Joe Munson

Who was Joe Munson?

Joseph Martin Napoleon Munson, born Joseph Martin Napoleon Carlson was a reserve outfielder in Major League Baseball who played in 1925 and 1926 for the Chicago Cubs. Listed at 5 ft 9 in, 184 lb., Munson batted left-handed and threw right-handed. A native of Renovo, Pennsylvania, he attended Lehigh University.

In his two-season major league career, Munson was a .287 hitter with three home runs and 18 RBI in 42 games, including 22 runs, five doubles, three triples, one stolen base, and a .349 on-base percentage.

Despite his short major league career, Munson was a star in the minors. His career started in 1918 under the name Joe Martin. With the Eastern League Harrisburg Senators in 1925 he won the triple-crown, leading the league with a .400 batting average, 33 home runs and 129 RBIs, while also recording 188 hits, 132 runs scored, and 17 triples.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma in the Western League he batted .383 in 1927, won the batting title with .385 in 1928, and then hit .369 in 1929. After the 1932 season he retired with a .335 minor league lifetime average and 2,050 hits.

Munson died at the age of 90 in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, and was buried under his birth name.