Infield: Second baseman Fred Hatfield (1950-58) bounced around the American League for a decade, playing his best seasons with Detroit. He batted .242 for his career, a decent contact hitter with no power or speed. He spent a long time coaching in the minors, majors and in the college ranks. First baseman Fred “Dutch” Hartman (1894-1902) was a fairly average player for several teams. He batted .300 a couple of times, but that was at a time when everyone batted .300. Third baseman Frank Hankinson (1878-88) was your basic .230 hitter with a good glove. Well, he played before they started wearing gloves, so he had a good … uh … palm. In 1879, he pitched for the Cubs when he wasn’t playing third base, and he won 15 games, so he could get some work on the hill on this team as well. Fred Haney (1922-29) was a very ordinary middle infielder who will play shortstop on this team, completing the “Three Freds and a Frank” infield.
Outfield: Big, strapping Frank “Hondo” Howard (1958-73) was one of the most feared sluggers of the 1960s. He was a 6-foot-7 muscle man who hit the ball a mile. He came up with the Dodgers but was traded in mid-career to the Senators, where he became something of a folk hero – a gentle giant, beloved by the fans, and the best player on that long-suffering team. He led the AL in home runs in 1968 and 1970, hitting 44 each year. He actually hit more home runs (48) in 1969, but finished one behind Harmon Killebrew that year. He wasn’t a great fielder, but he had a powerful arm and was actually used as a pitcher for a short while during winter ball before the Dodgers found out and put a stop to it. Center fielder Fritz Henrich (1924) played 37 minor-league games in Williamsport and 36 major-league games in Philadelphia, all in 1924 when he was 25 years old. He batted .211 for the Phillies and then disappeared from the record. Left fielder Frank Huelsman (1897-1905) was 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, which at the turn of the century made him almost as big as Frank Howard, relatively speaking. He was a monstrous minor-league slugger, batting .344 with power over the course of a long career, and he fared well enough in a brief major-league career that included a bizarre 1904 season when he played with the White Sox, the Tigers, back to the White Sox, then to the Browns and the Senators.
Catcher: Frankie Hayes (1933-47) was 6-foot tall, weighed 185 pounds, and was nicknamed “Blimp.” Something doesn’t seem right about that. He was a decent hitter over the course of a long career – a .260-.270 hitter with mid-range power and a good batting eye.
Rotation: Felix Hernandez (2005- ) is called “King Felix,” and he pitches like royalty. He’s still in his mid-20s, and he’s one of the best pitchers in the game. He won the AL Cy Young Award in 2010, putting up a 13-12 record for the Mariners despite leading the league in ERA. He strikes out almost a batter per inning, has great control, and is extraordinarily durable. At this point, there is no downside to the kid, but you never know what to believe about the future performance of young pitchers. For now, he’s a staff ace. Fred Hutchinson (1939-53) had a couple of big years in the minors but struggled in a couple of trials in the majors as a teen. He then missed four years to World War II, and when he came back he was a fine control pitcher for the Tigers. He finished his career with a 95-71 record. After Hutch, we’ve got Dutch – Frank “Dutch” Hiller (1946-53), another decent post-war pitcher. He wasn’t as good or as durable as Hutchinson, but he was OK. He went 12-5 for the 1950 Cubs but was 18-27 for the rest of his career. Fred Heimach (1920-33) was a lefty who won 62 games while bouncing around several different teams. He was also a fine hihtter, and actually went 20-for-52 in his career as a pinch-hitter. Frank Hoffman (1888), a.k.a.. The Texas Terror, pitched very well for the 1888 Kansas City Cowboys in the American Association, but the team was awful and his record was 3-9. That was the sum total of his major-league career.
Bullpen: Felix Heredia (1996-2005) will start out as the closer, because someone has to. He won 28 games while pitching for several different teams, and he was generally around the league average in ERA. A solid lefty, he was a set-up man on the Marlins team that won the 1997 World Series. He appeared in four World Series games that year and did now allow a run. Fred Holdsworth (1972-80) wasn’t anything special, but he does have a good surname for a set-up reliever. In 1976 he made 16 appearances for Baltimore and went 4-1 with a 2.04 ERA in about three dozen innings, so he could be OK in small sample sizes. Frank Herrmann (2010- ) is a Harvard graduate nicknamed “Ballpark Frank.” He is in mid-career with the Indians. Fred Howard (1979) was in the majors at age 22 but out of baseball altogether by age 26. He went on to a more successful career as a surgeon. Frank Harter (1912-14) won one game apiece in each of three seasons in an indistinguished career. Fred House (1913) pitched a few games for Detroit at age 22. There are two Fernando Hernandezes, and one of them will be the last man in the bullpen. Neither one had a middle name. The one who pitched in 1997 pitched in two games and had a career ERA of 40.50. So we’ll go with Fernando Hernandez (2008), who pitched in three games, with a 1-0 record and an 18.00 ERA. He is still in his 20s and still bouncing around the minors, but he doesn’t look like he’s going to make it back up anytime soon.
Bench: Backup catcher Fran Healy (1969-78) was a good backup catcher who could do an adequate job if he was pressed into a starting role for a short period. A big guy, but not a slugger. He’s had a long career as a broadcaster after retiring as a player. Frank House (1950-61), another backup catcher, is nicknamed “Pig,” so he’s an appropriate back-up to Frankie “Blimp” Hayes. (We’ll have to give Fran Healy a nickname like “Porky” or “Lard.”) Fred Hancock (1949) was a utility infielder who couldn’t hit. He didn’t hit in a brief major-league career, and he didn’t hit much in 1,679 games in the minors. Outfielder Frank “Don’t Call Me Shirley” Hemphill (1906-09) had 43 major-league at-bats and just three hits. Frank “Heck” Heifer (1875) was a first baseman and outfielder who batted .280 but never drew a walk. He had no doubles and no homers, but three triples. And he pitched occasionally. Somehow he’s got to be useful.
Manager: Fred Hutchinson, who won 830 games and led the Reds to the 1961 NL pennant, will be player-manager. He’ll be assisted by Fred Haney, who won 629 games and a World Series title, but who in 1959 had what historian Bill James called the worst year ever for a manager, taking a supremely talented Milwaukee Braves team to 86 wins while he fiddle-faddled around with his rotation, his starting lineup and his bench.
Outfield: Big, strapping Frank “Hondo” Howard (1958-73) was one of the most feared sluggers of the 1960s. He was a 6-foot-7 muscle man who hit the ball a mile. He came up with the Dodgers but was traded in mid-career to the Senators, where he became something of a folk hero – a gentle giant, beloved by the fans, and the best player on that long-suffering team. He led the AL in home runs in 1968 and 1970, hitting 44 each year. He actually hit more home runs (48) in 1969, but finished one behind Harmon Killebrew that year. He wasn’t a great fielder, but he had a powerful arm and was actually used as a pitcher for a short while during winter ball before the Dodgers found out and put a stop to it. Center fielder Fritz Henrich (1924) played 37 minor-league games in Williamsport and 36 major-league games in Philadelphia, all in 1924 when he was 25 years old. He batted .211 for the Phillies and then disappeared from the record. Left fielder Frank Huelsman (1897-1905) was 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, which at the turn of the century made him almost as big as Frank Howard, relatively speaking. He was a monstrous minor-league slugger, batting .344 with power over the course of a long career, and he fared well enough in a brief major-league career that included a bizarre 1904 season when he played with the White Sox, the Tigers, back to the White Sox, then to the Browns and the Senators.
Catcher: Frankie Hayes (1933-47) was 6-foot tall, weighed 185 pounds, and was nicknamed “Blimp.” Something doesn’t seem right about that. He was a decent hitter over the course of a long career – a .260-.270 hitter with mid-range power and a good batting eye.
Rotation: Felix Hernandez (2005- ) is called “King Felix,” and he pitches like royalty. He’s still in his mid-20s, and he’s one of the best pitchers in the game. He won the AL Cy Young Award in 2010, putting up a 13-12 record for the Mariners despite leading the league in ERA. He strikes out almost a batter per inning, has great control, and is extraordinarily durable. At this point, there is no downside to the kid, but you never know what to believe about the future performance of young pitchers. For now, he’s a staff ace. Fred Hutchinson (1939-53) had a couple of big years in the minors but struggled in a couple of trials in the majors as a teen. He then missed four years to World War II, and when he came back he was a fine control pitcher for the Tigers. He finished his career with a 95-71 record. After Hutch, we’ve got Dutch – Frank “Dutch” Hiller (1946-53), another decent post-war pitcher. He wasn’t as good or as durable as Hutchinson, but he was OK. He went 12-5 for the 1950 Cubs but was 18-27 for the rest of his career. Fred Heimach (1920-33) was a lefty who won 62 games while bouncing around several different teams. He was also a fine hihtter, and actually went 20-for-52 in his career as a pinch-hitter. Frank Hoffman (1888), a.k.a.. The Texas Terror, pitched very well for the 1888 Kansas City Cowboys in the American Association, but the team was awful and his record was 3-9. That was the sum total of his major-league career.
Bullpen: Felix Heredia (1996-2005) will start out as the closer, because someone has to. He won 28 games while pitching for several different teams, and he was generally around the league average in ERA. A solid lefty, he was a set-up man on the Marlins team that won the 1997 World Series. He appeared in four World Series games that year and did now allow a run. Fred Holdsworth (1972-80) wasn’t anything special, but he does have a good surname for a set-up reliever. In 1976 he made 16 appearances for Baltimore and went 4-1 with a 2.04 ERA in about three dozen innings, so he could be OK in small sample sizes. Frank Herrmann (2010- ) is a Harvard graduate nicknamed “Ballpark Frank.” He is in mid-career with the Indians. Fred Howard (1979) was in the majors at age 22 but out of baseball altogether by age 26. He went on to a more successful career as a surgeon. Frank Harter (1912-14) won one game apiece in each of three seasons in an indistinguished career. Fred House (1913) pitched a few games for Detroit at age 22. There are two Fernando Hernandezes, and one of them will be the last man in the bullpen. Neither one had a middle name. The one who pitched in 1997 pitched in two games and had a career ERA of 40.50. So we’ll go with Fernando Hernandez (2008), who pitched in three games, with a 1-0 record and an 18.00 ERA. He is still in his 20s and still bouncing around the minors, but he doesn’t look like he’s going to make it back up anytime soon.
Bench: Backup catcher Fran Healy (1969-78) was a good backup catcher who could do an adequate job if he was pressed into a starting role for a short period. A big guy, but not a slugger. He’s had a long career as a broadcaster after retiring as a player. Frank House (1950-61), another backup catcher, is nicknamed “Pig,” so he’s an appropriate back-up to Frankie “Blimp” Hayes. (We’ll have to give Fran Healy a nickname like “Porky” or “Lard.”) Fred Hancock (1949) was a utility infielder who couldn’t hit. He didn’t hit in a brief major-league career, and he didn’t hit much in 1,679 games in the minors. Outfielder Frank “Don’t Call Me Shirley” Hemphill (1906-09) had 43 major-league at-bats and just three hits. Frank “Heck” Heifer (1875) was a first baseman and outfielder who batted .280 but never drew a walk. He had no doubles and no homers, but three triples. And he pitched occasionally. Somehow he’s got to be useful.
Manager: Fred Hutchinson, who won 830 games and led the Reds to the 1961 NL pennant, will be player-manager. He’ll be assisted by Fred Haney, who won 629 games and a World Series title, but who in 1959 had what historian Bill James called the worst year ever for a manager, taking a supremely talented Milwaukee Braves team to 86 wins while he fiddle-faddled around with his rotation, his starting lineup and his bench.
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