AL Player of the Week - Joe Cronin"Oh my, yes, Joe is the best there is in the clutch. With a man on third and one out, I'd rather have Cronin hitting for me more than anybody I've ever seen."
-Connie Mack
A "jovial, square jawed Irishman" is how Joe Cronin's official Hall of Fame biography describes him. Cronin started in Pittsburgh in 1926, but only stayed for two seasons before joining the first of the two teams he'd spend most of his career with.
In 1928, he want to Washington where be eventually became the player-manager (and son-in-law to owner Clark Griffith) and lead the Nationals to the pennant in 1933. After the 1934 season, however, Griffith sold him to Boston's new owner Tom Yawkey for a then-record of $225,000 or $250,000 (depending on the source) and Cronin spent the bulk of his career (11 seasons out of 20) as a player manager for the Red Sox, leading them to a pennant in 1946.
Cronin was a seven time All Star (the first All Star game was not until 1933) and finished in the top 10 for MVP votes five times. Although not an official title in 1930, Cronin was a consensus choice among sports writers for MVP in 1930.
After his playing days finished in 1945, Cronin remained as the bench manager of the Red Sox until after the 1947 season, when he became the General Manager - a post he held until he became President of the American League in January of 1959.
Cronin was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1956.
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