Finally the baseball season is arriving at a diamond near you, or at least on a television set near you. With the major league teams beginning their season people might wonder if there were any baseball players who were born in Geneseo who made it to the big leagues. There was one such player, Clarence Curtis Wanner, who was known around Geneseo as Johnny Wanner. Wanner had a short professional career, playing in only three games late in the 1909 season.
Wanner was born in Geneseo on November 29, 1885, to Mr. and Mrs, John Wanner. He was educated in the Geneseo school system, graduating with the high school class of 1904. The path to the major leagues began a short time after his graduation. In July of 1904, Wanner was assigned by the manager of the Rock Island Islanders Baseball Club to a trial during the last week of July and the first week of August.
The Rock Island Baseball Club played in the Three-I-League, also known as the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. This league was formed in 1901. The Three-I-League would play baseball until 1962 and was replaced by the Midwest League the following year. The teams in the league would play at the B level of the minor leagues. During the early1900’s the minor leagues were divided into AA, A, B,C, and D classes, in descending order. Today the minors have classes of AAA, AA, A, and rookie ball. Playing for the Islanders meant that Wanner was just three steps away from the majors.
Wanner would play for the Rock Island club during the rest of the 1904 season. In late July 1904 the Rock Island Union newspaper stated that Wanner “was a find.” Shortly after this statement was printed, he would have three hits with one being a triple. That performance by Wanner was two days after being assigned to the club. Wanner would also spend the 1905, 1906, and 1907 seasons playing for the team out of Rock Island.
For a short time Wanner would leave the Three-I-League to travel to Portland, Oregon. While there, Wanner would play for the Portland Giants, a Class A minor league team in the Pacific Coast League. The Davenport Times newspaper stated that Wanner had “out classed the league during last year, 1906, so it was no wonder he was promoted to Portland.”
By March of 1907, it was reported that Wanner had signed to play for Rock Island once again. The 1907 season would be a good one for both the Rock Island Islanders and Johnny Wanner. In April of 1907, Wanner would show his flash at second base for the Islanders. While playing in Iowa City he would be a perfect ten-for-ten on put out chances and made it on base three out of five trips to the plate. Later in the season, Wanner would come to the plate with the bases loaded and the Islanders trailing 4-to-1 against a team from Peoria. After getting his second strike, Wanner was able to hit the ball over the left field fence, just inside the foul pole. Wanner’s grand slam homerun gave the Islanders the win. They would go on to win the 1907 Three-I-League Pennant.
In 1908 Wanner would be sent to Joplin, Missouri to play for the Joplin Miners. He would play in 140 games while he was assigned to the team. By December of 1908 Wanner was back in Rock Island to play for a team in a newly formed indoor baseball league.
As April of 1909 arrived, Wanner was off to play on the east coast. During his time on the east coast he would play for the Hartford Senators and the Jersey City Skeeters. While waiting to sign his new contract that year, Wanner played for his hometown team, the Geneseo White Sox. During a game in June of 1909, Wanner played well going 3- for-5 at the plate and was the center fielder for the White Sox.
Wanner received his call to the big show late in the1909 season. The New York Highlanders, who would later become the New York Yankees, signed him to join the team in August of that season. Wanner would play his first game at the major league level in Detroit on September 28, 1909. His first appearance came in the ninth inning as a pinch-hitter, batting for the Highlanders pitcher. Wanner’s first at bat would not see him get on base.
His first hit would come during a double-header in Boston. In the first game of the day, Wanner went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base. While playing shortstop in that first game against Boston, Wanner helped turn a double play and had three put outs. The second game that day saw Wanner getting his first hit of his major league career. By the end of the game, Wanner went 1-for-4 at bat. Wanner finished the 1909 season going 1 for 8 for a .125 batting average while playing for the Highlanders.
By October 1909 Wanner was back playing in Geneseo going 2 for 4 and playing in right field for his hometown team. That afternoon he was also the Fungo Batting competition champion, winning a new baseball glove.
The 1910 season saw Wanner being sold to the Memphis Turtles of the Southern League. While playing in Memphis, Wanner would have two of his own baseball cards printed. The Old Mill Cigarette card and a Colgan’s Chip card both represented him as a member of the Memphis Turtles. That year during the first game of the season Wanner would hit a game winning homerun. By the end of 1910, Wanner would contract an illness, which would leave him confined to his bed during the month of November.
The year 1911 brought hope of making it back to the big leagues when Arthur Irwin, a scout for the New York Highlanders said “here is a boy who is going to show a good many of them how to play second base and he knows how to hit.” However, the season saw Wanner playing in Kewanee, Illinois and Elmira, New York instead of the major leagues when no major league picked up his contract.
The 1912 season, Wanners last full year in the minor leagues, had him playing once again for the Hartford Senators and 25 games with the Omaha Rourkes. The next year, 1913, Wanner would play on the east coast with the Meriden Hopes. While in Meriden, Connecticut he would play in just 14 games. Wanner would then play locally during the next four years, including a stay in Strawberry Point, Iowa during the 1915 summer league.
Wanners health issues slowed his time on the diamond. He moved on from baseball and became an inspector at the Rock Island Arsenal. He would try to play one more time signing with the Rock Island team for the 1916 season. By 1919 his health turned downward and by May of that year he had died. Wanner would die of tuberculosis of the spine and he was in the Oakwood Cemetery in Geneseo.
Like many other young men, Clarence Wanner had a dream to play in the major leagues. His dream came true thanks to the New York Highlanders and plenty of hard work,
1907 Rock Island Islanders, Wanner is shown bottom left first player in front row
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