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Larry McLean
John Bannerman McLean (July 18, 1881 – March 24, 1921) was a Canadian professional baseball catcher between 1901 until 1915. During his years in Major League Baseball, he played with five different teams. Beginning his career with the Boston Americans, his final professional game was played with the New York Giants on June 6, 1915.
McLean was one of the tallest catchers in Major League Baseball history, standing 6 feet, 5 inches.
Known for his heavy drinking and violent behavior, McLean's career ended after a 1915 brawl with New York Giants manager John McGraw and team scout Dick Kinsella. He was fatally shot by a bartender six years after his last major league appearance.
McLean was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He earned the nickname Larry after the alternate moniker ascribed to Nap Lajoie, a star baseball player who McLean was said to resemble. In 1901, while McLean and Fred Mitchell were playing for a local team in Saint John, New Brunswick, they were scouted and signed by the fledgling Boston Red Sox.
On December 12, 1903, McLean was traded from the Cubs to the Cardinals in what has been described as "one of the worst trades in Cardinals history." McLean and Jack Taylor were traded to the Cardinals in exchange for future Baseball Hall of Fame member Mordecai Brown and Jack O'Neill.
McLean was known to chew large amounts of Brown's Mule tobacco and was a heavy drinker of corn whiskey. When he signed with the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League in 1905, he became teammates with a pitcher who also struggled with alcohol use, Ned Garvin. Baseball author Dennis Snelling said this pitcher-catcher combination formed "one of the most volatile batteries in the history of the game."
In 1906, McLean signed with Portland again for a $1400 annual salary. McLean's wife publicly voiced her objection to the salary and said Portland owner William Wallace McCredie was not paying McLean consistent with his value. She said the minor-league team in Altoona was willing to sign him for $2400 per year. McLean did play in 88 games with the 1906 Portland Beavers and hit .355. The team won the Pacific Coast League; the second-place team was 21 games out of first place. A drinking incident with Cincinnati that year ended with McLean jumping into the fountain at the Buckingham Hotel, which resulted in McLean being demoted back to the minor leagues by manager Kid Nichols. "I can pitch to Larry real good, but I can't manage him worth a dime," Nichols said.
Before the 1910 season, the Reds suspended McLean after he violated team rules during spring training at Hot Springs, Arkansas. In response to the suspension, McLean wrote a "letter of resignation" from the club. His resignation was accepted, although he was later allowed to rejoin the team with the caveats he would play for a reduced salary and would sit out the first week of the regular season.
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Larry McLean
John Bannerman McLean (July 18, 1881 – March 24, 1921) was a Canadian professional baseball catcher between 1901 until 1915. During his years in Major League Baseball, he played with five different teams. Beginning his career with the Boston Americans, his final professional game was played with the New York Giants on June 6, 1915.
McLean was one of the tallest catchers in Major League Baseball history, standing 6 feet, 5 inches.
Known for his heavy drinking and violent behavior, McLean's career ended after a 1915 brawl with New York Giants manager John McGraw and team scout Dick Kinsella. He was fatally shot by a bartender six years after his last major league appearance.
McLean was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He earned the nickname Larry after the alternate moniker ascribed to Nap Lajoie, a star baseball player who McLean was said to resemble. In 1901, while McLean and Fred Mitchell were playing for a local team in Saint John, New Brunswick, they were scouted and signed by the fledgling Boston Red Sox.
On December 12, 1903, McLean was traded from the Cubs to the Cardinals in what has been described as "one of the worst trades in Cardinals history." McLean and Jack Taylor were traded to the Cardinals in exchange for future Baseball Hall of Fame member Mordecai Brown and Jack O'Neill.
McLean was known to chew large amounts of Brown's Mule tobacco and was a heavy drinker of corn whiskey. When he signed with the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League in 1905, he became teammates with a pitcher who also struggled with alcohol use, Ned Garvin. Baseball author Dennis Snelling said this pitcher-catcher combination formed "one of the most volatile batteries in the history of the game."
In 1906, McLean signed with Portland again for a $1400 annual salary. McLean's wife publicly voiced her objection to the salary and said Portland owner William Wallace McCredie was not paying McLean consistent with his value. She said the minor-league team in Altoona was willing to sign him for $2400 per year. McLean did play in 88 games with the 1906 Portland Beavers and hit .355. The team won the Pacific Coast League; the second-place team was 21 games out of first place. A drinking incident with Cincinnati that year ended with McLean jumping into the fountain at the Buckingham Hotel, which resulted in McLean being demoted back to the minor leagues by manager Kid Nichols. "I can pitch to Larry real good, but I can't manage him worth a dime," Nichols said.
Before the 1910 season, the Reds suspended McLean after he violated team rules during spring training at Hot Springs, Arkansas. In response to the suspension, McLean wrote a "letter of resignation" from the club. His resignation was accepted, although he was later allowed to rejoin the team with the caveats he would play for a reduced salary and would sit out the first week of the regular season.
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