Joe McDonald to be Inducted into Killebrew Root Beer Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame

FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 7, 2022) – Killebrew Root Beer and the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are excited to announce the selection of Joe McDonald as the 2022 inductee into the Killebrew Root Beer Professional Scouts Hall of Fame.

McDonald will be honored at Hammond Stadium prior to the Mighty Mussels’ August 27 game against the Lakeland Flying Tigers. McDonald will become the 17th member of ‘The Wall’ outside of Hammond Stadium.

“I’m so honored,” McDonald said. “I always had great respect for Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett and have great respect for the men that recommended me as well as so many others. Scouting is a tough, tough job and it was early in my career in Brooklyn that I learned the value of scouting and their contributions to the game.”

The New York native and current Florida resident was nominated by multiple existing members of the Hall of Fame. During the nomination and selection process, the selection committee was overwhelmed by the positive response about Joe’s potential induction.

McDonald’s career truly spans a lifetime, having worked for eight organizations over a staggering 70 years. He earned six World Series rings while owning the rare distinction of serving as general manager for three different Major League clubs.

“Joe is a master of gathering information,” 2018 inductee Murray Cook said. “He’s a class guy who has given his life to the game. He’s pleasant and funny and a joy to be around. I don’t think you’ll find a scout or anyone that would say anything different.”

Born in Staten Island, New York, McDonald’s career in baseball started as a “turnstile boy” for the 1944 Brooklyn Dodgers. The then 14-year-old earned 49 cents per game and slowly climbed the ladder to “ticket taker” by the time he graduated high school.

After the third inning, Joe was allowed to vacate his position at the gates and watch games from the stands. Without games being televised, McDonald credited the ability to watch games live at Ebbets Field as a critical leg up as a future baseball executive.

“Unless you went to the game, you didn’t see how the game was played by the pros,” McDonald said. “It was a great advantage in the long run because I was able to see how Pee Wee Reese fielded the ball, how Jackie Robinson ran the bases, how Carl Furillo threw form the outfield and how Clem Labine would get spin on his curveball.”

McDonald graduated from Fordham University in 1951. He then served two years in the U.S. Air Force where he played and coached baseball for the Ardmore Air Force Base in Gene Autry, Oklahoma. After completing his service, McDonald returned to New York to find the Dodgers had left for California. He played sandlot ball in Brooklyn before landing a job as the official statistician for the 1962 expansion team in his hometown – the New York Mets.

McDonald traveled with the team and witnessed every pitch for the 120-loss Mets, still the worst team in baseball history. That character-building experience earned him a full-time position as the assistant to the farm director. Joe ascended to the Mets’ Director of Scouting in 1967 and the Director of Minor League Operations in 1968. He played a significant role in the development of Jerry Koosman and Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver.

As an integral part of the Mets’ player development group throughout in the 1960s, McDonald calls the ’69 Miracle Mets’ World Series run the highlight of his baseball career and the ring he is most proud of. He became the Mets’ general manager in 1974 and remained with the club until they were sold in 1980.

McDonald then caught on with the St. Louis Cardinals, serving as an executive assistant under Whitey Herzog before quickly becoming general manager in 1982. He was instrumental in acquiring future NL MVP Willie McGee while leading the Cardinals to a World Series Championship in his first season.

After five years with the Cardinals, McDonald joined the Detroit Tigers as Director of Development and Scouting in 1987. McDonald became the Tigers’ general manager in 1991.

McDonald settled into a scouting role for the ladder half of his career, spending stints with the Phillies, Angels and Rockies. In 2004, he began a 15-year stretch with the Boston Red Sox. During his time with Boston, the team made nine postseason appearances and captured four World Series championships. He retired after the 2019 season and continues to live in Lakeland with his beloved wife Virginia, where they’ve resided for over 40 years.

Killebrew Root Beer Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame

(In Order of Induction)

Tom Kotchman, Rudy Santin, John Barr, Allen G. Goldis, Terry Ryan, Dave Yoakum, Jack Gillis, Dan Jennings, Mike Russell, Jorge Posada Sr., Luke Wrenn, Tim Wilken, Larry Corrigan, Marty Scott, Murray Cook, Mike Radcliff