Tom Haller
A former quarterback at the Univeristy of Illinois, Tom Haller was a heralded catching prospect for the San Francisco Giants in the early 1960s. Carl Hubbell called him an "intellectual behind the plate," and predicted stardom. Haller ended up making three NL All-Star teams, but he never quite developed into the hitter the Giants had hoped for. He had nimble feet and was quick to jump out from behind the plate with his quarterback's arm. He set an NL record for catchers with 23 double plays in 1968. He retired after 12 seasons, with 134 homers to his credit.
Quotes About Haller
"He knows his own pitchers' best pitch, has a good quick arm, gives the pitchers a good target, and handles popups extremely well in the Candlestick wind." — Giant manager Alvin Dark
Played For
San Francisco Giants (1961-1967)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1968-1971)
Detroit Tigers (1972)
All-Time Rankings
Tom Haller ranks #37 among the Top 50 all-time at C. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1966
A left-handed pull-hitter, he slugged 27 homers, made the All-Star team, and slugged .461.
Factoids
On May 31, 1964, Tom Haller caught every inning of a 23-inning game between his Giants and the New York Mets. Haller went 4-for-10 with a triple and an RBI.
Born
Thomas Frank Haller was born on June 23, 1937, in Lockport, IL.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Primary Position: C
Primary Team: SFN
Major League Debut
April 11, 1961
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1961
Carl Yastrzemski
Lou Brock
Boog Powell
Jim Fregosi
Sam McDowell
Dean Chance
Al Downing
Bill Freehan
Eddie Brinkman
Family Tree
Tom's brother Bill, was an American League umpire for several years.
Similar Players
Offensively: Ernie Whitt and Ed Bailey.
Related Players
Haller replaced Ed Bailey as the Giants catcher, in 1964. Bailey was a similar hitter.
Post-Season Appearances
1962 World Series
1972 American League Championship Series
Post-Season Notes
In Game Four of the 1962 World Series, Haller hit a homer off Whitey Ford at Yankee Stadium.
Notes
Haller received a $54,000 signing bonus out of college... Haller batted .262 with 113 homers off right-handed pitchers in his career, and .231 with 21 homers vs. lefties (in 662 AB).
All-Star Selections
1966 NL
1967 NL
1968 NL
Learn More about Tom Haller
Search Amazon.com for Books about Tom Haller ⇒
Search for Tom Haller at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
