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1925 - 1926 Toledo Mud Hens

Woody's first year playing for the Mud Hens of the America Association League was not a great success. He played in 131 games at the primary defensive position of short stop. He had 459 plate appearances and 101 hits for a batting average of .220. However, Woody's was very good with the glove and he had above average speed so the Mud Hens stuck with him.

Earl Webb
( click to enlarge )
Hack Wilson
( click to enlarge )
In that same year, 1925, the Mud Hens had two ball players who Woody would later join up with at the Chicago Cubs. Earl Webb played outfield for the Mud Hens until Aug. 8 when the New York Giants traded Hack Wilson to the Mud Hens for Webb and Pip Koehler. Webb joined the Cubs and played in the 1927 and 1928 seasons. Meanwhile, Hack Wilson was drafted by Chicago in October 1925 and played with Woody at Chicago from 1927 to 1931.

Hall of Famer Casey Stengel
( click to enlarge )
Casey Stengel took over as manager of the Mud Hens in 1926 replacing Jimmy Burke. Stengel and Woody would go out to the ball park early so they could improve Woody's hitting. Casey would pitch, and provide tips and it paid off because his hitting did improve and he raised his average to .301. He had 166 hits in 551 appearances at the plate including 4 home runs while playing in 162 games. His defense was also excellent and he led the American Association in total chances at shortstop.



The 1926 Mud Hens were the first twentieth-century Toledo team owned by Toledoans. A group of local investors had formed the Toledo Holding Company in a deal put together by Toledo attorneys John McMahon and Oscar Smith, both of whom would be involved with the club for a number of years. The group also gained control of Swayne Field from New York interests and hired Dick Meade the long-time Sports Editor of the Toledo News-Bee as president. Casey Stengel had been hired by the previous owner, Joseph O'Brien, to manage the club, and so he was already on board. Stengel was involved with the Worcester, Massachusetts club as president, manager, and player the previous season, but made himself available by some cunning. According to Robert Creamer in Stengel: His Life and Times, Stengel "released himself as a player. He then fired himself as manager and resigned as president, and O'Brien formally engaged him as manager of Toledo." Stengel quickly assembled a team of veterans that produced Toledo's first winning season in five years.

1926 Toledo Mud Hens
photo courtesy of the Toldeo Mud Hens

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