Clay Hopper
Encyclopedia
Robert Clay Hopper was a player and manager in minor league baseball
.
After a long career as a minor league ballplayer, Hopper became a manager in minor league baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals
organization. In 1945, he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers
franchise and managed there through 1951, following that up with a spell in the Pittsburgh Pirates
organization.
Hopper was the manager for the Montreal Royals
when Jackie Robinson
entered the Dodgers farm system in 1946. He was named Manager of the Year that season.
He ranks #15 of all time in Minor League Wins by a manager.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
.
After a long career as a minor league ballplayer, Hopper became a manager in minor league baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
organization. In 1945, he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
franchise and managed there through 1951, following that up with a spell in the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
organization.
Hopper was the manager for the Montreal Royals
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897–1917 and from 1928–60 as a member of the International League and its progenitor, the original Eastern League...
when Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
entered the Dodgers farm system in 1946. He was named Manager of the Year that season.
He ranks #15 of all time in Minor League Wins by a manager.