RIP Hammering Hank
Rest In Peace Hank Aaron.
As the resident baseball historian here at GTD Sports, I’m deeply saddened to hear the terrible news released earlier this afternoon. There are no words that can express what this means for baseball fans. I’m crushed right now. My heart goes out to the Aaron family, the Atlanta Braves and all of Atlanta.
Today, January 22nd, is a sad day for baseball fans, experts and countless players and just the game in general.
The true home run king has moved on to the next plain.
Henry Louis Aaron was not only a great baseball player, he also helped grow the game just like his idol: Jackie Robinson.
In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the MLB and changed the game forever. However, I would like to make a case that Hank Aaron’s career was just as, if not more, impactful than Robinson’s.
Aaron started his career with the Milwaukee Braves in 1954, as a 20 year old teenager straight out of Mobile, Alabama. Aaron played 23 seasons of professional ball, all but 2 were with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves. Aaron was a member of the 1957 World Series team that beat the dreaded Yankees led by Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle.
He was the epitome of consistency because he hit 20+ home runs in 20 seasons. A record that still stands to this day. He was a career .305 hitter and finished with 3771 hits. Aaron knew how to play the game right because he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982, as a first balloter.
Possibly the most iconic moment of his career was when he broke Babe Ruth’s home run record on April 8, 1974.
This established him as the home run leader of Major League Baseball, once again proving to the media that an African-American can succeed in baseball. Remember this was during the early 1970s, and racial tensions were very high and quite palpable in the South.
During this time, Aaron had to travel separately from his team because he was constantly getting death threats and hate mail from angry racists who didn't want him to break Babe Ruth’s precious record. It was a stressful time because he would routinely get letters saying he would get killed while he was playing. That’s despicable. However, once he broke the record people finally recognized him as the Home Run King and the majority of baseball fans remain in awe of his accomplishments.
As he retired, his records stood the test of time as he led the league in career Home Runs (755) and RBIs. His 2,297 RBI’s are still a record while he’s second on the home run list only to be passed by Barry Bonds. Don’t get me started on Barry Bonds and his so called record. The man used steroids and openly cheated to break the record. (His head got bigger later in his career. Look it up!) Of course this isn’t about Bonds’ cheating, but I had to get a shot in there.
It’s hard to envision baseball without Hank Aaron, he was such an ambassador to the game.
I don’t think anyone will come close to Hammering Hank’s record anytime soon. There are a few people who I think can contest the record… but I wouldn’t bet on it.
New Home Run King?
Albert Pujols has 662 Homers, but he’s 41 years old and in a sharp decline. When Hank finished playing his 41 age season, he hit 745 home runs. Pujols gotta have 5 great years to come with reaching him. I’m holding him at a low chance.
Mike Trout is the only active player right now that has somewhat of a shot of taking down Aaron’s record. Trout is 28 years old, about to enter his prime and he has 302 home runs through 10 seasons. I’m going to guess Trout will have around 4 or 5 40 home run seasons but it won't be enough. If you multiply his stats by 2, due to the fact that I expect him to maintain his greatness, that puts him at 604 home runs by age 38.
Safe to say Hank’s record isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The baseball community lost a great one today. Rest In peace Hammering Hank.