Hank Aaron Jerseys - Atlanta Braves - MLB

 Hank Aaron Throwback Jerseys and Biography

Hank Aaron is a living legend who played the game the right way. He didn't have the physique of a home run king, but was a model of consistency and longevity.  He started out as a kid playing with the pros, and he ended his career playing as a man amongst boys. When Hank Aaron was a teenager he was paid by a semi pro team to play baseball for $3.00 a game.

When Hank started out in baseball he had an unusual way of batting. He hit with his left hand on top of his right in a "cross handed" manner. Nobody seemed to care because Hank Aaron could flat out hit this way. Two years after signing to play semi pro ball, Hank was leading the Negro League in batting average. 2 years after that, he was playing left field for the Milwaukee Braves of the MLB!

Hank's swing seemed to break all of the "rules". How could he hit that way with success? Eventually he adopted a more "traditional" grip, but his tremendous batting vision, quick reflexes, and strong wrists made the ball jump off of his bat. It seemed as if he could reach every pitch and always seemed to make good, strong, contact on the ball. His quick wrists allowed him to become one of the best change up hitters in baseball. He could sit back and wait until the last minute before unleashing his powerful compact stroke.

During Hank Aaron's first 15 years in MLB he wasn't trying to hit home runs. He only tried to hit each ball as hard as he could and not even worry about stats. They would take care of themselves if he was making consistent hard contact.  The result was Aaron spraying line drives all over the field. He was consistently hitting well above .300 and socking about 35 home runs per year.

In 1965 the Braves needed him to hit for even more power! He was the only power hitter on the team so he added a slight upper cut to his swing and the result was that he he hit (on average) 37 home runs per year for his remaining years with the Atlanta Braves. At the end of his career on his way of breaking Babe Ruth's home run record Hank Aaron hit 40 home runs on his way to becoming the all time Home Run King of baseball. Hank was like a fine wine. He kept getting better with age.

Hank Aaron Timeline Biography
Milwaukee Braves - Atlanta Braves

• Age 11 : To earn money he used to deliver 50 lb blocks of ice to see the local minor league team.
• Age 12 : After seeing Jackie Robinson play, he decides that he was going to be a baseball star as well.
• Age 15 : Played softball at his high school because there wasn't a baseball team. Plays for $3.00 a game on a semi pro team.
• Age 18 : Played for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro League for 200 dollars a month.
• Age 20 : Wins left field job for the Milwaukee Braves
• 1957 : Wins a National League Pennant
• 1968 : Hits his 500th Home Run
• 1970 : Scores more that 100 runs in a season for the 15th time in his MLB Baseball career.
• 1974 : Becomes the MLB all time Home Run King

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Hank Aaron Biography - Atlanta Braves Baseball

Hank Aaron Biography

Teams Hank Aaron Played For

• Milwaukee Braves
• Atlanta Braves
• Milwaukee Brewers

Had Henry "Hank" Aaron listened to his critics over the years he might have ended up just another mediocre baseball player. A long line of coaches and managers spent years trying to correct Hank Aaron's "faults." He held the bat wrong. He hit off the wrong foot. Hank Aaron ran the bases wrong. He was too impatient at the plate. He had a hitch in his swing. He didn't get his body into the ball. Henry Aaron wasn't intense enough. Apparently, the only thing Hank Aaron did right during his 23 years in Major League Baseball was set all time bests for total bases, extra base hits and RBIs, and shatter what he called "the Cadillac of records", Babe Ruth's seemingly untouchable career mark for home runs.

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.

Purchase Hank Aaron's Autographed Vintage 1974 Atlanta Braves Throwback Jersey

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.

Hank Aaron's Major League Baseball Career Biography and Highlights

• 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.

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