Fred Haney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fred Haney
Third baseman / Manager / General manager
Born: (1896-04-25)April 25, 1896 Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Died: November 9, 1977(1977-11-09) (aged 81) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
April 18, 1922, for the Detroit Tigers
Last appearance
May 7, 1929, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
Batting average	.275
Home runs	8
Runs batted in	229
Managerial record	629–757
Winning %	.454
Teams
As player Detroit Tigers (1922–1925) Boston Red Sox (1926–1927) Chicago Cubs (1927) St. Louis Cardinals (1929) As manager St. Louis Browns (1939–1941) Pittsburgh Pirates (1953–1955) Milwaukee Braves (1956–1959) As a general manager Los Angeles/California Angels (1961–1968)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion (1957)

Fred Girard Haney (born April 25, 1896 – died November 9, 1977) was a very important person in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was a third baseman (a player who fields at third base), a manager (the team's head coach), a coach, and an executive. As a manager, he led the Milwaukee Braves to win two league championships, called pennants, and one World Series championship.

Later, he became the first general manager for the new Los Angeles Angels team. Fred Haney was a popular baseball figure in Los Angeles for many years. In 1974, he received the King of Baseball award, which is given by Minor League Baseball.

Early Life in Baseball

Fred Haney was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and grew up in Los Angeles. He played in the major leagues for parts of seven seasons, from 1922 to 1927 and again in 1929. He mostly played as a third baseman. Even though he was not very tall (about 5 feet 6 inches), he was a good player.

He had a .275 batting average with eight home runs. He also had 229 runs batted in (RBI) for teams like the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals. He spent a lot of his playing time in Los Angeles with local teams like the PCL Angels and the Hollywood Stars. He threw and batted right-handed.

Fred Haney's Managerial Career

Starting as a Manager

Fred Haney started managing baseball teams in 1936. His first team was the Toledo Mud Hens, which was a top minor league team for the St. Louis Browns. In 1939, he became the manager of the St. Louis Browns. That year, the team lost 111 games.

The team got better in 1940, winning 24 more games. But in 1941, the Browns started poorly, losing 32 of their first 44 games. Haney was then replaced by another manager, Luke Sewell.

After managing the Toledo team again until 1942, Haney returned to Los Angeles. He worked as a radio announcer for the Hollywood Stars and Los Angeles Angels for six seasons, starting in 1943. In 1949, he went back to managing the Hollywood Stars. During his four years (1949–1952) with the Stars, his team won two league championships.

Leading the Milwaukee Braves

Because of his success, Haney was chosen to manage the Pittsburgh Pirates, which was the worst team in the National League. The Pirates finished in last place for three years under Haney, from 1953 to 1955. They lost 104, 101, and 94 games. After this, he left the Pirates and joined the Milwaukee Braves as a coach in 1956.

The 1956 Season

Things changed for Haney when the Braves started the 1956 season slowly. On June 17, 1956, the Braves had a record of 24 wins and 22 losses. Their manager, Charlie Grimm, was replaced, and Haney became the new manager. Under Haney, Milwaukee played very well for the rest of the season, winning 68 games and losing only 40.

The Braves almost won the National League championship that year. They were leading the Brooklyn Dodgers by one game with three games left. However, the Braves lost two of their last three games, while the Dodgers won all three of theirs. This meant the Dodgers won the championship by just one game. Even so, the Braves' strong finish in 1956 secured Haney's job. He told his team they would work very hard in spring training, saying they would "love me when you see that World Series check."

During his time as manager for a little over three and a half seasons, Haney led the Braves to their only two league championships and one World Series win while they were in Milwaukee. Some people thought his success was mostly because he had many talented players on his team.

World Series Champions in 1957

In 1957, the Braves had an amazing team. It included future Baseball Hall of Fame players like Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Warren Spahn, and Red Schoendienst. Other stars were Lew Burdette, Bob Buhl, Johnny Logan, and Del Crandall. The Braves won the National League championship by eight games over the St. Louis Cardinals.

During the season, Haney's team overcame injuries to key players like Joe Adcock and Bill Bruton. They also dealt with slow starts from players like Bobby Thomson and Danny O'Connell. Thomson and O'Connell were traded for Schoendienst in June.

In the World Series, Lew Burdette was outstanding, winning three complete games. The Braves defeated the New York Yankees in seven games. They won the important seventh game 5–0 at Yankee Stadium, with Burdette pitching. This made Burdette the World Series Most Valuable Player. Hank Aaron won the National League Most Valuable Player award, and Warren Spahn won the only Cy Young Award given that year.

The 1958 Season

In 1958, Milwaukee won the league championship again, by eight games. The main players were still Aaron, Mathews, Adcock, Spahn, and Burdette. However, some players like Buhl, Adcock, and Covington missed games due to injuries. Still, Spahn and Burdette were the best starting pitchers in baseball. Spahn had 22 wins and 11 losses, and Burdette had 20 wins and 10 losses. The Braves finished first in the National League with 92 wins and 62 losses, and they went back to the World Series.

The Yankees won the American League again, so the two teams met in the World Series. The Braves started strong, winning three of the first four games. But the Yankees came back and won Games 5, 6, and 7, taking the championship. The last two games were played in Milwaukee.

Many people thought a key moment was Haney's decision to have Burdette and Spahn pitch with only two days of rest for the last two games. Some critics believed a more rested pitcher, Bob Rush, might have been a better choice for Game 6. This would have allowed Spahn to pitch Game 7 with his usual rest. Instead, Spahn pitched well in a close Game 6 loss, and Burdette tired late in the final game.

The 1959 Season

In 1959, the Braves were strong contenders again. They had the same main players and an even better pitching staff. Buhl pitched 200 innings with 15 wins and 9 losses. Spahn and Burdette were excellent, each with 21 wins and 15 losses. Aaron and Mathews had incredible seasons. Aaron led the league in hits, batting average, and total bases. He hit 39 home runs and had 123 runs batted in. Mathews led the team with 46 home runs and 114 runs batted in.

The Braves finished tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place. This meant they had to play a best-of-three-games playoff. Again, Haney chose an inexperienced pitcher, Carlton Willey, for Game 1, which they lost 3–2. The Dodgers won the next day, 6–5, to win the championship in Los Angeles. Soon after, Fred Haney, who was almost 61, was no longer the Braves manager. He was replaced by Chuck Dressen.

Some baseball experts have discussed Haney's 1959 season as a manager. They point out that the Dodgers should not have been so close to the Braves in the standings. They mention decisions like overusing his top pitchers and not giving enough chances to younger players.

Despite these discussions, Fred Haney was the most successful manager for the Braves during their time in Milwaukee. His overall managing record, including his time with less successful teams, was 629 wins and 757 losses. With the Braves, he won 341 games and lost 231.

Working in the Front Office

At right actor William Frawley receives from Haney a lifetime pass to Angels games during a January 1961 episode of This Is Your Life

Fred Haney did not stay out of work for long. In 1960, he briefly returned to broadcasting, working for NBC television. The next year, a new baseball team, the Los Angeles Angels, was created in the American League. The team's owner, Gene Autry, chose Haney to run the team.

While the Angels often struggled on the field during Haney's time as General Manager (1961–1968), they did finish a surprising third place in 1962. They also competed for the championship in 1967. The team won 70 games in their first season (1961), which was a record for new expansion teams.

Haney helped the team become competitive by choosing future stars like shortstop Jim Fregosi and pitcher Dean Chance in the special draft for new teams. He also got powerful hitters like Leon Wagner and Lee Thomas. Haney also oversaw the Angels' move in 1966 from Dodger Stadium to Angel Stadium in Orange County. At that time, their name changed to the California Angels.

Haney finished his time as General Manager with a winning record in half of his eight seasons. After the 1968 season, when the Angels lost 95 games, Gene Autry suggested Haney become a part-time consultant. Haney agreed, and Dick Walsh took over as General Manager.

Later Life and Legacy

Fred Haney died from a heart attack on November 9, 1977, at age 81. He passed away in Beverly Hills, California. He was buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Two years after his death, the Angels won their league division. Haney's widow, Florence, was asked to throw out the first pitch for two games in the 1979 American League Championship Series. A special award was later created in Haney's honor for the best rookie player in spring training.

Managerial Record