Ron Hansen (baseball)

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Ronald Lavern Hansen (born April 5, 1938 in Oxford, Nebraska) is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Baltimore Orioles (1958-62), Chicago White Sox (1963-67, 1968-69), Washington Senators (1968), New York Yankees (1970-71) and Kansas City Royals (1972). He batted and threw right-handed.

In a 15-season career, Hansen was a .234 hitter with 106 home runs and 501 RBI in 1384 games.

Hansen was one of the best shortstops in the American League in the 1960s, yet unfortunately, a player whose career was hampered throughout and was eventually cut short by chronic back ailments and other injuries which prevented him from ever really enjoying a great career. Despite being a tall shortstop at 6 ft 3 in and 200 pounds (91 kg), Hansen was fluid and smooth in the field. He was a competent hitter as well, in an era when shortstops barely hit their weight.

Hansen, who was supposed to be the starting shortstop for Baltimore in 1957, missed the entire season with a slipped disk. He debuted in 1958, and went 0-for-19 in 12 games. In 1959 he played in two games and ended 0-for-4.

In 1960, Hansen surpassed all expectations by turning in a solid, injury-free season, filling the Orioles urgent need for a quality shortstop. He appeared in 153 games, and finished with 22 home runs, 86 RBI, 22 doubles, five triples, a .255 batting average and a .342 on base percentage, batting from the eight spot. He was selected for the All-Star Game and earned American League Rookie of the Year honors, getting 22 of 24 votes, as well as the TSN Rookie of the Year Award.

Hansen led AL shortstops in double plays in 1961, hitting 12 home runs with 51 RBI in 155 games. In 1962 he spent six months as a Marine due to the Cuban Missile Crisis. During the service, Hansen reinjured his back. Before the 1963 season, he was sent to the White Sox along knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm in the same trade that brought Luis Aparicio to the Orioles.

With Chicago, Hansen led the AL twice more in double plays and four times in assists. During a doubleheader in 1965, he tied an AL record with 18 total chances in the first game and added 10 more in the second for a total of 28, to set a major league record for a doubleheader.

In 1964, Hansen posted career-highs in batting average (.261), runs (85), hits (160) and doubles (25), and belted 20 home runs with 68 RBI. In 1965 he led the league with 162 games played, but was out again with back problems in 1966, appearing in 23 games. He underwent surgery for a ruptured spinal disc and returned in 1967, playing in 157 games.

In 1968, Hansen was sent to the Senators at midseason in a deal for infielder Tim Cullen. With the Senators, Hansen turned the eighth unassisted triple play in major league history and the first in 41 years. In a curious movement, he was then shipped back to the White Sox for Cullen, making them the only two players in MLB history to be traded for one another twice in the same season. In the week following the triple play, Hansen struck out 10 consecutive times and hit a grand slam home run only to be traded to the White Sox for his efforts.

With Aparicio again in Chicago, Hansen served as a backup infielder. He finished his career as an utility for the Yankees and Kansas City, and later became a coach and minor league manager.

[edit] External link

• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis

Preceded by Bob Allison

American League Rookie of the Year 1960

Succeeded by Don Schwall