John Fitzpatrick

Who was John Fitzpatrick?

John Arthur Fitzpatrick, nicknamed "Foghorn" and "Eagle Beak," was an American Major League Baseball coach and scout and minor league catcher and manager. He was born in LaSalle, Illinois.

Fitzpatrick appeared in 1,933 games over 21 seasons as a minor league player, batting .288. He was a coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1953–1955 and the Milwaukee Braves from 1958–1959.

He managed minor league teams intermittently during the period of 1936–1963 in the Pittsburgh, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels farm systems. He was a longtime associate of Fred Haney, whom he served as a coach with the Hollywood Stars, Pirates and Braves, and for whom he scouted for the Angels after his managing career.

He died at age 86 in San Diego, California.