John Sherman Lollar Jr. (August 23, 1924 – September 24, 1977) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played for 18 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians (1946), New York Yankees (1947–1948), St. Louis Browns (1949–1951), and Chicago White Sox (1952–1963). Although Lollar was often overshadowed by his contemporary, New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra, he was considered to be one of the best catchers in the major leagues during the 1950s. Lollar was an American League All-Star for seven seasons. In 1957, he received the first Rawlings Gold Glove Award for the catcher position in Major League Baseball. He was a coach in the major leagues and managed at the minor league level after his MLB playing career ended. He was chosen for the Chicago White Sox All-Century Team on September 30, 2000. Biography Lollar was born in Durham, Arkansas in the rural Ozark mountains. He was a batboy for the Fayetteville, Arkansas Class D minor league team in the Arkansas–Missouri League in the 1930s. In 1943 Lollar was signed as an 18-year-old by the Baltimore Orioles, which then was a minor league franchise in the International League. In 1945 he hit 34 home runs and led the International League with a .364 batting average, winning the league's Most Valuable Player award. Baltimore had a working agreement with the Cleveland Indians, and sold Lollar to the Indians after the 1945 season. MLB career Cleveland Indians (1946) Lollar made his major league debut on April 20, 1946. He was a backup catcher for the Cleveland Indians behind catchers Frankie Hayes and then Jim Hegan. His playing time as a third string catcher was minimal so, he requested to be sent back to the minor leagues. New York Yankees (1947–1948) Lollar was traded to the New York Yankees along with Ray Mack after the 1946 season, and competed with Yogi Berra in 1947 for the Yankee catching job. Both Lollar and Berra were considered excellent hitting prospects but defensive liabilities, although both eventually would become outstanding receivers. Lollar started two games in the 1947 World Series for the Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers and went 3 for 4 with two doubles. Yankee coach and Hall of Fame catching great, Bill Dickey, advised the Yankees that Berra's left-hand bat was more suited to the dimensions of Yankee Stadium (301'-457'-461'-407'-296' LF-LCF-CF-RCF-RF) than Lollar's right-hand