Infield: Third baseman Jim Ray Hart (1963-74) could hit all day long. He couldn’t field a lick, and he came up with the Giants at a time when they were already trying to figure out how to use both McCovey and Cepeda at first base, so moving him there wasn’t really an option. Talk about the wrong place at the wrong time. Hart played in a terrible hitter’s park, in an era dominated by pitchers, and there was no defensive position where he truly fit. He went .278/.345/.467 with 170 home runs, but if he had played in the 1990s, in the American League where he could DH, in a good hitter’s ballpark, the dude would have hit twice as many home runs, maybe more. First baseman Jim Hickman (1962-74) went .315-32-115 in 1970, a triple crown line that stands out like a sore thumb in the rest of his career. He wasn’t that good, but he wasn’t a bad player either, good for 15-20 home runs per year and a .250-.260 average. He started his career with the expansion Mets but had his best seasons for the Cubs. In the 1970 All-Star Game, it was his hit that scored Pete Rose with the winning run in the famous collision with Ray Fosse. Jose Hernandez (1991-2006) would have broke the single-season strikeout record in 2002 if he hadn’t sat out some games at the end of the season like a ninny to prevent it. This is especially silly, especially since the record has since been obliterated by Mark Reynolds. So, yes, Jose Hernandez struck out an ungodly amount, and his K-BB ratio would make you wince in pain. But he was also a decent defensive shortstop who could hit you 20-25 home runs per year. He moves to second base on this team – he was a fine fielder all over the infield and even in the outfield – because the JH team has two good shortstops. J.J. Hardy (2005- ) will also hit you 20-25 home runs in a good year and play a decent shortstop. He’s in the prime of his career right now, so the next few years will determine what kind of numbers he ultimately puts up.
Outfield: Left fielder Jeff Heath (1936-49) was a great hitter but, it would seem, a lousy person. He had the reputation for loafing on the field, and he is remembered for an ugly incident in 1947, when he was teammates on the St. Louis Browns with former Negro League star Willard Brown, one of the first black players in the American League. With no bats of his own, Brown picked up a damaged bat that Heath had discarded (since they both liked heavy bats), and he did a patchwork repair job on it and used it to hit the first home run by a black player in American League history. Heath took the bat back from Brown and smashed it to pieces because he didn’t like the idea of a black player using his bat, even one that he had thrown away. But the guy could hit. For his career, he batted .293 and per 162 games he averaged 33 doubles, 12 triples and 23 home runs and 104 RBI. Right fielder Jeffrey Hammonds (1993-05) was a good player but never quite as good as he was expected. He was an All-American at Stanford, a star on the 1992 Olympic team and a first-round draft pick. He made it to the majors at age 22 and batted .305 in 110 at-bats for the Orioles. He never became a star – true, he went .335-20-106 in 2000, but that was in Colorado – but he was a useful player for a long time. He played for six teams over the course of 13 seasons and finished with a .272 average and 110 home runs - a good career, but he will be pushed for the starting job by the platoon combination of Johnny Hopp and Joe Harris (see the "bench" section). It’s hard to know, at this precise moment in time, what to make of center fielder Josh Hamilton (2007- ). His story is well known and inspirational, but its ending is up in the air. He was the top pick in the 1999 draft, the “can’t miss” kid who subsequently pissed it all away with drug addiction and other problems. Then, after everyone wrote him off completely, he got his act together, worked his way back to the majors, and at age 27 he had a monster year for the Texas Rangers. He was sidetracked by injuries in 2009, but he came back and won a batting title and AL MVP award in 2010. Turns out he was the player everyone expected him to be after all.
Catcher: Jim Hegan (1941-60) was a terrific defensive catcher known for his association with the Bob Feller staffs in Cleveland during the 1940s and ‘50s. He never hit much - .228 career, and not enough walks or power to goose those numbers – but he was a respected catcher for a long time.
Rotation: Jim Hunter (1965-79) was a country boy from North Carolina. Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley decided that he wanted Hunter to have a colorful nickname, so he dubbed him “Catfish” and made up some story about the background of the nickname, and Hunter played along. He was an easygoing guy and a fine pitcher whose 224 career victories included a perfect game and five straight seasons between 21-25 victories. Between the “Mustache Gang” A’s and the “Bronx Zoo” Yankees, he played for a half-dozen pennant winners and five World Series champions, contributing a 9-6 record and a 3.26 ERA in 22 World Series games. Hunter was a borderline Hall of Fame candidate but he was voted in quite easily because of his World Series chops, his association with great teams, his high profile as one of the first big-money free agents and his popularity around the sport. Jesse Haines (1918-37) was also a borderline candidate, and he also got into the Hall of Fame, primarily because … well, hell, almost exclusively because … he had cronies on the Veterans Committee who gave him a free pass. He was a good pitcher – career record of 210-158 – and he played on four St. Louis Cardinals pennant winners and two World Series champions. But on the whole, he was a slightly better than average pitcher who benefitted from the fact that he pitched for great teams, and he is commonly cited as the weakest pitcher to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Joe Horlen (1961-72) pitched for the White Sox throughout the 1960s and finished with a 116-117 record, and in 1967 he was second to Jim Lonborg for the AL Cy Young. Jim Hearn (1947-59) won 109 games for the Cardinals, Giants and Phillies. Hearn and Horlen were basically as good as Jesse Haines. They didn’t pitch as long as he did, and their teams weren’t as good, but they were pretty fair pitchers. Jack Harshman (1952-60) was of a similar quality to Horlen and Hearn, actually. His career was shorter, and he also played some first base (though he was a terrible hitter). But he was an above-average pitcher who bounced around five teams.
Bullpen: Closer John Hiller (1965-80) is one of the few players to have a heart attack in mid-career. It happened when he was just 27 years old, during the offseason, and he missed the entire 1971 season and much of the 1972 season. He eased back into the bullpen and pitched very well down the stretch in 1972, and the following year he went 10-5 with 38 saves and a 1.44 ERA and striking out a batter per inning. Now that’s a comeback. Hiller, who spent his entire career with the Tigers, is one of the great lefty closers of all time, with 125 career saves, an ERA of 2.83, and as many strikeouts as hits allowed. Jay Howell (1980-94) was a functional reliever who was equally comfortable as closer and as a set-up guy. He pitched for seven different teams but had his best success for the A’s and the Dodgers, winning a World Series ring with Los Angeles in 1988. Joe Hoerner (1963-77) had a heart attack when he was still in the minors. Must be something about lefty relievers with the initials JH. His heart attack was not as severe as John Hiller’s but his doctors told him that his pitching motion had an adverse effect on his circulation, so he re-invented himself as a sidearmer and went on to a long and successful career. He saved 99 games and finished with a career ERA of 2.99 – we’d like to think that he was torn between going after that 100th save and preserving his sub-3.00 ERA – and was a key reliever on the Cardinals’ pennant winners in 1967 and ’68. He died at age 59 in a farming accident when he was run over by a tractor. Joe Heving (1930-45) compiled 63 saves back in the time before saves were counted. He pitched until his mid-40s, and in 1944, after becoming a grandfather, he pitched in an American League-leading 63 games, going 8-3 with 10 saves and a 1.96 ERA. John Habyan (1985-96) had some fine seasons as a set-up man. Joe Hesketh (1984-94) was a good pitcher. In his first two seasons, he worked a total of 200 innings and had an ERA of 2.34. OK, so he wasn’t that good. But he was certainly above average. He was a lefty reliever who never had a heart attack, but he did once break his leg in an ill-advised attempt to bowl over Mike Scioscia on a play at the plate. Jack Hallet (1940-48) was a World War II-era pitcher for the White Sox and the Pirates.
Bench: Outfielder Johnny Hopp (1939-52) had a lot going for him, a left-handed hitter who batted .300, drew some walks, ran well, could handle center field, and he played in five World Series with the Cardinals and Yankees. Joe Harris (1914-28) was also an outfielder who batted .300 with a lot of walks, and he had a bit more pop than Hopp (as Dr. Seuss might say). Harris, a righty hitter, played in two World Series – with the Senators in 1925 and the Pirates in ’27. His team lost both times, but he batted .350. These guys will get a lot of playing time and could push Hammonds out of the starting lineup. Jerry Hairston Sr. (1973-89) and Jerry Hairston Jr. (1998- ) will be a nice father-son team off the bench. Senior was mostly an outfielder, but Junior could also play some middle infield. Backup catcher Jack Hiatt (1964-72) was mostly a reserve, but he was a decent hitter with a good on-base percentage. (The bullpen catcher is a sentimental favorite: Joe “Moonlight” Hietpas, who appeared in one game, never batted, but caught the last inning of major-league baseball in Montreal.)
Manager: Jack Hendricks had a losing record with the Cardinals in 1918, but he managed in Cincinnati from 1924-29 and had a winning record there despite never winning a pennant.
Outfield: Left fielder Jeff Heath (1936-49) was a great hitter but, it would seem, a lousy person. He had the reputation for loafing on the field, and he is remembered for an ugly incident in 1947, when he was teammates on the St. Louis Browns with former Negro League star Willard Brown, one of the first black players in the American League. With no bats of his own, Brown picked up a damaged bat that Heath had discarded (since they both liked heavy bats), and he did a patchwork repair job on it and used it to hit the first home run by a black player in American League history. Heath took the bat back from Brown and smashed it to pieces because he didn’t like the idea of a black player using his bat, even one that he had thrown away. But the guy could hit. For his career, he batted .293 and per 162 games he averaged 33 doubles, 12 triples and 23 home runs and 104 RBI. Right fielder Jeffrey Hammonds (1993-05) was a good player but never quite as good as he was expected. He was an All-American at Stanford, a star on the 1992 Olympic team and a first-round draft pick. He made it to the majors at age 22 and batted .305 in 110 at-bats for the Orioles. He never became a star – true, he went .335-20-106 in 2000, but that was in Colorado – but he was a useful player for a long time. He played for six teams over the course of 13 seasons and finished with a .272 average and 110 home runs - a good career, but he will be pushed for the starting job by the platoon combination of Johnny Hopp and Joe Harris (see the "bench" section). It’s hard to know, at this precise moment in time, what to make of center fielder Josh Hamilton (2007- ). His story is well known and inspirational, but its ending is up in the air. He was the top pick in the 1999 draft, the “can’t miss” kid who subsequently pissed it all away with drug addiction and other problems. Then, after everyone wrote him off completely, he got his act together, worked his way back to the majors, and at age 27 he had a monster year for the Texas Rangers. He was sidetracked by injuries in 2009, but he came back and won a batting title and AL MVP award in 2010. Turns out he was the player everyone expected him to be after all.
Catcher: Jim Hegan (1941-60) was a terrific defensive catcher known for his association with the Bob Feller staffs in Cleveland during the 1940s and ‘50s. He never hit much - .228 career, and not enough walks or power to goose those numbers – but he was a respected catcher for a long time.
Rotation: Jim Hunter (1965-79) was a country boy from North Carolina. Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley decided that he wanted Hunter to have a colorful nickname, so he dubbed him “Catfish” and made up some story about the background of the nickname, and Hunter played along. He was an easygoing guy and a fine pitcher whose 224 career victories included a perfect game and five straight seasons between 21-25 victories. Between the “Mustache Gang” A’s and the “Bronx Zoo” Yankees, he played for a half-dozen pennant winners and five World Series champions, contributing a 9-6 record and a 3.26 ERA in 22 World Series games. Hunter was a borderline Hall of Fame candidate but he was voted in quite easily because of his World Series chops, his association with great teams, his high profile as one of the first big-money free agents and his popularity around the sport. Jesse Haines (1918-37) was also a borderline candidate, and he also got into the Hall of Fame, primarily because … well, hell, almost exclusively because … he had cronies on the Veterans Committee who gave him a free pass. He was a good pitcher – career record of 210-158 – and he played on four St. Louis Cardinals pennant winners and two World Series champions. But on the whole, he was a slightly better than average pitcher who benefitted from the fact that he pitched for great teams, and he is commonly cited as the weakest pitcher to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Joe Horlen (1961-72) pitched for the White Sox throughout the 1960s and finished with a 116-117 record, and in 1967 he was second to Jim Lonborg for the AL Cy Young. Jim Hearn (1947-59) won 109 games for the Cardinals, Giants and Phillies. Hearn and Horlen were basically as good as Jesse Haines. They didn’t pitch as long as he did, and their teams weren’t as good, but they were pretty fair pitchers. Jack Harshman (1952-60) was of a similar quality to Horlen and Hearn, actually. His career was shorter, and he also played some first base (though he was a terrible hitter). But he was an above-average pitcher who bounced around five teams.
Bullpen: Closer John Hiller (1965-80) is one of the few players to have a heart attack in mid-career. It happened when he was just 27 years old, during the offseason, and he missed the entire 1971 season and much of the 1972 season. He eased back into the bullpen and pitched very well down the stretch in 1972, and the following year he went 10-5 with 38 saves and a 1.44 ERA and striking out a batter per inning. Now that’s a comeback. Hiller, who spent his entire career with the Tigers, is one of the great lefty closers of all time, with 125 career saves, an ERA of 2.83, and as many strikeouts as hits allowed. Jay Howell (1980-94) was a functional reliever who was equally comfortable as closer and as a set-up guy. He pitched for seven different teams but had his best success for the A’s and the Dodgers, winning a World Series ring with Los Angeles in 1988. Joe Hoerner (1963-77) had a heart attack when he was still in the minors. Must be something about lefty relievers with the initials JH. His heart attack was not as severe as John Hiller’s but his doctors told him that his pitching motion had an adverse effect on his circulation, so he re-invented himself as a sidearmer and went on to a long and successful career. He saved 99 games and finished with a career ERA of 2.99 – we’d like to think that he was torn between going after that 100th save and preserving his sub-3.00 ERA – and was a key reliever on the Cardinals’ pennant winners in 1967 and ’68. He died at age 59 in a farming accident when he was run over by a tractor. Joe Heving (1930-45) compiled 63 saves back in the time before saves were counted. He pitched until his mid-40s, and in 1944, after becoming a grandfather, he pitched in an American League-leading 63 games, going 8-3 with 10 saves and a 1.96 ERA. John Habyan (1985-96) had some fine seasons as a set-up man. Joe Hesketh (1984-94) was a good pitcher. In his first two seasons, he worked a total of 200 innings and had an ERA of 2.34. OK, so he wasn’t that good. But he was certainly above average. He was a lefty reliever who never had a heart attack, but he did once break his leg in an ill-advised attempt to bowl over Mike Scioscia on a play at the plate. Jack Hallet (1940-48) was a World War II-era pitcher for the White Sox and the Pirates.
Bench: Outfielder Johnny Hopp (1939-52) had a lot going for him, a left-handed hitter who batted .300, drew some walks, ran well, could handle center field, and he played in five World Series with the Cardinals and Yankees. Joe Harris (1914-28) was also an outfielder who batted .300 with a lot of walks, and he had a bit more pop than Hopp (as Dr. Seuss might say). Harris, a righty hitter, played in two World Series – with the Senators in 1925 and the Pirates in ’27. His team lost both times, but he batted .350. These guys will get a lot of playing time and could push Hammonds out of the starting lineup. Jerry Hairston Sr. (1973-89) and Jerry Hairston Jr. (1998- ) will be a nice father-son team off the bench. Senior was mostly an outfielder, but Junior could also play some middle infield. Backup catcher Jack Hiatt (1964-72) was mostly a reserve, but he was a decent hitter with a good on-base percentage. (The bullpen catcher is a sentimental favorite: Joe “Moonlight” Hietpas, who appeared in one game, never batted, but caught the last inning of major-league baseball in Montreal.)
Manager: Jack Hendricks had a losing record with the Cardinals in 1918, but he managed in Cincinnati from 1924-29 and had a winning record there despite never winning a pennant.
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