Jack Burns

Who was Jack Burns?

John Irving Burns, nicknamed "Slug," was an American first baseman, coach and scout in Major League Baseball. A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Burns stood 6 feet tall and weighed 175 pounds in his playing days, and batted and threw left-handed.

Burns' professional playing career began in 1928 in the New England League. After leading the Class A Western League in home runs with 36 in 1929, his contract was purchased by the St. Louis Browns of the American League. After a brief MLB trial in 1930, Burns became the starting first baseman for the Browns in 1931. He handled those duties until he was traded to the Detroit Tigers on April 30, 1936, for pitcher Chief Hogsett. He returned to the minor leagues at the end of that campaign for the remainder of his playing career. In Burns' finest season for the Browns, 1932, he scored 111 runs, batted .305, hit 11 homers and drove in 70 RBI. Over his major league career, he appeared in 890 games, and batted .280 with 44 homers and 417 runs batted in. He led American League first basemen in assists in 1931 and 1932.

Burns became a manager in the minor leagues with the 1938 Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League, replacing Dan Howley on June 27 with the Leafs in eighth place. He rallied the team to a fifth place standing that year, but when Toronto finished last in 1939, Burns was released. After World War II, he joined the Boston Red Sox farm system, managing their Eastern League affiliates in Scranton and Albany from 1949 to 1954. His 1952 Albany Senators won the league pennant, while his 1954 Senators were the EL playoff champions.