Hafey, "Chick" (Charles J.)
Baseball
b. Feb. 12. 1903, Berkeley, CA
d. July 2, 1973
One of the first outstanding players to emerge from a farm system, Hafey tried out with the NL's St. Louis Cardinals as a pitcher in 1923 but was moved to the outfield and sent to the minor leagues to learn the position. He joined the Cardinals late in the 1924 season.
After beginning the 1925 season in the minors, Hafey was called back up, batting .302 in 93 games. He missed much of the 1926 season with injuries, then began a streak of 7 consecutive seasons in which he batted more than .300, including a league-leading mark in 1931. That was the closest batting race in major league history. Hafey's average was .3489, Bill Terry was second with .3486, and Jim Bottomley finished third at .3482.
A right-handed hitter, Hafey specialized in hitting line drives over third base and down the left-field line, though he also demonstrated power at times. He batted .337 with 27 home runs and 111 RBI in 1928; .338 with 29 home runs and 125 RBI in 1929; and .336 with 26 home runs and 107 RBI in 1930.
Often bothered by injury and illness, Hafey had poor eyesight, but didn't begin to wear glasses until 1930. He was also involved in several salary disputes with management. After holding out for $17,500 in 1932, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, who agreed to pay him $15,000. He hit .344 that year, but sinus problems limited him to just 83 games.
After batting .303 in 1933 and .293 in 1934, Hafey retired early in the 1935 season. He attempted a comeback with Cincinnati in 1937 before retiring for good.
In 13 seasons, Hafey had 1,466 hits including 341 doubles, 67 triples, and 164 home runs. He drove in 833 runs and scored 777 in 1,283 games.