Fred Haney

From BR Bullpen

Jump to: navigation, search

Fred Girard Haney (Pudge)

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 6", Weight 170 lb.

BR page

BR Manager page

Contents

[edit] Biographical Information

After his playing career ended, Fred Haney was manager of the Toledo Mud Hens from 1935 to 1938, then the St. Louis Browns from 1939 to 1941. Haney returned to Toledo in 1941-1942. He broadcast Hollywood Stars games on radio from 1943 to 1948, then was skipper of the Stars from 1949 to 1952, and the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1953 to 1955. The next season, he joined the Milwaukee Braves coaching staff and replaced Charlie Grimm as manager in midseason. He led the team to a World Series title in 1957 and a National League pennant in 1958. He remained at the helm of the club through 1959. Haney was the original General Manager of the expansion Los Angeles Angels in 1961 and served as the club's GM until 1968. He retired after the 1968 season, but stayed with the Angels as a consultant through 1977.

In his guide to baseball managers, author Bill James makes a detailed case for considering Haney's 1959 season at the helm of the Braves as the worst-ever performance by a Major League manager. As he puts it: "Without exaggeration, the 1959 Dodgers shouldn't have been within 20 games of the Braves". In reality, the two teams ended up playing a two-game playoff, which the Dodgers swept. Among Haney's mistakes that season: riding his two top pitchers, Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette into the ground while ignoring a number of talented youngsters who were available to pitch; platooning Joe Adcock with the awful Frank Torre long after Torre had demonstrated he was in a year-long slump; failing to settle on a solution when 2B Red Schoendienst was lost for the season; and loading his bench with a group of grumpy and over-the-hill veterans from which he failed to get any production.

[edit] Notable Achievements


Preceded by
Gabby Street
St. Louis Browns Manager
1939-1941
Succeeded by
Luke Sewell
Preceded by
Billy Meyer
Pittsburgh Pirates Manager
1953-1955
Succeeded by
Bobby Bragan
Preceded by
Charlie Grimm
Milwaukee Braves Manager
1956-1959
Succeeded by
Chuck Dressen
Preceded by
N/A
Los Angeles/California Angels General Manager
1961-1968
Succeeded by
Dick Walsh

[edit] Further Reading

  • Bill James: "Fred Haney", in The Bill James Guide to Baseball Managers, Scribner, New York, NY, 1997, pp. 202-205.

[edit] Related Sites

Personal tools
Advertisement