Hal Lanier
Harold Clifton Lanier
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 180 lb.
- High School Boca Ciega High School
- Debut June 18, 1964
- Final Game September 30, 1973
- Born July 4, 1942 in Denton, NC USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Hal Lanier came up through the San Francisco Giants organization and played most of his major league career for San Francisco. Hal's best offensive season was his 1964 rookie campaign, when he posted career highs in BA, OBP, SLG and offensive WAR. However, where Lanier really shone was as a defensive player, leading the National League in defensive WAR in 1967 and 1969, and leading NL shortstops in putouts and fielding percentage in 1968. Lanier played over 1,000 games in his eight seasons with the Giants, and remains (as of 2026) the only player with 400 or more games for the Giants at both second base and shortstop. He and teammate Willie Mays were the only integration era Giants to exceed 10 defensive WAR for their careers, until Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford also reached that threshold in the 21st century. Hal finished his major league career with two seasons as a reserve infielder for the New York Yankees, then closed out his professional career with two seasons for the Tulsa Oilers, the American Association affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Lanier was a minor league manager in the Cardinal organization from 1976 to 1980, twice leading his teams to league championships. He then served as a major league coach for the Cardinals from 1981 to 1985. Hal became manager of the Houston Astros in 1986 and led the club to a division title in his first season. After three seasons with the Astros, he returned to coaching, with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1990 and 1991. After two seasons in Philadelphia, he returned to managing.
He became manager of the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the Northern League in 1996 and led the club to the Northern League Championship Series five times in ten seasons. After the 2005 season, he moved on to manage the league's Joliet JackHammers. In 2016 he was named the manager of the year in the Can-Am Association for leading the Ottawa Champions to their first-ever postseason appearance. He then led the underdog team to the championship when they came back from losing the first two games of the finals at home to defeat the Rockland Boulders, three games to two.
He is the son of pitcher Max Lanier. Don Larsen and Willie Mays played with both Max and Hal Lanier.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- 1964 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
- NL Manager of the Year Award (1986)
- Division Titles: 1 (1986)
| Preceded by Bob Lillis |
Houston Astros Manager 1986-1988 |
Succeeded by Art Howe |
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