Bob Hazle
After several years in the minor leagues and just six games with the Reds in a cup-of-coffee, Bob "Hurricane" Hazle was called up by the Milwaukee Braves to replace injured outfielder Billy Bruton in the late summer of 1957. Hazle proceeded to bat a scorching .403 in 41 games with seven home runs, many of them game-winners. Due to his efforts, the Braves strung together a 10-game winning streak that put away the National League pennant race. He hit mostly against right-handed pitching in the World Series and batted .154 in four games. The following spring he had a trial with the Braves but struggled and was sold to the Tigers, where he was unable to regain the magic of his '57 summer. A terrible outfielder, Hazle played one more season in the minor leagues before retiring to his native South Carolina.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 110 |
261 |
81 |
37 |
9 |
37 |
1 |
.310 |
.467 |
.390 |
.857 |
118.4 |
|
Best Season: 1957
Hazle may have had as much impcat on a pennant race as any mid-season rookie call-up in baseball history. In addition to hitting over .400, he had a .649 slugging percentage and drew 18 walks in 41 games. In the first few weeks after being called up, he hit well over .500 with a pair of two-homer games. IN a crucial three-game series against the Cardinals in August, with Milwaukee holding a 2 1/2 game lead in the race, Hazle went 7-for-10 with two walks and six RBI as the Braves swept the Redbirds.
Where He Played
Hazle was a dreadful outfielder. He had an above average arm, but his range and ability to judge fly balls was dismal. In just 40 games in right field in 1957, he made six errors. He would have had a decent career as a designated hitter hasd he played in the 1970s or 1980s.
Born
Robert Sidney Hazle was born on December 9, 1930, in Laurens, SC.
Died
April 25, 1992, Columbia, SC
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
9 8,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1955
Brooks Robinson
Roberto Clemente
Ken Boyer
Rocky Colavito
Clete Boyer
Elston Howard
Sandy Koufax
Jim Bunning
Bill Virdon
Nicknames
Hurricane
Apparently, Hazle earned the nickname "Hurricane" because of the storm that blasted his native South Carolina coast in 1954. But the moniker served well to describe his torrid hitting binges, as well.
Uniform Numbers
#26 (1955), #29 (1957), #12 (1957-1958 Braves), #27 (1958 Tigers)
Related Players
Bill Bruton... Wes Covington was also called up during the 1957 season by Milwaukee and made a significant contribution to the pennant effort.
Post-Season Appearances
1957 World Series
Transactions
Before 1950 Season: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent; April 9, 1956: Traded by the Cincinnati Redlegs with a player to be named later to the Milwaukee Braves for George Crowe. The Cincinnati Redlegs sent Corky Valentine (May 10, 1956) to the Milwaukee Braves to complete the trade; May 24, 1958: Purchased by the Detroit Tigers from the Milwaukee Braves.
Replaced
Braves' center fielder Billy Bruton, who went down with an injury in July. Hazle was inserted in right field, and Milwaukee moved Hank Aaron to center for the remainder of the regular season.
Replaced By
Wuth Bruton healthy in 1958, there wasn't much room for Hazle. He stuck with the Braves for a few weeks as a spare outfielder, but he hit .179 with zero extra-base hits and was sold to Detroit. With the Tigers he was used as a left fielder and right fielder very sparingly, but mostly as a pinch-hitter. He struggled at the plate and was released back to the minors for 1959.
Best Strength as a Player
When he was in the zone, the guy could flat-out hit.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Hazle was a one-dimensional player, a DH before the Dh was invented. He was a slow runner, showed poor judgment in the outfield, had an erratic throwing arm, and he was streaky. By the time the Braves gave him a chance to showcase his bat, he was 27 years old, and all of those dificiencies combinbed with his age to keep him from landing a major league job.
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