Wally Shannon

Who was Wally Shannon?

Walter Charles Shannon was an American professional baseball player, a second baseman and shortstop who appeared in parts of two seasons for the 1959–1960 St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he batted left-handed, threw right-handed, stood 6 feet tall and weighed 178 pounds. He was the son of Walter G. Shannon, a longtime scout, director of scouting, and front office executive for the Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, California Angels and Milwaukee Brewers.

Wally Shannon attended Washington University in St. Louis. He signed with the Cardinals in 1951 and was called to the Major Leagues in July 1959 after batting .291 with 13 home runs for the Rochester Red Wings of the Triple-A International League. In 47 MLB games as a pinch hitter and backup infielder, Shannon collected 27 hits, including five doubles. But in 1960 Shannon was sent back to the minor leagues for good in May after only 18 games with the Cards, three as a starter, and he played the rest of his ten-season career in the minors.

In 65 Major League games, Shannon had 31 hits and a lifetime batting average of .263. After his retirement as a player, Shannon was a scout for the New York Mets during Bing Devine's tenure as the team's president. He died at Creve Coeur, Missouri, from a heart attack at the age of 59.