Grady Hatton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grady Hatton |
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Hatton's 1949 Bowman Gum baseball card
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| Third baseman / Manager | |||
| Born: October 7, 1922 Beaumont, Texas, U.S. |
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| Died: April 11, 2013 (aged 90) Warren, Texas, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 16, 1946, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 1, 1960, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .254 | ||
| Home runs | 91 | ||
| Runs batted in | 533 | ||
| Managerial record | 164–221 | ||
| Winning % | .426 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Grady Edgebert Hatton Jr. (born October 7, 1922 – died April 11, 2013) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams. These included the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs.
Hatton was very connected to his home state of Texas. He was born in Beaumont, Texas, and went to the University of Texas at Austin. Later, he managed minor league teams in Houston and San Antonio. He also played a big role in the early years of the Houston Astros MLB team.
Playing Baseball
Grady Hatton batted with his left hand and threw with his right hand. He was about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 170 pounds. He joined the Major Leagues in 1946 after serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He didn't play in the minor leagues before his MLB debut.
Hatton's first MLB game was on April 16, 1946, against the Chicago Cubs. He had a great start, getting three hits and two runs batted in in a close 4–3 loss. Over his 12-year career in the big leagues, he played in 1,312 games. He had a batting average of .254, hit 91 home runs, and got 1,068 hits.
For six years in a row, starting in 1946, Hatton was the main third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds. In 1952, he moved to second baseman and was chosen for the National League All-Star team. Even though he was an All-Star, he didn't play in that game and only hit .212 for the season.
In 1954, his time with Cincinnati ended quickly. After playing just one game for the Reds, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox. Five weeks later, the White Sox traded him to the Boston Red Sox. He was traded along with cash for George Kell, who later became a Hall of Famer. Hatton was Boston's main third baseman in 1954 and 1955. In 1956, he played different positions for the Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, and Baltimore Orioles. In 1957, he finally played in the minor leagues for the San Francisco Seals.
Becoming a Manager
From 1958 to 1960, Hatton was a player-manager for the Double-A San Antonio Missions. This meant he played on the team while also managing it. He also briefly coached for the 1960 Cubs.
In 1961, he started as the manager for the Triple-A Houston Buffs. However, he soon left that job to become the director of player personnel for the new expansion team, the Houston Colt .45s. This new team was set to start playing in 1962.
Hatton returned to managing on the field from 1963 to 1965. He managed Houston's Triple-A farm team, the Oklahoma City 89ers. In 1965, he was named minor league manager of the year by The Sporting News.
In 1966, Hatton became the manager of the Houston Astros (who had changed their name from Colt .45s). He also held the title of club vice president and shared general manager duties. People hoped Hatton could help the young players he had worked with in Triple-A succeed in the big leagues. However, the team's record was 164 wins and 221 losses over two and a half years. He was replaced as manager by Harry Walker in the middle of the 1968 season, on June 17. At that time, the Astros were in last place in the National League.
After Managing
After his time as a manager, Grady Hatton stayed with the Astros. He worked as a scout from 1968 to 1972. Then, he was a Major League coach in 1973 and 1974. He continued to be involved in baseball into the late 1980s, working as a scout for the San Francisco Giants.
Grady Hatton passed away on April 11, 2013, at the age of 90.
