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Johnny Hopp
John Leonard Hopp
Nickname: Cotney
Born: July 18, 1916 in Hastings, N.E.
Died: June 1, 2003 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Debut: 1939 | Pos: OF
Ht: 5'10" | Wt: 175 | B: L | T: L
| Yrs | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BA |
| 14 | 1,393 | 4,260 | 698 | 1,262 | 46 | 458 | 128 | .296 |
>> Visit the Johnny Hopp biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.
Johnny Hopp, who played in five World Series in his 14-year career, died on June 1, 2003, in Scottsbluff, Neb. He was 86.
In 1,393 games over a 14-year career, Hopp hit .296 with 46 home
runs and 458 RBIs. He played in the World Series in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1950
and 1951 and he collected 8 hits in 50 World Series at-bats.
Hopp debuted with the Cardinals in 1939 and played in 80 games in 1940. He
finished 8th in NL MVP voting in 1941 when he hit .303 in 445 at-bats with 4
home runs, 50 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.
One of his biggest seasons came in 1944 after the Cardinals traded
Johnny Mize to the New York Giants. Hopp moved to centerfield and responded
by hitting .336 with 11 home runs, 72 RBIs and 15 stolen bases for the
Cardinals team that won the World Series. In addition, Hopp led the league's
outfielders with a .997 fielding percentage.
In 1946, he was sold to the Boston Braves and hit .333 for the season with 3 HRs, 48 RBI and 21 stolen bases. That season, he was selected to the All-Star Game -- the only one of his career.
In 1949, while playing for the Pirates, he was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers on May 18, 1949 for Marv Rackley. On June 7, the trade was voided and the two players returned to their original teams.
In 1950, Hopp had a streak of 8 straight hits (the record was 12 set by Pinky Higgins in 1938). The New York Yankees purchased his contract from Pittsburgh at the beginning of September to provide some insurance for a pennant run. When he swapped teams, Hopp was second in the National League with a .340 average. That season, on May 14, he had one of the best games of his career as he went 6-for-6 with 2 HRs.
His nickname was a reference to his cottony-white hair and he was sometimes known by the colorful nickname "Hippity."
Following his career as a player, Hopp was a coach with the Cardinals and Tigers from 1952-57. He later worked as an administrative assistant for Kansas-Nebraska Energy until he retired in 1978.
Sources: AP obituary, Biographical Encyclopedia of Baseball, Total Baseball