Milwaukee’s Best, Part 5: The 50 Best To Play For Braves, Brewers: 10-1
By Phil Watson
Johnny Logan, as shown on a 1979 retro TMCA baseball card.
8. Johnny Logan, SS
Braves 1953-61
Johnny Logan was another member of the Braves who came to Milwaukee and flourished, earning four All-Star nods, including three straight from 1957-59.
Logan also led the NL in doubles in 1955, was eighth in WAR and ninth in hits. Also an accomplished handler of the bat, Logan led the National League with 31 sacrifice hits in 1956 and was one of the rangiest shortstops in baseball during his career, four times leading NL shortstops in assists.
He was 5-for-27 in the 1957 World Series, with a homer and two RBI, and went 3-for-25 with two RBI in the 1958 Fall Classic.
Logan signed with the Braves in Boston in the spring of 1947 out of Union High School in Endicott, N.Y., and arrived in the big leagues in April 1951.
In June 1961, Logan was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for outfielder Gino Cimoli and after his release in October 1963 played one season with the Nankai Hawks of the Japan Pacific League in 1964 before retiring.
Logan remained in Milwaukee after his career was over, working as a broadcaster, running for sheriff and scouting for the Brewers around the state for several years.
He died in Milwaukee in August 2013 at the age of 87.
Here are Logan’s statistics from his nine seasons with the Braves in Milwaukee:
| Year | Age | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 27 | 150 | 668 | 611 | 100 | 167 | 27 | 8 | 11 | 73 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 33 | .273 | .326 | .398 | .724 | 92 |
| 1954 | 28 | 154 | 638 | 560 | 66 | 154 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 66 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 51 | .275 | .339 | .373 | .712 | 91 |
| 1955 ★ | 29 | 154 | 680 | 595 | 95 | 177 | 37 | 5 | 13 | 83 | 3 | 3 | 58 | 58 | .297 | .360 | .442 | .802 | 116 |
| 1956 | 30 | 148 | 631 | 545 | 69 | 153 | 27 | 5 | 15 | 46 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 49 | .281 | .340 | .431 | .771 | 112 |
| 1957 ★ | 31 | 129 | 541 | 494 | 59 | 135 | 19 | 7 | 10 | 49 | 5 | 0 | 31 | 49 | .273 | .319 | .401 | .720 | 98 |
| 1958 ★ | 32 | 145 | 590 | 530 | 54 | 120 | 20 | 0 | 11 | 53 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 57 | .226 | .286 | .326 | .612 | 68 |
| 1959 ★ | 33 | 138 | 540 | 470 | 59 | 137 | 17 | 0 | 13 | 50 | 1 | 3 | 57 | 45 | .291 | .369 | .411 | .780 | 116 |
| 1960 | 34 | 136 | 537 | 482 | 52 | 118 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 42 | 1 | 1 | 43 | 40 | .245 | .309 | .334 | .643 | 83 |
| 1961 | 35 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .105 | .150 | .158 | .308 | -15 |
| TOTALS | 1172 | 4845 | 4306 | 624 | 1163 | 179 | 36 | 88 | 463 | 18 | 11 | 368 | 385 | .270 | .330 | .390 | .720 | 97 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/22/2015.
Next: 7. Smooth Swinging First Baseman