Hank Aaron (1982)


Date of Birth: 2/5/1934
Date of Death: 1/22/2021
Birthplace: Mobile, Alabama

Hank Aaron, the player who broke Babe Ruth’s home run record and then held the record for 33 years, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. Aaron was a favorite with fans and he was selected as an All-Star in all but the first and last years that he played in the major leagues.

Aaron began playing baseball as a child and before finishing high school, Aaron joined a team in the Negro Leagues. In 1952, the Milwaukee Braves bought Aaron's contract. He then spent two seasons in the minor leagues before having his first full season in the major leagues with the Braves.

Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves

Aaron started as an outfielder with the Braves in April, 1954. His first year was good, but not spectacular. However, in his second year with the Braves, Aaron batted .314, with 27 home runs and 106 RBIs. He led the NL in doubles in 1955, with 37. The next year, Aaron’s average was .328 and he won the National League batting title for that year. He led the NL in hits with 200 and in doubles with 34. He won the Sporting News Player of the Year award in 1956.

In 1957, Aaron won the National League MVP award for batting .322 and leading the league in home runs and RBIs. That season he had 198 hits, 27 doubles, 44 home runs, and 132 RBIs.

Aaron had another strong season in 1958, batting .326 with 196 hits, 34 doubles, 30 home runs, and 95 RBIs in 153 games. He won the first of three consecutive Gold Gloves that year. As a right fielder in 119 games, he made 226 putouts and 2 errors and he had a .992 fielding percentage.

Aaron had an even better season in 1959, leading the NL in batting average, hits, and OPS. He had career highs in hits (223), doubles (46), and batting average (.355). He finished the season with 39 home runs, 123 RBIs, and a 1.037 OPS in 154 games. He excelled defensively also, winning his second Gold Glove as a right fielder. In 144 games, he made 239 putouts and 5 errors.

Aaron's batting average dropped to .292 in 1960. However, he still had a good season and he led the NL in RBIs with 126. He had 172 hits, 20 doubles, 11 triples, and 40 home runs in 153 games. He won his third Gold Glove and he led all NL right fielders in putouts with 313.

In 1961, Aaron led the NL in doubles with 39. He finished the season with 197 hits, 10 triples, 34 home runs, 21 stolen bases, 120 RBIs, and a .327 batting average in 155 games. The following season was another strong one, with 191 hits, 28 doubles, 45 home runs, 128 RBIs, and a .323 batting average. He showed good discipline at the plate in 1962, walking 66 times and striking out 73 times.

Aaron won the Sporting News Player of the Year award in 1963. That season, he led the NL in home runs, RBIs, and OPS. He finished the season with 201 hits, 29 doubles, 44 home runs, a career high 31 stolen bases, 130 RBIs, 94 strikeouts to 78 walks, a .319 batting average, and an OPS of .977 in a career high 161 games.

Aaron continued to excel offensively in 1964 and 1965, finishing both seasons with a batting average over .300. In 1964, he batted .328 with 187 hits, 30 doubles, 24 home runs, 22 stolen bases, and 95 RBIs in 145 games. He walked more times than he struck out (46 strikeouts to 62 walks). He had an even better season in 1965, when he led the NL in doubles. He finished the season with 181 hits, 40 doubles, 32 home runs, 24 stolen bases, 89 RBIs, 81 strikeouts to 60 walks, and a .318 batting average.

Although Aaron's batting average dropped to .279 in 1966, he had a strong season, leading the NL in home runs with 44 and RBIs with 127. He played well defensively, leading NL right fielders in putouts with 311.

Aaron continued his home run dominance in 1967, once again leading the NL in home runs with 39. He batted .307 with 184 hits, 37 doubles, and 109 RBIs in 155 games. He also again led NL right fielders in putouts in 1967 with 296 and in 1968 with 328. His offensive numbers dropped in 1968. That year, he batted .287 with 174 hits, 33 doubles, 29 home runs, 28 stolen bases, and 86 RBIs in 160 games. His batting average went back up to .300 and his home run number rose again to 44 in 1969.

In 1970, Aaron became the first player in major league history to have 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. He was honored that year with the Lou Gehrig Memorial award.

Aaron led the NL in OPS in 1971. He finished the season with 162 hits, 22 doubles, a career high 47 home runs, 118 RBIs, a .327 batting average, and a career high OPS of 1.079. He walked 71 times while striking out just 58 times. In 1972, his batting average dropped to .265. That year, he walked a career high 92 times (to just 55 strikeouts). His batting average went back up to .301 in 1973. He finished that season with 118 hits, 40 home runs, 96 RBIs, and 51 strikeouts to 68 walks in 120 games.

On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run, breaking the great Babe Ruth's record. Aaron continued playing baseball for three more seasons, ending his career with 755 home runs.

Milwaukee Brewers

For his last two seasons, Aaron returned to Milwaukee, playing for the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1975, he batted .234 with 109 hits, 16 doubles, 12 home runs, and 60 RBIs in 137 games. He played in just 85 games in 1976, and he had 62 hits and a .229 batting average.

Awards and MLB Records

  • NL MVP award
  • Sporting News Player of the Year award (2 times)
  • Lou Gehrig Memorial award
  • Gold Glove (3 times)
  • Led the NL in batting average (2 times)
  • Led the NL in home runs (4 times)
  • Led the NL in RBIs (4 times)
  • Led the NL in hits (2 times)
  • Led the NL in doubles (4 times)
  • Led the NL in OPS (3 times)
  • Most MLB career RBIs (2,297)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Aaron in 23 seasons (1954-1976) in the major leagues include:

  • 17 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 223 in 1959
  • 10 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 46 in 1959
  • 20 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 47 in 1971
  • 11 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 132 in 1957
  • 6 seasons with over 20 stolen bases, with a high of 31 in 1963
  • 14 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .355 in 1959

Career batting statistics for Aaron include:

  • 3,298 games played
  • 3,771 hits
  • 624 doubles
  • 755 home runs
  • 2,297 RBIs
  • 240 stolen bases
  • 1,383 strikeouts to 1,402 walks
  • .305 batting average
  • .374 on-base percentage
  • .929 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Aaron as a right fielder include:

  • 2,174 games played
  • 87 errors
  • 178 assists
  • 4,148 putouts
  • .980 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

In 1976, Aaron was hired for an executive position with the Braves. In the 1980s, he held various positions with the team, including director of player development and assistant to the president of the team.

Aaron published his autobiography, "I Had a Hammer," in 1990.

Aaron was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982 on the first ballot with 97.8% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Hank Aaron
ESPN - Hank Aaron
Baseball Reference - Hank Aaron

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