Johnny Hopp

Johnny Hopp (July 18, 1916 - 2003) was an American baseball player born in Hastings, Nebraska. A versatile outfielder and first baseman, he competed in Major League Baseball for 14 seasons from 1939 to 1952. He made his St. Louis Cardinals debut in September 1939 and became a regular in 1941, batting .303 with 25 doubles and 11 triples. In the 1942 World Series he started all five games at first base as St. Louis defeated the New York Yankees. His best season came in 1944 as the Cardinals' everyday center fielder, with career highs of 177 hits, 106 runs, 35 doubles, and 11 home runs. Hopp compiled a lifetime batting average of .296 and appeared in five World Series, winning two with the Cardinals and two with the Yankees. He later coached for the 1954 Detroit Tigers and 1956 Cardinals under Fred Hutchinson.