Infield: Gil Hodges (1943-63), the first baseman for the “Boys of Summer” Dodgers, was a tremendously strong man who hit 370 home runs in his career. He and teammate Duke Snider were the only two players to hit 300 home runs and drive in 1000 runs during the 1950s. He was a terrific defensive first baseman and a quiet leader of a historic team. That, coupled with his managerial career, brought him to the threshold of the Hall of Fame – but not through the door. It could be argued, in fact, that no player has ever received more Hall of Fame support than Hodges without getting eventually elected. Shortstop Granny Hamner (1944-62) was a good fielder and a decent hitter with some pop, sort of the Chris Speier of the ‘50s. Like Hodges, Hamner was viewed as a team leader, and at age 23 he was given much credit for the Philles’ NL pennant. (In 1962, after he had retired and then managed in the minors, he made it back to the majors to pitch a few games for the Kansas City A’s, so he might get some mop-up duty for the Hickenloopers.) Second baseman Glenn Hubbard (1978-89) was built like a fireplug, and he had a round face with a scraggly beard that always made him look stockier than he actually was. Hubbard was basically a .250 hitter who drew some walks and bunted well, plus he was a good glove at second base. He played for the Braves in the years just before the got really good. Third baseman Grady Hatton (1946-60) played for the Reds in the years following World War II. He was a functional player – a .260 hitter with double-digit home run power and enough walks to get on base a fair amount. He was a good enough hitter to resurface with the Cubs in 1960, four years after his last major-league game, and bat .342 as a pinch-hitter and role player. He later coached and managed at the major-league level. He later served for many years as a coach and manager at both the major- and minor-league levels.
Outfield: Center fielder George Hendrick (1971-88) had a reputation for being lazy, which was probably exaggerated – a reflection of his frequently casual and laidback approach to the game, but also perhaps a hint of the subtle racism that pervaded many people’s perception of black athletes in the 1970s. Hendrick hit the ball hard, good for 343 doubles and 267 home runs in his career, and he drove in more than 1,100 runs. He shifted in mid-career to right field, where his powerful throwing arm was a key defensive weapon. He is perhaps most famous as the cleanup batter on the 1982 Cardinals, who won the World Series despite hitting just 67 home runs during the regular season. Left fielder Glenallen Hill (1989-2001) was a journeyman who was never firmly established as an everyday player but who was good enough as a part-time player to hit 186 home runs in his career. He was a poor defensive outfielder, but a good enough hitter that he still helped the teams he played for. He earned his niche in the annals of bizarre sports injuries when he had to miss several games in 1990 with cuts,scrapes and bruises he sustained while sleepwalking during a nightmare in which he was being chased by spiders. Right fielder George Harper (1916-29) batted .303 in a career that spanned more than 1,000 games spread out over a half-dozen teams. He drew almost twice as many walks as strikeouts, and he hit the ball hard. All in all, he was a very solid hitter.
Catcher: Gabby Hartnett (1922-41) is on the short list of the greatest catchers of the first half of the 20th century. After battling through some injuries in his 20s, he was a dominant force in his 30s, helping lead the Cubs to four NL pennants and winning the MVP award in 1935. He was a fine defensive catcher who walked more than he struck out, and he hit 236 career home runs (including his famous Homer in the Gloamin’ during the 1938 pennant race). The nickname “Gabby” was a sarcastic reference to his soft-spoken nature. In a well known anecdote, Hartnett stopped by the side of the dugout one afternoon to chat with the legendary mobster Al Capone, who was taking in a game at Wrigley Field. Photos were snapped and circulated, and Commissioner Landis sent Hartnett a terse telegram ordering him to no longer pose for pictures with Al Capone. Hartnett wired back that he would comply, but that he would be more comfortable if Landis broke the news to Capone.
Outfield: Center fielder George Hendrick (1971-88) had a reputation for being lazy, which was probably exaggerated – a reflection of his frequently casual and laidback approach to the game, but also perhaps a hint of the subtle racism that pervaded many people’s perception of black athletes in the 1970s. Hendrick hit the ball hard, good for 343 doubles and 267 home runs in his career, and he drove in more than 1,100 runs. He shifted in mid-career to right field, where his powerful throwing arm was a key defensive weapon. He is perhaps most famous as the cleanup batter on the 1982 Cardinals, who won the World Series despite hitting just 67 home runs during the regular season. Left fielder Glenallen Hill (1989-2001) was a journeyman who was never firmly established as an everyday player but who was good enough as a part-time player to hit 186 home runs in his career. He was a poor defensive outfielder, but a good enough hitter that he still helped the teams he played for. He earned his niche in the annals of bizarre sports injuries when he had to miss several games in 1990 with cuts,scrapes and bruises he sustained while sleepwalking during a nightmare in which he was being chased by spiders. Right fielder George Harper (1916-29) batted .303 in a career that spanned more than 1,000 games spread out over a half-dozen teams. He drew almost twice as many walks as strikeouts, and he hit the ball hard. All in all, he was a very solid hitter.
Catcher: Gabby Hartnett (1922-41) is on the short list of the greatest catchers of the first half of the 20th century. After battling through some injuries in his 20s, he was a dominant force in his 30s, helping lead the Cubs to four NL pennants and winning the MVP award in 1935. He was a fine defensive catcher who walked more than he struck out, and he hit 236 career home runs (including his famous Homer in the Gloamin’ during the 1938 pennant race). The nickname “Gabby” was a sarcastic reference to his soft-spoken nature. In a well known anecdote, Hartnett stopped by the side of the dugout one afternoon to chat with the legendary mobster Al Capone, who was taking in a game at Wrigley Field. Photos were snapped and circulated, and Commissioner Landis sent Hartnett a terse telegram ordering him to no longer pose for pictures with Al Capone. Hartnett wired back that he would comply, but that he would be more comfortable if Landis broke the news to Capone.
Rotation: Guy Hecker (1882-90) went 52-20 for Louisville in 1884, leading the American Association in wins, ERA (1.80), games (75), complete games (72), innings (670) and several other categories. He is one of four pitchers to have won 50 games in a season in a league listed as a major. The other three (Spaulding, Radbourn and Clarkson) are all in the Hall of Fame. Hecker is not in the Hall, in part becaue he only played nine season. He won 175 games in his career. He was also a good hitter and once scored seven runs in a game. Gentleman George Haddock (1888-94) pitched in the same era as Hecker, but he m axed out at 34 wins in his best season. Haddock won 95 games in his career. Glen Hobbie (1957-64) was a durable starter who won 16 games for the Cubs in both 1959 and ’60 (though he lost 20 in the second season). Greg W. Harris (1988-95) was a solid starter for several years, always referred to with his middle initial to differentiate from a different Greg Harris who pitched at the same time. Greg W. Harris started out with a couple of outstanding seasons in relief and then moved into the Padres’ rotation. He pitched well but was frequently injured and was out of baseball by his early 30s. Lefty Greg Hibbard (1989-94) went 57-50 before arm injuries ended his career before age 30. His 15 wins in 1993 was the most by a Cubs lefty in the years between Ken Holtzman (17 in 1970) and Ted Lilly (15 in 2007).
Bullpen: Greg A. Harris (1981-95), the bookend to Greg W., will start out as the team’s closer by virture of his 54 career saves. Harris was a consistently effective reliever, a righty who was ambidextrous enough that he wore a special mitt that allowed him to switch hands on the mound. His managers would not allow him to switch hands during the prime of his career, but pitching for the Expos in 1995, he finally got his opportunity to do so, facing three batters as a lefty (walking one and retiring the other two). Gene Harris (1989-95) spent seven seasons in the majors and only three times did he end the year with the same team with which he began it. He served as the Padres’ closer for one season. Guy Hoffman (1979-88) was a promising young lefty who had injury issues. Greg Hansell (1995-99) pitched one season apiece for four different teams, and when he finally had a good year for Pittsburgh in 1999, he got hurt and never made it back to the majors. Gil Heredia (1991-2001) was an occasionally effective swingman who gave up too many home runs. George Hemming (1890-97) worked a lot of games and a lot of innings in the dead ball era and will be a valuable long reliever and spot starter on this team. His nickname, for reasons lost to history, was Old Wax Figger. George Hesselbacher (1916) pitched a half-dozen games for Connie Mack’s A’s in 1916, got royally clobbered, and then moved on to other things, including a stint as a commanding officer in the Army during World War I.
Bench: Infielder Glenn Hoffman (1980-89), Trevor’s big brother, was a light-hitting glove man who wasn’t actually all that good with the glove either. Gail Harris (1955-60) was a slugging first baseman who spent most of his career backing up guys like Bill White, Orlando Cepeda and Norm Cash. Outfielder Gene Hermanski (1943-53), a teammate of Gil Hodges in Brooklyn, was a good lefty hitter who will get some platoon opportunties alongside Glenallen Hill. Hermanski batted .272 for his career, walked more than he struck out and could hit the occasional home run.Catcher Grover “Slick” Hartley (1911-34) spent most of his career in a backup role and was pretty decent in it. Outfielder George Hall (1871-77) batted .322 in his post-war career (that would be the Civil War).
Manager: Gil Hodges is almost as famous for managing the Miracle Mets of ’69 as for his outstanding playing career. He will serve as player-manager, and he will have considerable help from several teammates who were also managers – Granny Hamner, Glenn Hoffman Gabby Hartnett, Grady Hatton and several others who managed or coached in the minors and majors.
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