Billy Hunter
From BR Bullpen
Gordon William Hunter
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
- School Indiana University of Pennsylvania
- Debut April 14, 1953
- Final Game September 27, 1958
- Born June 4, 1928 in Punxsutawney, PA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Billy Hunter played six seasons in the majors, mostly at shortstop, and later managed the Texas Rangers. He appeared in the All Star game as a rookie in 1953. A perfect example of the "Good field, no hit" phrase, Hunter has one of the lowest career BA's and OBP's of any former M.L. regular.
Hunter was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948, and played at Trois Rivieres that same year. During his time in the Dodgers organization, though, Pee Wee Reese owned shortstop, and so Hunter was eventually traded in 1952 to the St. Louis Browns.
In the winter of 1952 he played for the Santurce Crabbers, forming a double-play combination with Jim Gilliam, who would also be a major league rookie in 1953.
Billy became the everyday shortstop for the 1953 St. Louis Browns, playing every single game of their last season in Saint Louis. His defense was strong while his hitting was weak.
The following season he was on the team during the first season of the Baltimore Orioles. After the season he was traded to the New York Yankees in a multi-player deal involving Don Larsen, and Billy became the regular shortstop on the 1955 Yankees, appearing a bit more often than the 38-year-old Phil Rizzuto at the position.
For 1957 he moved to the 1957 Kansas City Athletics where he became the regular second baseman, also playing a lot of shortstop and some third base. He hit under .200, and the following year when he also hit under .200 for Kansas City and Cleveland, his major league career was over.
After his playing career ended, Billy Hunter was a scout for the Cleveland Indians in 1961. He managed the Bluefield Orioles in 1962-1963 and was a Baltimore Orioles coach from 1964 to 1977 before becoming skipper of the Texas Rangers for a season and a half. He was also a longtime athletics director at Towson University. Hunter coached the baseball team at Towson from 1979 to 1987.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 1952 MVP Texas League Fort Worth Cats
- AL All-Star (1953)
- Won a World Series with the New York Yankees in 1956 (he did not play in the World Series)
| Preceded by Connie Ryan | Texas Rangers Manager 1977-1978 | Succeeded by Pat Corrales |
