Outfielder, Atlanta
Braves
Age: 32
13th
season with Braves
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’0” Weight: 180
Prior to 1966:
A native of
Mobile, Alabama Aaron, who was a shortstop playing sandlot ball, started out
professionally 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 (or Sally)
League in batting (.362). Joining the Braves in 1954, he was installed in the
outfield and was selected to his first All-Star Game in 1955, a season in which
he led the NL in doubles (37) and formed a highly productive slugging duo with
third baseman Eddie Mathews. An impressive “bad ball” hitter with his quick
wrists and line-drive power, he topped the league in batting (.328) and hits
(200), and once again in doubles (34) in 1956. The Braves won the NL pennant in
1957 and Aaron was the league MVP as he topped the circuit in home runs (44),
RBIs (132), runs scored (118), and total bases (369) while batting .322 with 27
doubles, a .378 on-base-percentage, and a .600 slugging percentage. In the
seven-game World Series victory over the New York Yankees Aaron hit .393 with 3
home runs and 7 RBIs. Aaron hit 30 home runs, knocked in 95, and batted .326
with a .386 OBP and .546 slugging percentage as the Braves again won the NL
pennant in 1958. Aaron won a second batting title in 1959 (.355) while also
topping the NL in hits (223) and slugging percentage (.636) and total bases
(400) to go along with 46 doubles, 39 home runs, and 123 RBIs. Still
outstanding in 1960 although his average dropped to .292, Aaron topped the
league in RBIs (126) and total bases (334) while producing 40 home runs, a .352
OBP, and a .556 slugging percentage. An outstanding outfielder in addition to
his hitting, Aaron was most comfortable in right field but often saw action in
center, as was the case in 1961. His offense never suffered and he led the NL
in total bases for the third straight year with 358 and also topped the circuit
in doubles (39) to go along with 10 triples, 34 home runs, 120 RBIs, 21 stolen
bases, a .381 OBP, and a .594 slugging percentage. The player known as
“Hammerin’ Hank” or “Bad Henry” maintained his excellence in 1962. Helped by an
August surge he finished at .323 with 28 doubles, 6 triples, 45 home runs, 128
RBIs, a .390 OBP, and a .618 slugging percentage. In 1963 he led the NL in runs
scored (121), home runs (44), RBIs (130), slugging percentage (.586), and total
bases (370). He also stole 31 bases. Aaron batted .328 in 1964 but his home run
total dropped to 24 although he drove in 95 runs with a .393 OBP and .514
slugging percentage helped along by his 30 doubles. In 1965, following ankle
surgery, he went on to hit .318 with a league-leading 40 doubles,32 home runs,
and relatively modest total of 89 RBIs. His OBP was .379 and he produced a .560
slugging percentage. With the Braves move to Atlanta in 1966 Aaron’s average
dropped to .279 but he topped the league in home runs (44) and RBIs (127) and
had a .356 OBP and .539 slugging percentage. By this point in his career, Apart
from his outstanding hitting and fielding, Aaron was known for his calm and
serene demeanor from the time he came up with the Braves until the end of his
career.
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)
8th
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:
Aaron again led
the league in home runs with 39 in 1967, and also topped the NL with 113 runs
scored, a .573 slugging percentage, and 344 total bases. He followed up with
another solid performance in the pitching-dominated 1968 season, batting .287
with 33 doubles, 29 home runs, a disappointing 86 RBIs, 28 steals, a .354 OBP,
and a .498 slugging percentage. In the first season of divisional play in 1969,
the Braves won the NL West and “Hammerin’ Hank” contributed by hitting..300
with 30 doubles, 44 home runs, 97 RBIs, a .396 OBP, and a .607 slugging percentage.
Atlanta was swept by the New York Mets in the first NLCS despite Aaron’s 3
homers and 7 RBIs. Having already surpassed 500 career home runs, he reached
3000 hits in 1970, while batting .298 with 38 home runs, 118 RBIs, a .385 OBP,
and a .574 slugging percentage and showing no sign of slowing down at age 36. Playing
primarily at first base in 1971, Aaron kept up his hitting production by
batting .327 with a career-high 47 home runs, 118 RBIs, a .410 OBP, and a
league-leading .669 slugging percentage. He placed third in league MVP voting. The
story for the next two seasons was Aaron’s advance toward the career home run
record. He added 34 home runs in 1972 to put him 41 behind Babe Ruth’s mark,
although his RBI total dropped to 77 and he hit only .265. A 40-homer season in
1973 left him one short of the record which he tied in the first game of the
1974 season in Cincinnti and broke at home four days later. He went on to
appear in only 112 games that season, mostly in left field, and batted .268
with 20 home runs, 69 RBIs, a .341 OBP, and a .491 slugging percentage at age
40. In the offseason he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, bringing him back
to the city where he had achieved much success, in return for outfielder Dave
May and a minor league pitcher. Aaron spent two seasons with the Brewers,
utilized almost exclusively as a Designated Hitter and retired following the
1976 season with a final 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 batted .305 (.310 with the Braves alone), with
624 doubles and 98 triples. He had seven 40-homer seasons and scored 2174 runs
along with a .374 OBP and .555 slugging percentage. While not primarily known
for his base stealing, he finished with 240 steals and reached double figures
in every season from 1960 to ’68. Appearing in 17 postseason games, he hit .362
with 6 home runs and 16 RBIs. Aaron was a 25-time All-Star and won three Gold
Gloves for his play in right field. 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.
Following his stressful pursuit of Babe Ruth’s home run record, he summed up
his approach and perspective by saying, “I’m not trying to make anyone forget
the Babe, but only to remember Hank Aaron.” Often overshadowed by
contemporaries such as Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle during his long career, in
the end he out-slugged them all.
[Revised
9/23/25]
---
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.
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