John McHale
| Birthdate | 09/21/1921 |
| Death Date | 01/17/2008 |
| Debut Year | 1943 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Braves, Expos, Tigers |
| Positions | Executive, First Base, Pinch Hitter |
After playing parts of five seasons with the Tigers, John McHale embarked on a front-office career highlighted by his role with the expansion Expos.
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Before John McHale began a successful executive he was a pro baseball player from 1941-48
Before John McHale began a successful executive he was a pro baseball player from 1941-48
John McHale starting playing the game professionally at the tender age of 19. He played eight seasons, parts of five of them at the Major League level.
In 447 games in the minors, McHale hit .270 with 68 homers and 169 runs batted in. In his stints with the Tigers, McHale played in 64 games sprinkled over five seasons. His career numbers as a big leaguer include a .193 average, 3 homers and 12 RBI.
Despite his short stay in the majors, McHale got three World Series at bats for Detroit in 1945. He earned a ring in the Tigers’ 7-game triumph over the Cubs.
Shown here is an autographed photo of McHale with the Buffalo Bisons from 1945 or ’46. McHale devoted his entire adult life to the game.
Immediately after he stopped playing, McHale worked as a minor league executive in Detroit
Immediately after he stopped playing, McHale worked as a minor league executive in Detroit
John McHale married the niece of Tigers owner Walter Briggs on February 15, 1947. In the ensuing season he played in a modest yet career-high 39 games for Detroit. Then in ’48 he had one final big league at bat before retiring as a player.
McHale stayed in the Detroit organization as assistant farm director, serving in the position for six years. After the ’53 season he took over as director of minor league operations, replaying Muddy Ruel who was promoted to the big club’s General Manager position.
McHale’s minor league apprenticeship lasted until April of ’57 when he was named the Tigers GM in 1957. He was just 35 years old.
Shown here is a government postcard signed by McHale in 1956.
Government postcards give context and help authenticate signatures
Government postcards give context and help authenticate signatures
Shown here is the back of the government postcard. A popular medium for autograph collectors, such postcards give the signature context.
Notice the Lakeland, Florida postmark of February 17, 1956. At the time John McHale signed this he was the director of minor league operations for the Detroit Tigers. Lakeland, Florida is the Tigers’ spring training home.
Signatures confirmed as vintage by postmarks or other dates remain sought after by autograph collectors.
McHale served as GM of the Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee & Atlanta Braves, & Montreal Expos
McHale served as GM of the Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee & Atlanta Braves, & Montreal Expos
John McHale’s second career as a big league executive started in April of 1957. At just 35 years old he took the helm of the Tigers as team General Manager.
Not long after, the reigning National League champion Braves recruited McHale who became their GM in 1959. In the collection is this player transfer of hitting guru Walt Hriniak. McHale signed this document dated August 31,1962 at the bottom as Milwaukee’s GM.
In Milwaukee McHale inherited a team that was coming off of back-to-back pennant-winning seasons. However the Braves had an aging roster. Third baseman Eddie Mathews started to decline. Star pitcher Lew Burdette who averaged over 19 wins per season from 1956-1961 had only two ten-win seasons left. Things got worse and the team moved to Atlanta in 1966. McHale was fired midseason in favor of Atlanta favorite Paul Richards.
McHale wasn’t out of work for long. At the end of ’66 he became Commissioner William Eckert‘s right-hand man. Then in ’68 he was hired as president of the Montreal Expos who had yet to play a game. Two weeks into his presidency Eckert was fired. McHale became the frontrunner for the job.
NL owners preferred McHale’s expertise in their league’s newest franchise and ended his candidacy. Owners agreed on NL lawyer Bowie Kuhn.
McHale then turned his full attention to the Expos. He brought the franchise legitimacy as GM and president. McHale built a team that made the first postseason appearance in 1981. Hall of Famers Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, and Gary Carter headlined a roster that included fan-favorite Warren Cromartie, starting pitcher Steve Rogers and reliever Jeff Reardon.
In 1983 McHale added another job title when he became a director of the Hall of fame. Three years later he stepped down as Montreal club president in 1986. McHale’s role in Cooperstown expanded, eventually leading to him serving as a voting member of the Veterans Committee from 2000-2007.
McHale passed away in 2008. He has appeared on the Veterans Committee ballot for his long service to the game.
In the collection is this document signed by McHale in 1962. It recalls the contract of 19-year old Walt Hriniak to the Braves. After a nondescript playing career Hriniak became one of the premier hitting coaches in the game.
Hitting guru Walt Hriniak started his playing career with McHale's Milwaukee Braves
Hitting guru Walt Hriniak started his playing career with McHale's Milwaukee Braves
Walt Hriniak played all but two of his 13 years of professional baseball in the minor leagues. He started in the Milwaukee Braves organization in 1961 at age 18 when John McHale was their GM.
Hriniak toiled in the bushes for 8 years before earning a cup of coffee with the Braves in 1968. In the middle of ’69 he was traded to the expansion San Diego Padres where he totaled 31 games before heading back to the minors for good. In the bigs he totaled just 99 career at bats.
After the ’72 season, Hriniak hung up his spikes as a veteran of over 1,100 professional games. The next season Montreal skipper Gene Mauch hired him as the Expos first base coach.
in 1976 he left Montreal and was hired as bullpen coach for the Red Sox. Boston had no official batting coach and many of the players approached Hriniak for help. Soon the likes of Carl Yastrzemski, Wade Boggs, and Dwight Evans embraced Hriniak philosophies. Hriniak became the Sox’ batting coach in 1984.
He changed Sox from Red to White in 1989. In Chicago he became one of the highest-paid men batting coaches. During his run from ’89 to 1995 Hall of Famer Frank Thomas became one of his most loyal disciples. Thomas left the White Sox in ’95 and opened his own hitting school.
The hitting guru received the envelope pictured her and the recall document sometime soon after the September 5th postmark in 1962. Notice Hriniak’s home address in Natick, Massachusetts. In 2004 he was elected to Natick High School’s Wall of Achievement for “exceptional achievements and contributions to society”. Six years later Hriniak was elected in the inaugural class of his school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
