Johnny Mostil

Fleet-footed Johnny Mostil was one of the premier AL outfielders of the 1920s. He led the league in stolen bases in 1925 and 1926 and in runs scored in ’25, and four times batted over .300. In a 1925 spring training game, Mostil snared a foul fly down the left-field line while playing center. Though he hit a career-high .328 in 1926, on March 9, 1927, he tried to kill himself in his Shreveport hotel room, inflicting 13 razor cuts to his wrist, neck, and arms. The press reported that Mostil suffered from neuritis, but rumors circulated that Mostil was having an affair with the wife of teammate Red Faber, and attempted suicide when Faber found out and threatened to kill him. Mostil recovered and returned by the end of the season, but played less than two more years. Later, he became a minor league manager and White Sox scout.