Mandy Brooks

Who was Mandy Brooks?

Jonathan Joseph "Mandy" Brooks, was a right-handed outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs.

Brooks' major-league debut came at the relatively advanced age of 27 on May 30, 1925. He went on to be a regular for the Cubs that season, playing the second-most games of any outfielder. Every one of his defensive appearances came in center field. It was a rather successful rookie campaign; Brooks trailed only future Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett for the club's home run lead by slugging 14 round-trippers, good enough to finish tenth in the entire National League in that category. Brooks was also second on the Cubs in RBI and slugging percentage. He finished his first season with a respectable .281 batting average.

Brooks, however, fell victim to the Cubs' acquisition of star outfielder Hack Wilson and found himself all but useless in the 1926 season. He played his final game for the Cubs on June 22 of that year, finishing his final big-league campaign with modest marks of 1 home run, a .188 batting average, and 6 RBI.

Brooks died on December 6, 1976 in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.