Description: Up for auction the "Atlanta Braves" Walt Hriniak Hand Signed 3X5 Card. This item is certified authentic by JG Autographs and comes with their Certificate of Authenticity.ES-8615 Walter John Hriniak (pronounced RIN-ee-ack) (born May 22, 1943, at Natick, Massachusetts) is a former catcher in American Major League Baseball who—despite a very brief MLB playing career and a batting average of only .253—became one of the most prominent batting coaches in the game during the last two decades of the 20th century. As a player, he stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall, weighed 178 pounds (81 kg), batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Initially a shortstop in the pros, Hriniak batted over .300 in each of his first two professional seasons, but in 1964, while playing for the Austin Senators in the Double-A Texas League, he was seriously injured in a car accident that took the life of a teammate (pitcher Jerry Hummitzsch)[1] and was on the disabled list for nearly three months. It would take Hriniak almost four seasons to regain his batting stroke. By then, 1968, he had become a catcher and utilityman, and was no longer a top prospect. But during that season, with the Shreveport Braves of the Texas League, Hriniak was managed by Charley Lau, who soon would become the most celebrated batting instructor in Major League Baseball of the 1970s. Hriniak hit .313 and was promoted to the MLB Braves that September; more important, he adopted Lau's theories about hitting and would use them as the basis for his instruction after his playing career had ended. He also became Lau's close friend. Hriniak would play only those few weeks in 1968 plus the 1969 season at the Major League level, for the Braves (by then based in Atlanta) and the San Diego Padres. He appeared in 47 games, batted 99 times, and hit .253 with no home runs, no extra base hits, and four runs batted in. His 25 singles is the post-1900 record for all non-pitchers with no extra base hits. By 1972, he had become a minor league manager in the Montreal Expos organization.
Price: 19.99 USD
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
End Time: 2025-01-13T15:44:41.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money back or replacement (buyer's choice)
Sport: Baseball-MLB
Signed: Yes
Original/Reprint: Original
Product: Index Card
Team: Atlanta Braves
