RON HUNT: "Some People Give Their Bodies to Science, I Give Mine to Baseball"

 By TJ  Troup 

When Ron Hunt was signed to a Milwaukee Braves contract am sure he hoped to become their second baseman, yet after a few years in the minors playing in Cedar Rapids, Austin, etc., he was sold to the New York Mets in 1962. 

Before going any further let's examine the Braves situation at second base in the late 1950s. Consistent pennant contenders Milwaukee had supreme talent at many positions, but second base was not one of them. Bobby Avila, Felix Mantilla, Casey Wise, and Johnny O'Brien all were found wanting in '59 (Braves second baseman got 85 hits in 414 at-bats for a .205 average that year).

When Chuck Cottier (.227 BA) demonstrated he was never going to be the answer in 1960 the Braves front office made a major trade with Detroit to acquire Frank Bolling. We will never know the evaluations made by the Milwaukee front office, yet no doubt they must not have thought Hunt was their future. 

Though a distant second in the balloting for Rookie of the Year in the National League in '63 to Pete Rose—Ron Hunt demonstrated on a daily basis he was going to have a fine career in New York with the Mets. 

Shea Stadium in 1964 and the all-star game and who represents the National League at second base? Gold Glove clutch hitting Bill Mazeroski, and Hunt. He was selected over Rose and was the first representative of the Mets in the summer classic. 

Besides the All-Star game, there were other honors in baseball at the time that were major, but not well-publicized by MLB. Among those awards were the AP and UPI All-MLB teams.

Also, through the work of the sabermetrics guys, we have WAR and other metrics to look at a player's career. Were anyone to pick a mythical All-MLB and All-NL (and All-AL) teams by using Baseball-Reference.com's WAR we'd also get a good sense about Hunt. 

So, in 1964 how did Ron do? He was First-team All-MLB on the UPI team and also the Look magazine team, Second-team All-MLB on the AP team, and First-team All-NL according to The Sporting News.

Also, he'd have been the Second-team All-MLB second baseman on the All-WAR team I mentioned. 

Two years later, in '66, he again made the All-Star team, this time with future Hall of Famer Joe Morgan. Many, many players that have been traded though they had been productive and Hunt was traded to the Dodgers in 1967 after an All-Star year.

Have been so fortunate in my life to have seen so many outstanding players in person, and in May of '67 was at Dodger Stadium on a Friday night to watch my hero Ernie Banks belt a home run in a Cub victory. Ron Hunt played that night, and sure don't remember him much other than he was a dedicated professional. 

Hunt is again traded after one season in Dodger Blue, and in the year of the pitcher in 1968, he had one of those games you never ever forget as he ripped a single to drive in Hal Lanier in a 1-0 victory over the Mets in a 17-inning thriller. 

After that single year with the Dodgers, he was traded to the Giants, and on our mythical WAR All-NFL teams, Hunt would have been Second-team All-NL in 1968 and 1969 and even got some mention on the AP All-MLB All-Star team in 1969. 

After those three productive years in the City by the Bay, he was again traded. Every team has a trade or two, sometimes even three they regret, and the Giants virtually "gave" Ron Hunt to the Expos. 

Don't believe me? 

Check out the career of Dave McDonald. 

Hunt had already established himself in the National League, and especially in one category; being hit by a pitch. This saga is not about me, yet sure can relate to Hunt as crowding the plate was not an issue with me either. 

Ron Hunt, in 1971,  set a record that will never be broken; yes you read that correctly—NEVER. 

He was hit by a pitch 50 times! Ouch! 

Baseball stats/numbers are fascinating to pour over, and as such put together the following, and to me tells his tale the best. Ok, he got hit by a pitch, big deal; he jogs to first. But what he if also in the same game coaxed a walk, and also got a base hit? 

Nine times in 1971 Hunt achieved this strange, yet productive trifecta...HBP, BB, and H in the same game. Was there a game of the nine that stands out? You betcha! 

August 23rd against the Dodgers in five plate appearances Ron got a hit, then was hit by a pitch, then got a walk, then got his second hit, and finally was again hit by a pitch. Would relish having Kellie Nash show this on "Quick Pitch" but that game was in 1971, not 2021. 

No man will ever have a game like that again, and the Expos won 12-6. Hunt did not finish his career as an Expo, as he was traded to the Cardinals, and his career soon ended. 

In 1972 Hunt was plunked 26 times and again, in the All-WAR team scenario, he would have been Second-team All-National League again, making him a WAR Second-team  All-NL player four times in his career in addition to his All-Star selections in 1964 and 1966 and being First-team All-Major League Baseball in 1964 and also All-NL )a consensus choice).

Another statistical note:  Hunt's career spanned from 1963 through 1974. In that time, among second basemen in the majors, he had the third-highest on-base percentage—behind a couple of Hall of Famers name Joe Morgan and Rod Carew. 

Summing up, this man was one helluva dedicated team player who was far more productive than many of his era. 

Happy Birthday Ron!