Joe Hoover

{{Short description|American baseball player (1915–1965)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography | name = Joe Hoover | image = Im284 Joe Hoover in baseball uniform.jpg | alt = | caption = Hoover in 1939 with the Hollywood Stars | position = Shortstop | birth_date = {{birth date|1915|4|15}} | birth_place = Brawley, California, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1965|9|2|1915|4|15}} | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | bats = Right | throws = Right | debutleague = MLB | debutdate = April 21 | debutyear = 1943 | debutteam = Detroit Tigers | finalleague = MLB | finaldate = September 23 | finalyear = 1945 | finalteam = Detroit Tigers | statyear = | statleague = MLB | stat1label = Batting average | stat1value = .243 | stat2label = Home runs | stat2value = 5 | stat3label = Runs batted in | stat3value = 84 | teams = * Detroit Tigers (1943–1945) | highlights = *World Series champion ({{wsy|1945}}) }}

'''Robert Joseph Hoover''' (April 15, 1915 – September 2, 1965) was an American professional baseball player from 1937 to 1946. He played three years in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Detroit Tigers from 1943 to 1945. He also played six years in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) for the Hollywood Stars from 1938 to 1942 and the San Francisco Seals in 1946. He won a World Series championship with the Tigers in 1945 and a PCL pennant with the Seals in 1946. He was also selected as a PCL all-star and the Hollywood Stars' most valuable player in 1942 when he hit for a .327 batting average.

==Early years== Hoover was born in Brawley, in Imperial County, California, in 1915.<ref name=BR/> He was the son of Robert Jasper Hoover and Estelle Goldie (Eli) Hoover. He is of Scotch-Irish-English-German descent. The family surname was changed by his grandfather from "Heuber" to Hoover due to constant mispronounciation. He had two sisters, Barbara and Miriam. <ref name=DFP43>{{cite news|title=To Whom It May Concern|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=March 19, 1943|page=21|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48456242/to-whom-it-may-concern-joe-hoover/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The family moved to Pomona, California when Joe was a child. He attended Pomona High School where he starred in baseball, as an end in football, and as a guard in basketball.<ref name=TSN/><ref name=TSN2/> He next attended Pomona Junior College where he played college football in the fall of 1934 and college baseball in the spring of 1935.<ref>Multiple stories in ''The Progress-Bulletin'' of Pomona describe his play for the Pomona JC team during the 1934-35 academic year.</ref>

==Professional baseball== ===Indianapolis and Rock Island=== In 1937, Hoover signed with the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association. He was farmed out to the Rock Island Islanders of the Western League. He returned to Indianapolis late in the 1937 season. During the 1937, Hoover played at catcher, shortstop, left field, and center field.<ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Hoover Is At Rock Island|newspaper=The Progress-Bulletin|date=May 10, 1937|page=II-2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48452517/joe-hoover-is-at-rock-island/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Hoover Finishes Baseball Season With Indians|newspaper=The Progress-Bulletin|date=September 16, 1937|page=II-2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48452613/joe-hoover-with-indians/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Sport Static|newspaper=The Progress-Bulletin|date=June 12, 1937|page=II-8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48452720/sport-static-joe-hoover/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He compiled a .273 average in 30 games for Indianapolis and .242 in 62 games for Rock Island.<ref name=Minor/>

===Hollywood Stars=== In 1938, Hoover did not report to Indianapolis and refused to sign a contract with the club. In April, he was sold to the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League.<ref>{{cite news|title=Crandall and Hoover Sold to Killefer|newspaper=The Indianapolis News|date=April 22, 1939|page=Sports 8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48453067/crandall-and-hoover-sold-to-killefer/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He earned a reputation for versatility with the Stars, logging time at shortstop, second base, outfield, and as a pitcher.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pomona Fans Boost Hoover|newspaper=The Progress-Bulletin|date=September 7, 1942|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48453363/pomona-fans-boost-hoover/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> In 1939, he appeared in 137 games for the Stars while compiling a .298 batting average and .425 slugging percentage.<ref name=Minor/>

Hoover became Hollywood's starting shortstop in 1940.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Joe Hoover Is Twinks' Star|newspaper=The Progress-Bulletin|date=June 7, 1940|page=II-2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48454176/joe-hoover-is-twinks-star/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> As his defensive performance improved, Hollywood manager Bill Sweeney boasted: "If the Stars suddenly acquired the best shortstop in the majors today that player couldn't get Hoover out of my lineup."<ref>{{cite news|title=Major Scouts Eye Twinks' Joe Hoover|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=June 9, 1940|page=II-10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48453775/major-scouts-eye-twinks-joe-hoover/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The Stars held a "Joe Hoover Night" at Gilmore Field in July 1940 at which Pomona's mayor paid tribute to Hoover.<ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Hoover Shines on 'Hoover Night' But Twinks Lose: Pomona Fans Honor Player|newspaper=The Progress-Bulletin|date=July 11, 1940|page=II-2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48454068/joe-hoover-shines-on-hoover-night-but/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

He appeared in a career-high 164 games for the Stars in 1941, though his batting average dropped to .235.<ref name=Minor/> The Pomona newspaper in 1941 summed up Hoover's path to success:<blockquote>A worker, Joe went into baseball the hard way, doing little talking, playing many positions, showing determination and love for the game. He hasn't set the world on fire with his hitting, but he improved his fielding to the extent that he's recognized as one of the best shortstops in the coast league. . . . Joe never was one of those 'naturals' you hear so much about. But he was endowed with a varied ability that kept him on squads because he could play many positions."<ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Hoover's Year|newspaper=The Progress-Bulletin|date=March 15, 1941|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48454830/joe-hoovers-year/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref></blockquote>

In 1942, Hoover blossomed as a hitter, compiling a .327 batting average with 34 doubles, 10 triples, 11 home runs, 62 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.<ref name=Minor>{{cite web|title=Joe Hoover Minor League Statistics|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=May 26, 2014|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hoover001rob}}</ref> He was selected as a Pacific League All-Star and the Stars' most valuable player, and was named by the Helms Athletic Foundation as Southern California's "athlete of the months" for July 1942.<ref>{{cite news|title=All-Star Coast Nines to Tangle: Joe Hoover in South Lineup Tonight|newspaper=The Progress-Bulletin|date=August 3, 1942|page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Hoover Is Honored As Athlete|newspaper=The Progress-Bulletin|date=August 4, 1942|page=9|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48455052/joe-hoover-is-honored-as-athlete/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> His .327 batting average was fourth best in the PCL during the 1942 season.<ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Hoover Ranks Fourth Among Coast Loop Hitters|newspaper=The Progress-Bulletin|date=September 23, 1942|page=II-3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48455301/joe-hoover-ranks-fourth-among-coast/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name=DFP42>{{cite news|title=Tigers' New Shortstop, Joe Hoover, Has Stuff to Become 1943's Major-League Sensation|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=October 8, 1942|page=16|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48455684/tigers-new-shortstop-joe-hoover-has/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

===Detroit Tigers=== On October 1, 1942, the Detroit Tigers purchased Hoover from the Stars after all three Detroit shortstops — Billy Hitchcock, Johnny Lipon, and Murray Franklin — were inducted in the military during World War II.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hollywood Peddles Hoover, Perez and Kalin to Major Clubs|newspaper=The Sporting News|date=October 8, 1942|page=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Hoover Gets Big Break With Tigers: Rookie Infielder Improves by Paying Others To Pitch, Bat to Him|author=Dillon Graham|newspaper=The Sunday Spartanburg Herald-Journal (AP story)|date=April 4, 1943|page=17|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19430404&id=zEQsAAAAIBAJ&pg=4907,2452250}}</ref> Hoover had a draft deferred status as a married man with a family. At the time of Detroit's purchase of Hoover, ''The Sporting News'' described him as "hustle personified" and "not a chatterbox type." Physically, it described him as "a regular Adonis" with a "wasp-like waist" and "a fine pair of shoulders and a strong pair of legs to keep him in the lineup day after day."<ref name=TSN>{{cite news|title=Joe Hoover, Tiger Recruit, a Vacuum Cleaner at Shortstop: Hollywood Grad Loves to Play Ball, Has Speed and Fine Arm in His Equipment|author=Oscar Reichow|newspaper=The Sporting News|date=November 19, 1942|page=2}}</ref><ref name=TSN2>{{cite news|title=Hoover Sweeps Into Corner on Tigers Job at Short|newspaper=The Sporting News|author=Dick Ferrington|date=June 3, 1943|page=3}}</ref>

Hoover became the Tigers' starting shortstop in 1943, appearing in 144 games at the position. He hit for .243 average and led the American League in outs with 478 and in sacrifice hits with 28. He was also second in the league with 101 strikeouts.<ref name=BR>{{cite web|title=Joe Hoover|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=May 26, 2014|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hoovejo01.shtml}}</ref>

Before the start of the 1944 season, Hoover was reclassified as 1A by the draft board, raising fears that the Tigers would lose yet another shortstop to the war.<ref>{{cite news|title=Over-26 Draft Slowup Lifts Tigers' Hopes|author=Sam Green|newspaper=The Sporting News|date=April 20, 1944|page=9}}</ref> Nevertheless, Hoover remained the Tigers starting shortstop in 1944. His batting average dipped to .236, but he was steady defensively, ranking second in the American League in range factor (5.55) and double plays turned (102) by a shortstop. He also ranked third in the league in putouts by a shortstop with 256.<ref name=BR/>

In his final major league season, Hoover was a member of the 1945 Detroit Tigers team that won the American League pennant and defeated the Chicago Cubs in the 1945 World Series. However, after two seasons as the team's everyday shortstop, Hoover in 1945 divided shortstop duties with Skeeter Webb; Hoover started 55 games at shortstop, while Webb started 99.<ref name=BR/><ref>{{cite web|title=Skeeter Webb|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/webbsk01.shtml}}</ref> Hoover's last major league appearance came in Game 6 of the 1945 World Series. He had a single in three World Series at bats. He also had an RBI and scored a run in an 8–7 loss to the Cubs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1945_WS.shtml |title=1945 World Series - Detroit Tigers over Chicago Cubs (4-3) |publisher=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=2012-08-13}}</ref>

In 338 major league games over three seasons, Hoover posted a .243 batting average (301-for-1238) with 177 runs, 5 home runs, 84 RBI and 92 bases on balls. Defensively, he recorded a .940 fielding percentage.<ref name="BR" />

===San Francisco Seals=== On January 24, 1946, the Tigers sold Hoover to the San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hoover Crowds Spot at Short: Former Tiger Third Player for Position; One May Be Shifted to Second|author=Jim McGee|newspaper=The Sporting News|date=January 31, 1946}}</ref> Hoover compiled a career low .200 batting average in 87 games for the Seals.<ref name=Minor/> The San Francisco Seals won the PCL pennant, giving Hoover an MLB championship in 1945 and a PCL championship in 1946.

==Family and later years== Hoover was married to Alice Smith Andres in November 1935. They had one child, Joethel Ann, born in 1941.<ref name=TSN2/><ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Hoover's Baby Will be Honored At Ball Park|newspaper=The Progress-Bulletin|date=September 11, 1941|page=II-2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48454518/joe-hoovers-baby-will-be-honored-at/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The marriage ended with divorce and he married Hazel "Ginger" Bingham in 1953/1954. They had one daughter, Malea Madeline, born in 1955.

After retiring from baseball he owned a gas station in Los Angeles. On Christmas Day 12/25), 1960 Joe suffered a heart attack. He was just 44 years of age.<ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Hoover Hospitalized|newspaper=The Progress-Bulletin|date=January 10, 1961|page=II-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48457043/joe-hoover-hospitalized/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He died in Los Angeles in 1965 at age 50.<ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Hoover|newspaper=The Sporting News|date=September 25, 1965|page=32}}</ref> He was buried at San Gorgonio Memorial Park in Banning, California.

==See also== * 1945 Detroit Tigers season

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Find a Grave}}

{{1945 Detroit Tigers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoover, Joe}} Category:Baseball players from Imperial County, California Category:Detroit Tigers players Category:Major League Baseball shortstops Category:1915 births Category:1965 deaths Category:People from Brawley, California Category:Baseball players from Pomona, California Category:Rock Island Islanders players Category:Hollywood Stars players Category:San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Category:Indianapolis Indians players Category:20th-century American sportsmen