Hank Aaron Biography
Teams Hank Aaron Played For
Hank Aaron was a baseball prodigy. He started his career as a boy playing among men and ended it as a man playing among boys. At 15, Hank Aaron was signed for $3 a game to play the infield for a semipro team in his hometown of Mobile. It didn't bother anyone that the right hander batted "cross handed" with his left hand on top of his right. All his teammates cared about was that he could flat out hit. Two years later he was leading the Negro League in batting. Two years later after that he was the South Atlantic League MVP. A year after that, at 20 years old, he was the starting left fielder for the Milwaukee Braves.
What brought Hank Aaron so far so fast was a set of baseball skills that, although unconventional, proved unstoppable. His swing broke all the rules, even after he adopted a more conventional grip. He made up for his batting sins with tremendous vision, lightning reflexes and a pair of wrists that could whip a bat with incredible force. No pitch was out of his reach, and rarely did he fail to get good wood on the ball. Hank Aaron's quick wrists made him the best change up hitter in baseball history, as he could wait on a ball until the very last minute before bringing his hands through the hitting zone.
During the first 15 years of Hank Aaron's career, his strategy was simply to hit each ball as hard as he could and let the stats take care of themselves. The result was one line drive after another, a batting average consistently around .325 and 34 homers a year and a lot of runs and RBIs. In the late 1960's, when he was the Atlanta Braves sole source of power, Hank Aaron added a subtle upper cut to his swing. The result was an average of 37 homers a year during his last six seasons for the Atlanta Braves (an unprecedented output for a player his age). It was the final display of hitting prowess that enabled him to eclipse Babe Ruth's mark and tack on an additional 40 home runs before he retired.
- Milwaukee Braves
- Atlanta Braves
- Milwaukee Brewers
Hank Aaron was a baseball prodigy. He started his career as a boy playing among men and ended it as a man playing among boys. At 15, Hank Aaron was signed for $3 a game to play the infield for a semipro team in his hometown of Mobile. It didn't bother anyone that the right hander batted "cross handed" with his left hand on top of his right. All his teammates cared about was that he could flat out hit. Two years later he was leading the Negro League in batting. Two years later after that he was the South Atlantic League MVP. A year after that, at 20 years old, he was the starting left fielder for the Milwaukee Braves.
What brought Hank Aaron so far so fast was a set of baseball skills that, although unconventional, proved unstoppable. His swing broke all the rules, even after he adopted a more conventional grip. He made up for his batting sins with tremendous vision, lightning reflexes and a pair of wrists that could whip a bat with incredible force. No pitch was out of his reach, and rarely did he fail to get good wood on the ball. Hank Aaron's quick wrists made him the best change up hitter in baseball history, as he could wait on a ball until the very last minute before bringing his hands through the hitting zone.
During the first 15 years of Hank Aaron's career, his strategy was simply to hit each ball as hard as he could and let the stats take care of themselves. The result was one line drive after another, a batting average consistently around .325 and 34 homers a year and a lot of runs and RBIs. In the late 1960's, when he was the Atlanta Braves sole source of power, Hank Aaron added a subtle upper cut to his swing. The result was an average of 37 homers a year during his last six seasons for the Atlanta Braves (an unprecedented output for a player his age). It was the final display of hitting prowess that enabled him to eclipse Babe Ruth's mark and tack on an additional 40 home runs before he retired.
Hank Aaron's Biography - Timeline
- Age 7 - A natural athlete, yet Hank Aaron was indifferent to sports
- Age 11 - Delivers 50 lb blocks of ice to earn money to see the local Minor League baseball team.
- Age 12 - Sees Jackie Robinson play an exhibition game in Mobile, and decides to devote himself to baseball.
- Age 15 - Hank Aaron played softball in High School because there's no baseball team. He played semipro with adults for $3 a game.
- Age 18 - Barnstorms with Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro League for $200/mo. Signed by Atlanta Braves, sent to minors in mid season. Named Northern League All Star shortstop after 2 weeks.
- Age 20 - Invited to spring training for a "quick look". Aaron wins starting left fielders job.
- 1957 - Hank Aaron leads team to NL Pennant with home run vs. St. Louis Cardinals
- 1968- Slugs 500th Career Home Run
- 1970 - Scores 100+ runs for 15th time. Gets 3000th hit.
- 1974 - Becomes all time leading home run leader, surpassing Babe Ruth.
