Born in Salina, Kansas, and raised there and in Los Angeles, Mauch played in all or parts of nine MLB seasons between and with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox.
In 1953, the Braves named Mauch, then 27 years old, the player-manager of their Double-A Atlanta Crackers farm team in the Southern Association, his first managerial assignment.