three league championship titles for the Mobile Bears (1922),
Atlanta Crackers (1925) and
Oklahoma City Indians (1935).
Niehoff died in
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...
, at the age of 90.
See also
*
List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
Sources
1943 South Bend Blue SoxAAGPBL HistoryBaseball Historian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niehoff, Bert
1884 births
1974 deaths
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League managers
Atlanta Crackers managers
Atlanta Crackers players
Baseball players from Colorado
California Angels scouts
Chattanooga Lookouts managers
Cincinnati Reds players
Des Moines Boosters players
Indianapolis Indians players
Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players
Los Angeles Angels scouts
Louisville Colonels (minor league) managers
Louisville Colonels (minor league) players
Major League Baseball second basemen
Mobile Bears players
New York Giants (NL) coaches
New York Giants (NL) players
New York Yankees scouts
Omaha Rourkes players
People from Louisville, Colorado
Philadelphia Phillies players
St. Louis Cardinals players
Salt Lake City Bees players
Seattle Rainiers players