Jack Tobin

John Thomas Tobin (May 4, 1892 – December 10, 1969) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball. He played in the Federal League (FL) for the St. Louis Terriers (1914–1915), and for the St. Louis Browns (1916, 1918–1925), Washington Senators, and Boston Red Sox (1926–1927) of the American League (AL). He led the FL in hits in 1915, and he led the AL in triples in 1921.

A native of St. Louis, Tobin batted and threw left-handed. While modern sources often use the common name Jack, he was mostly known as Johnny to his friends and in contemporary coverage.

Tobin was 5'8" tall and weighed less than 150 pounds. He had good speed and became known for his ability to bunt. "I was a .330 hitter most of my career. I'd bat .030 and bunt .300," Tobin once joked. Tobin himself set a career best with a .352 batting average in 1921, the second of four consecutive seasons in which he collected more than 200 hits. That year he led both leagues with 671 at-bats and tied for the league lead with 18 triples. His 236 hits and 132 runs scored that year were both the second-highest totals in the major leagues as well as career highs. The Browns lost a September pennant race to the New York Yankees by one game.

Before the 1926 season, Tobin and Bullet Joe Bush were traded from the Browns to the Washington Senators. By June of that season, the Senators released Tobin, and he was signed by the Boston Red Sox, with whom he finished his major league career in 1927. In a 13-season career, Tobin posted a .309 batting average (1906-for-6174) with 64 home runs and 585 runs batted in along with 936 runs scored, 294 doubles, 99 triples, 147 stolen bases, and 508 bases on balls in 1619 games played.

Personal life Tobin married the former Loretta Sack in 1914, and they had a daughter, Dorothy, in 1916. Tobin was involved in auto sales when not on the baseball field, and in 1925 he became co-owner of the Hildebrand-Tobin Motor Company in St. Louis.

After his professional baseball career ended, Tobin had some involvement in American Legion baseball, serving as a coach and arbitration board member for the St. Louis Legion League. He died of pneumonia at St. John's Mercy Hospital in St. Louis in 1969.