Tom Haller

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Tom Haller
Catcher
Born: June 23, 1937
Died: November 26, 2004 (aged 67)
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 11, 1961
for the San Francisco Giants
Final game
October 4, 1972
for the Detroit Tigers
Career statistics
AVG     .257
HR     134
RBI     504
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • NL All-Star: 1966-1968

Thomas Frank Haller (June 23, 1937 - November 26, 2004) was a Major League Baseball catcher who played with the San Francisco Giants (1961-1967), Los Angeles Dodgers (1968-1971) and Detroit Tigers (1972). Haller was born in Lockport, Illinois. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was the younger brother of American League umpire Bill Haller.

A quarterback with the University of Illinois, Haller was signed by the Giants as an amateur free agent in 1958. He made his debut on April 11, 1961 as a platoon catcher.

Haller hit .261 with 18 home runs and 55 RBIs for the Giant team that lost to the Yankees in the 1962 World Series. He collected four hits in 14 at-bats with a home run and three RBIs in the Series.

A regular from 1964-1967, Haller hit career highs of 27 home runs and 67 RBIs in 1966. He was traded from the Giants to the Dodgers in February, 1968 in a four-player deal, with two players (one of whom was Ron Hunt) going to San Francisco. The trade was the first between the two teams since their move to the West Coast, and also the first since the one that would have sent Jackie Robinson from the Dodgers to the Giants after the 1956 season; he retired rather than report with his new team. After hitting .285 in 1968 and .286 in 1970, Haller was sent to Detroit in December 1971. He batted .207 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 1972 and retired at the end of the season.

An All-Star from 1966 to 1968, Haller was a career .257 hitter with 134 home runs and 504 RBIs in 1294 games. After retiring, he worked for the Giants as a coach (1977-1979), and was their vice president of baseball operations (1981-1986). He was named to the Giants' 25th anniversary team in 1982.

After a long illness, Haller died in Los Angeles, California, at age of 67.

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