Outfielder, Chicago
Cubs
Age: 35
4th season
with Cubs (third complete)
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’3” Weight: 198
Prior to 1952:
A native of the
Pittsburgh area, Sauer grew up in a working class household and played baseball
informally in his town while growing into a rugged athlete with a soft-spoken
manner. After finishing high school he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps
to help support his family during the Depression. Later he played baseball on
weekends and came to the attention of a scout for the Yankees and signed with
Butler of the Class D Pennsylvania State Association for $75 per month. Playing
first base he batted .268 in 68 games with three home runs and 38 RBIs.
Returning to Butler in 1938 he had a much bigger season, hitting .351 with 135
hits that included 29 doubles and 12 home runs. Moving on to Akron of the Class
C Middle Atlantic League in 1939 he batted .301 with 13 home runs and 92 RBIs.
Lanky and strong while lacking speed, Sauer demonstrated solid hitting ability
and moved up to Birmingham of the Southern Association in 1940 where he hit
.292 with 9 home runs and 79 RBIs. Again with Birmingham in 1941, he had an
outstanding year at the plate, batting .330 with 19 home runs and 114 RBIs. But
in the field he committed 26 errors, which led all of the league’s first
basemen. Having been drafted away from the Yankee organization by the
Cincinnati Reds, Sauer received a September call-up to the Reds and was shifted
to left field. Appearing in nine games he hit .303. Assigned to Syracuse of the
International League in 1942, he suffered through an injury-plagued season and
hit just .213 with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs while developing his outfield skills.
Sauer had a much more productive season with Syracuse in 1943, batting .275
with 12 home runs and 75 RBIs. Afterward he joined the Coast Guard for the
remainder of World War II, returning to baseball in 1945. Back with the Reds
late in the ’45 season Sauer appeared in 31 games and hit .293 with 5 home runs
and 20 RBIs. In the minors with Syracuse again in 1946, he batted .282 with 21
home runs and 90 RBIs. Now using a heavier bat, Sauer began to realize his
power potential. Still with Syracuse in 1947 he batted .336 with 50 home runs
and 141 RBIs and was named Minor League Player of the Year by The Sporting
News. The regular left fielder for the Reds in 1948, Sauer hit .260 with 35
home runs and 97 RBIs. Off to a slow start in 1949, he was traded to the Cubs
in June and his production improved. For the year he batted .275 with 31 home
runs and 99 RBIs. Sauer was an All-Star for the first time in 1950 on the way
to hitting .274 with 32 home runs and 103 RBIs. His batting production was
solid again in 1951 as he hit .263 with 30 home runs and 89 RBIs.
1952 Season Summary
Appeared in 151
games
LF – 151
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 649 [12]
At Bats – 567 [13]
Runs – 89 [11,
tied with Bobby Thomson]
Hits – 153 [15,
tied with Solly Hemus & Enos Slaughter]
Doubles – 31 [4,
tied with Richie Ashburn]
Triples – 3
Home Runs – 37
[1, tied with Ralph Kiner]
RBI – 121 [1]
Bases on Balls
– 77 [8, tied with Sid Gordon]
Int. BB – 9 [8,
tied with Enos Slaughter, Duke Snider & Del Ennis]
Strikeouts – 92
[3]
Stolen Bases – 1
Caught Stealing
– 2
Average - .270
[20, tied with Bobby Thomson]
OBP - .361 [15]
Slugging Pct. -
.531 [2]
Total Bases – 301
[2]
GDP – 14 [13,
tied with four others]
Hit By Pitches
– 4 [13, tied with seven others]
Sac Hits – 1
Sac Flies – N/A
League-leading
RBIs were +13 ahead of runner-up Bobby Thomson
Midseason
snapshot: HR – 23, RBI – 69, AVG - .290, SLG – .604
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 5 AB) vs. NY Giants 5/4 – 10 innings
Longest hitting
streak – 6 games
Most HR, game –
3 (in 4 AB) vs. Phila. Phillies 6/11
HR at home – 23
HR on road – 14
Multi-HR games
– 3
Most RBIs, game
– 6 vs. NY Giants 8/21
Pinch-hitting –
No appearances
Fielding
Chances – 350
Put Outs – 327
Assists – 17
Errors – 6
DP - 3
Pct. - .983
Awards & Honors:
NL MVP: BBWAA
All-Star
(started for NL in LF)
Top 5 in NL MVP
Voting:
Hank Sauer, ChiC.:
226 pts. – 8 of 24 first place votes, 67% share
Robin Roberts,
PhilaP.: 211 pts. – 7 first place votes, 63% share
Joe Black,
Brook.: 208 pts. – 8 first place votes, 62% share
Hoyt Wilhelm,
NYG: 133 pts. – 40% share
Stan Musial,
StLC.: 127 pts. – 38% share
(1 first place
vote for Duke Snider, Brook., who ranked eighth)
---
Cubs went 77-77 to finish fifth in the NL, 19.5 games behind the
pennant-winning Brooklyn Dodgers, while leading the league in hits (1408).
Aftermath of ‘52:
Having received
a salary increase to $37,500, Sauer endured an injury-riddled season in 1953 in
which he batted .263 with just 19 home runs and 60 RBIs. He bounced back in
1954 by hitting .288 with 41 home runs and 103 RBIs. Popular with Cub fans, he
came to be known as “the Mayor of Wrigley Field”. The 38-year-old Sauer was no
longer an everyday player in 1955 and he batted only .211 with 12 home runs and
28 RBIs while appearing in 79 games. Traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in the
spring of 1956 he appeared in 75 games in a backup role and hit .298 with 5
home runs and 24 RBIs. Released by the Cardinals in the offseason, he moved on
to the New York Giants in 1957 and was productive, batting .259 with 26 home
runs and 76 RBIs. Moving to San Francisco with the team in 1958, he hit 12 home
runs with 46 RBIs in his last full season. He started the 1959 season with the
Giants and was made a coach at midseason, as he ended his playing career. For
his major league career Sauer batted .266 with 1278 hits that included 200
doubles, 19 triples, and 288 home runs. He also compiled 876 RBIs. With the
Cubs he batted .269 with 141 doubles, 17 triples, 198 home runs, and 587 RBIs.
Sauer was a two-time All-Star and received MVP votes following six seasons. His
brother Ed was a major league outfielder with three teams, including the Cubs,
in the 1940s. Sauer was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in
2008, seven years after his death at age 84.
--
MVP Profiles feature players in the National or
American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award
(1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present)
as Most Valuable Player.
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