Highlighted Year: Hank Aaron, 1966

Outfielder, Atlanta Braves

Age:  32

13^th season with Braves

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’0”    Weight: 180 

Prior to 1966:

A native of Mobile, Alabama Aaron started out with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League in 1952, utilizing a cross-handed batting grip that he eliminated before moving on to the majors. He signed with the Braves and joined the club in 1954 after two minor league seasons, one in which he led the Class A South Atlantic League in batting (.362). He was selected to his first All-Star Game in 1955, a season in which he led the NL in doubles (37). in 1956 he topped the league in batting (.328) and hits (200), and once again in doubles (34). The Braves won the NL pennant in 1957 and Aaron batted .322 with a .378 on-base percentage while leading the league with 44 home runs, 132 RBIs, and 369 total bases, and received league MVP recognition. In the seven-game World Series triumph over the New York Yankees, he hit 3 home runs with 7 RBIs and batted .393. Aaron hit 30 home runs, with 95 RBIs, and batted .326 as the Braves again won the NL pennant in 1958. He finished third in league MVP balloting and received a Gold Glove for his play in right field. Highly consistent, he had over 100 RBIs in each of the next five seasons. Aaron also won a second batting title in 1959 (.355) while also topping the circuit in hits (223), slugging (.636), and total bases (400). In 1960 he batted .292 with a .352 OBP, 40 home runs, and a league-leading 126 RBIs and 334 total bases. His 1961 production was .327 with a .381 OBP, 34 home runs, and 120 RBIs, while he led the NL with 39 doubles and 358 total bases. In 1962 Aaron hit .323 with a .390 OBP and .618 slugging percentage while slugging 45 home runs and driving in 128 RBIs. He led the NL with 44 home runs, 130 RBIs, a .586 slugging percentage, and 370 total bases in 1963. Solidly productive again in 1964 and ’65 he moved with the Braves to Atlanta in 1966. A perennial All-Star, he had twice topped the NL in home runs by this point in his career, three times in RBIs, and had two batting championships to his credit.

1966 Season Summary

Appeared in 158 games

RF – 158, CF – 5, 2B – 2, PH – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 688 [6]

At Bats – 603 [13]

Runs – 117 [2]

Hits – 168 [17, tied with Cookie Rojas]

Doubles – 23

Triples – 1

Home Runs – 44 [1]

RBI – 127 [1]

Bases on Balls – 76 [3, tied with Willie McCovey]

Int. BB – 15 [4]

Strikeouts – 96 [13]

Stolen Bases – 21 [7, tied with Willie Davis]

Caught Stealing – 3

Average - .279

OBP - .356 [14, tied with Ron Hunt]

Slugging Pct. - .539 [6]

Total Bases – 325 [4]

GDP – 14 [15, tied with five others]

Hit by Pitches – 1

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 8 [2, tied with Ron Santo & Rusty Staub]

League-leading home runs were +4 ahead of runner-up Dick Allen

League-leading RBIs were +8 ahead of runner-up Roberto Clemente

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 16, HR – 26, RBI – 67, AVG – .289., SLG – .587, OBP – .376

---

Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) vs. Chi. Cubs 5/22, (in 5 AB) at NY Mets 6/8, (in 5 AB) at Pittsburgh 9/7

Longest hitting streak – 9 games

HR at home – 21

HR on road – 23

Most home runs, game – 2 on five occasions

Multi-HR games – 5

Most RBIs, game – 6 at NY Mets 6/8

Pinch-hitting – 1 for 1 (1.000) with 1 HR & 1 RBI

Fielding

Chances – 331

Put Outs – 315

Assists – 12

Errors – 4

DP – 5

Pct. - .988

Awards & Honors:

All-Star (Started for NL in LF)

8^th in NL MVP voting (57 points, 20% share)

---

In their first season in Atlanta, the Braves went 85-77 to finish fifth in the NL, 10 games behind the pennant-winning Los Angeles Dodgers while drawing 1,539,801 spectators to Atlanta Stadium and leading the league in runs scored (782), home runs (207), RBIs (734), and walks drawn (512). The hard-hitting Braves, taking advantage of their new power-friendly home venue, and lacking quality pitching, were at 52-59 when manager Bobby Bragan was replaced by Billy Hitchcock in August. The club caught fire and went 33-18 the rest of the way to finish with a winning record.

Aftermath of 1966:

“Hammerin’ Hank” led the NL in home runs again in 1967 with 39, and in slugging with a .573 percentage. His consistency propelled him up the major league home run list until he surpassed Babe Ruth as the all-time career leader in 1974, his last season with the Braves. Along the way, he hit a career-high 47 homers in 1971. He was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers after the ’74 season where he played in 1975 and ’76 when he retired at age 42 with a total of 755 home runs, which remained as the MLB record until 2007. His 3771 hits ranked second at the time his career ended, and 2297 RBIs placed first. Aaron also reached 100 runs scored a total of 15 times. His career batting average was .305 (.310 with the Braves alone). He hit at least 20 home runs over the course of 20 consecutive seasons, reached 30 15 times, and 40 in eight seasons. Aaron’s base stealing reached double figures in every season from 1960 to ’68, with a high of 31 in 1963. He was chosen to 25 All-Star Games and won three Gold Gloves for his play in right field. Appearing in 17 postseason games, Aaron hit .362 with 6 home runs and 16 RBIs. The Braves and Brewers both retired his #44. The unpretentious and workmanlike Aaron was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. His brother Tommie, primarily an outfielder and first baseman, played in 437 games with the Braves spread out over seven years. He hit 13 home runs, giving the siblings a combined total of 768. Aaron served as vice president of player development for the Braves following his retirement as a player. Among many honors he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. A respected baseball elder statesman, he died in 2021 at the age of 86.

---

Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.