Henry "Hank" Aaron
|
Born |
Died |
Height |
Weight |
|
February 5, 1934 |
N/A |
6’
0" |
180 lbs. |
|
Threw |
Batted |
Position(s) |
|
Right |
Right |
ss |
|
|
Hank
Aaron
In 1952, as a skinny, crosshanded-batting eighteen-year-old, the future
home-run king played shortstop for the Negro American League's Indianapolis
Clowns under manager Buster Haywood for about three months. Aaron had been signed in April for $200
per month by Bunny Downs, the Clowns' business manager, after being discovered
the previous season (1951) while playing with the semipro Mobile Black Bears in
an exhibition game against the Clowns. During
the time he was with the Clowns, he was scouted by both the New York Giants and
the Boston Braves and, although the Giants were unimpressed, the Braves bought
his contract from Clowns' owner Syd Pollock.
|
The fledgling shortstop finished the season at Eau Claire
in the Northern League, hitting .336 with nine home runs in the remaining 87
games. The following season he was
switched to second base at Jacksonville in the Sally League, and he responded by
leading the league in almost every category except home runs. His .362 batting average topped the
league, as did his hits (20*), runs (115), RBIs (125), doubles (36), putouts
(330), assists (310), and errors (36). He
also contributed 14 triples and 22 homers.
The next season he made the transition to the major leagues
with the Milwaukee Braves, was shifted to the outfield, and hit 13 home runs. The rest is history. Twenty-three years later he retired as
the all-time home-run king with 755 homers and a lifetime .305 batting average. Along the way he lead the league in home
runs ('57, '63, '66-'67) and in RBIs ('57, '60, '63, '66) four times each, won
three Gold Gloves ('58-'60) and two batting titles ('59, ''59), was selected to
the All-Star team ('54-'76), and voted the National League's MVP ('57). He was inducted into the Baseball hall
of Fame in 1982 to cap an illustrious career.
Beginning in 1948, at age nineteen, the future New York
Yankees' star played three seasons in the Negro Leagues with the Kansas City
Monarchs as an outfielder-catcher. He
posted batting averages of .283, .270, and .319 while hitting with good power. In 1950 he also played in organized
baseball with Muskegon in the Central league and hit .283, .270, and .319 while
hitting with good power. In 1950 he
also played in organized baseball with Muskegon in the Central League and hit
.283 for the last half of the season. After
two years of military service he joined Kansas City in the American Association,
where he hit .286. In 1954, with
Toronto in the International League, he hit .330 with 22 homers, 21 doubles, and
a league-leading 16 triples. The
next season he went up to the Yankees, and for the next 13 years he was one of
their most indispensable players. His
best years were 1961, when he hit .248 with 21 homers, and 1963, when he hit
.287 with 28 homers and 85 RBIs. Although
an all-time Yankees favorite, he ended his major-league career in 1968 with the
Boston Red Sox, finishing with a .274 lifetime major-league batting average.
Courtesy of "The
Biographical Encyclopedia of The Negro Baseball Leagues" by James A. Riley
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