Hammer time: Aaron's Minor League career
This article was first published on January 26, 2021.
This article was first published on January 26, 2021.
Henry Aaron, one of the most talented and accomplished players in the history of professional sports, passed away Friday at age 86. It is difficult to overestimate how much Aaron meant to the game, and to American society at large.
As many have pointed out in the course of eulogizing Aaron, to focus only on his prodigious home run total is to do a disservice to his overall career accomplishments. Over 23 Major League seasons, from Milwaukee to Atlanta and back again, he established the all-time record for RBIs (2,297) and total bases (6,856) while collecting 3,771 hits (third all-time). He appeared in the All-Star Game between the years 1955 and '75, every season but his first and last. He was perhaps the most consistent hitter in Major League Baseball history, and yet the societal response to his undeniable success was often a virulent combination of back-handed ambivalence and outright hostility. This makes his accomplishments all the more impressive, as they were achieved while operating within a deeply racist cultural milieu.
Before he was an icon, before he was "The Hammer," before he established himself in the uppermost echelon of the game's greatest players, Aaron was a skinny -- but deceptively strong -- teenager from Mobile, Alabama, with Major League dreams. Nearly 70 years ago, he spent two seasons in the Minors honing his skills. While his time in the Minors was brief -- 224 games, split between Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Jacksonville, Florida -- it was nonetheless a crucial chapter of his legendary baseball career.
1952: Eau Claire Bears (Northern League)
Carson Park, currently home to the Eau Claire Express in the summer-collegiate Northwoods League, was built in 1937. Visitors to that facility are greeted by a statue of Aaron, erected in 1994 and unveiled at a ceremony attended by the man himself. The statue commemorates Aaron's 1952 season, when at age 18, he appeared in 87 games for the Eau Claire Bears of the Class C Northern League.
We are heartbroken to hear of the passing of the great Hank Aaron. Hank Aaron played for the Eau Claire Bears in 1952, where he made his minor league debut at Carson Park. Our thoughts go out to Hank's children and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/NZJG9hf1B0
— Eau Claire Express (@ecexpress) January 22, 2021
Aaron's 1952 campaign ended in Eau Claire, but it began in the Negro American League as a member of the Indianapolis Clowns. Per the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, "Aaron had been signed in April for $200 per month by Bunny Downs, the Clowns' business manager, after being discovered the previous season (1951) while playing with the semi-pro Mobile Black Bears." He spent approximately three months with the Clowns as their starting shortstop, still utilizing the cross-handed batting stance he learned while growing up in Mobile. Aaron was an immediate standout in Indianapolis and soon attracted interest from Major League clubs.
In 1952 at age 18, Hank Aaron wore an Indianapolis Clowns uniform as the team's starting shortstop in the Negro Leagues, well before he became @MLB's home run king.
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) January 22, 2021
Today, we mourn his death and extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.
RIP, Hammerin' Hank. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/Cndhbj7Vlk
The Boston Braves -- who relocated to Milwaukee the following season -- purchased Aaron's contract from the Clowns in June and assigned him to Eau Claire. He made his debut with the Bears on June 14, marking the first of 3,300 games he played as a member of the Braves organization. Author Jerry Poling documented Aaron's time with the 1952 Bears in his book "A Summer Up North: Hank Aaron and the Legend of Eau Claire Baseball."
“He lands in Eau Claire, this northern city, that has really only one or two other Black people in town at that time,” Poling told Wisconsin Public Radio. “He had never played against a white player, had never batted against a white player. It was a completely new experience for him culturally.”
Despite the culture shock, Aaron excelled in his new environs. He went on to hit .336 en route to being named Rookie of the Year and making the All-Star team, bashing nine home runs along the way. While in Eau Claire, he roomed at the local YMCA alongside the team's two other Black players, Wes Covington and Julie Bowers. The former, an outfielder from North Carolina, played 11 seasons in the Majors and was Aaron's teammate on the Milwaukee Braves from 1956 through '61. The latter, a catcher from Staten Island, was eight years Aaron's senior.
Willie Bowers Jr., Julie's son, told the Staten Island Advance that “whenever there was a new player on any of my father’s Minor League teams, especially one of color, they always bunked with him. He became their mentor … you know, the guy who showed them the ropes. He helped the kids adjust and prepared them for what to expect on and off the field.”
"My closest friends on the Eau Clair Bears were Covington and especially Julie Bowers," Aaron said in Poling's book. "I often wonder what happened to Bowers ... I haven’t heard from since 1952.”
That 1952 Bears team was managed by Bill Adair, who like Aaron, was a native of Mobile, Alabama. Upon Adair's death in 2002, Aaron remarked, "I learned an awful lot from him as a young kid. He gave me the foundation I needed to start out." Adair intermittently managed teams in the Braves system between the years 1951 and '76, encompassing the organization's time in Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta. He frequently crossed paths with another recently deceased Hall of Famer, Phil Niekro, managing the legendary knuckleballer in Austin (1961), Denver ('64) and, finally, Richmond ('66).
We will miss you Hammerin’ Hank. Your legacy will live on at Carson Park. pic.twitter.com/BogMJJjwaz
— Eau Claire Express (@ecexpress) January 22, 2021
1953: Jacksonville Braves (South Atlantic League)
It's hard to have a better season than Aaron had as a member of the Jacksonville Braves in 1953. All he did was lead the South Atlantic League in runs (115), hits (208), doubles (36), RBIs (125), total bases (338) and batting average (.362). His 22 home runs led Jacksonville, but he was outpaced in that category on the circuit by Savannah's Tommy Giordano (24). The Braves, who played at still-standing Durkee Field, went 93-44 en route to winning the league championship. At the end of the season, Aaron was named MVP. He had nothing left to prove and never appeared in the Minor Leagues again.
He broke the color barrier in the South Atlantic League with the 1953 Jacksonville Braves and went on to lead the league in runs (115), hits (208), doubles (36), RBI (125), total bases (338) avg (.362) and was named the league MVP as the Braves won the SAL title.
— Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (@JaxShrimp) January 22, 2021
RIP Hank Aaron pic.twitter.com/VIsO2sncJV
Aaron put up these gaudy numbers as one of five players who broke the South Atlantic League's color barrier that season. The Deep South circuit's eight teams rigidly adhered to Jim Crow segregation laws; racist abuse from fans and exclusionary business practices were commonplace. (The South Atlantic League in which Aaron played changed its name to the Southern League in 1964. Today's South Atlantic League, a Class A circuit, was established in 1980.) The other four players who broke the color barrier in 1953 were Horace Garner, Felix Mantilla, Al Israel and Fleming Reedy. Outfielder Garner and shortstop Mantilla were Aaron's teammates in Jacksonvillle. Garner, who was 29 at the time, never appeared in the Major Leagues. Puerto Rico native Mantilla played 11 seasons in the Majors and was Aaron's teammate on the Milwaukee Braves from 1956-'61. Mantilla served as Aaron's double-play partner in Jacksonville, but Aaron was error-prone as a second baseman and played primarily as an outfielder for the remainder of his career.
Aaron, Garner and Mantilla were not allowed to live with their white Jacksonville teammates. As extensively detailed by the Jaxson Magazine, the trio lived in a house owned by entrepreneur Manuel Rivera, who owned a popular 24-hour bar and restaurant called Miguel's Taproom. While Jacksonville was home, it was nonetheless a tough place to play. In Howard Bryant's Hank Aaron biography, "The Last Hero," Mantilla said white fans referred to Black players as "alligator bait."
"You had to know all the rules, all of the things you could do and couldn’t do,” Mantilla told Bryant. “Believe it or not, Jacksonville was one of the better towns for us. It was Hank who always kept me away from the things that could have gotten me in trouble.”
Another of the standout players on the Jacksonville Braves was first baseman Joe Andrews, a Massachusetts native who died in 2001. Andrews' obituary in the [New Bedford, Massachusetts] Standard-Times included reminiscences from Aaron, who "recalled that when southern restaurants refused to serve the Braves’ black players, Mr. Andrews brought them food and ate with them. Mr. Andrews defused racial attacks, including rock-throwing by fans, and in general, he tried to serve as a protector for black players."
At a time when it was not common for whites “to take a black man’s side, [Andrews] was there for me," said Aaron. "And he didn’t change a bit in the entire time I knew him."
Aaron, Garner and Mantilla also were supported by Jacksonville manager Ben Geraghty, a survivor of the horrific 1946 Spokane Indians bus crash that resulted in the deaths of nine players. During road trips, Geraghty visited the players at their Black-only hotels and ate with them in restaurants. In a 1957 Sports Illustrated profile, Geraghty referred to Aaron as "the most relaxed kid I ever saw" and "the most natural hitter I ever saw."
The respect was mutual. Rory Castello's detailed SABR biography of Geraghty led with the following quote from Aaron:
"He was the greatest manager I ever played for, perhaps the greatest manager who ever lived, and that includes managers in the big leagues. I’ve never played for a guy who could get more out of every ballplayer than he could. He knew how to communicate with everybody and to treat every player as an individual.”
Since Aaron played for Jacksonville in 1953, the city has seen the likes of Tom Seaver, Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan and Edgar Martinez suit up for its hometown team. Nonetheless, he is -- and will likely always remain -- the greatest player in Jacksonville baseball history.
Henry Aaron is more than 44 or even 755, the iconic numbers that come to mind when seeing his name.
— Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (@JaxShrimp) January 22, 2021
On the extraordinary man who began in the Negro Leagues, navigated Jim Crow while playing for Jacksonville and became one of the greatest to ever live.https://t.co/ZEXOJZwIeP
Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MiLB.com and writes Ben's Biz Blog. Follow Ben on Twitter @bensbiz.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:
Southpaw Spring Breakout: White Sox future on display with Schultz, Smith
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If all goes as planned for the White Sox, left-handers Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz won’t spend much time following each other to the mound in a single game. Schultz, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and Smith, who is
In first pro game, Rainer offers pop, promise to Tigers fans
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer’s pro career consisted of workouts and batting practice until Sunday.
'Me and Brady on the dirt again': House, King reunite at Spring Breakout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2025 Spring Breakout was a flashback for Brady House and Seaver King. Over 10 years ago, the infielders were travel ball teammates in Georgia who shared the dream of making it to the Major Leagues. Now, they are top prospects in the same organization,
Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
Stewart embraces Spring Breakout: 'What's not to love?'
PHOENIX -- Sal Stewart was one fired-up Reds prospect. On Sunday in the first inning during the organization's 9-7 Spring Breakout win over Brewers prospects, Stewart lifted a 2-2 pitch that sailed over the center fielder's head to the wall. Already not known as a speedster, he stumbled running between