Walt Hriniak
Encyclopedia
Walter John Hriniak 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 5'11" (180 cm) tall, weighed 178 pounds (80.7 kg), batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
where he was a first-team All-State selection in all three sports: as quarterback
in football
, center
in hockey
, and shortstop
in baseball
. He was also voted the outstanding hockey player in eastern Massachusetts and some speculated that he could have pursued a career in professional hockey. Instead, he chose baseball and signed a $75,000 bonus contract with the Milwaukee Braves
in 1961.
in the AA Texas League
, he was severely injured in a car accident that took the life of a teammate (pitcher
Jerry Hummitsch) 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 Charlie Lau
, who soon would become the most celebrated batting instructor in Major League Baseball during 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 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 run
s, 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.
's Expos in -75
. After Mauch's firing, Hriniak was reassigned to the minor leagues by Montreal in 1976, then was hired as bullpen
coach by the Boston Red Sox
for the 1977 season
. He earned a reputation as a tireless worker, especially as a batting practice pitcher. He threw so many innings of "BP," he damaged his right shoulder permanently.
Although the Red Sox had no formal batting coach until Johnny Pesky
's appointment to that job in , some Boston players began approaching Hriniak about his theories on hitting, and he began to work with them before and after games. By the early 1980s, Boston players Dwight Evans
and Rich Gedman
were Hriniak disciples. With Pesky's retirement after the season, Hriniak was promoted to Red Sox batting coach.
, the Hall of Fame hitter and all-time Boston great, was outspoken in his criticism of Hriniak's methods. Williams and his followers felt that Hriniak robbed his hitters of extra-base power by teaching them to hit the ball up the middle, "swing down on the ball," or to take the upper hand off the bat at the end of their swing — which may have been oversimplifications of Hriniak's philosophies.
"I don't have a problem with Ted Williams," Hriniak told Yankee Magazine in 1986. "He teaches his way, and I teach mine. I don't teach a level swing, a downward swing, or an uppercut swing. Hitters are all different, so I teach all three ... You don't have to hit my way, you don't have to hit his way. Just make up your minds. Don't keep changing lanes. You can't hit when you're confused."
Finally, after 12 years with Boston, four as the team's official batting coach, Hriniak moved to the Chicago White Sox
in as one of the highest-paid coaches in baseball. (Lau was the White Sox' batting coach in 1984 when he succumbed to cancer. Hriniak wore Lau's old No. 6 in tribute during his Chicago tenure.) Hriniak coached another seven years, through , before opening his own hitting school and becoming a private batting instructor. Former Chisox slugger Frank Thomas
was one of his most loyal adherents. When basketball great Michael Jordan
surprised the sports world in 1994 by signing a minor league baseball contract with the White Sox, Hriniak was brought in to help him with his batting technique. Jordan's baseball career was a brief one, batting only .202 for the Birmingham Barons
, the White Sox AA affiliate.
In 1989, Hriniak authored A Hitting Clinic: The Walt Hriniak Way, which outlined his theories of batting and included participation from Evans, Gedman and Hall of Fame hitter Wade Boggs
.
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
in American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who — despite a very brief MLB playing career and a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of only .253 — became one of the most prominent batting coaches
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
in the game during the last two decades of the 20th century. As a player, he stood 5'11" (180 cm) tall, weighed 178 pounds (80.7 kg), batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Early career
Hriniak was a three-sport sensation at Natick High SchoolNatick High School
Natick High School is a public high school serving students in grades 9-12 in Natick, Massachusetts. The school is located on the banks of Lake Cochituate. It enrolled 1189 students as of the 2005-06 school year. Rose Bertucci is currently the interim principal after the retirement of former...
where he was a first-team All-State selection in all three sports: as quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, center
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
in hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, and shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. He was also voted the outstanding hockey player in eastern Massachusetts and some speculated that he could have pursued a career in professional hockey. Instead, he chose baseball and signed a $75,000 bonus contract with the Milwaukee Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in 1961.
Awards
In June, 2010, Hriniak was elected as a charter member of the Natick High School Athletic Hall of Fame in recognition of his many sports achievements while still in high school. http://natickathletichalloffame.com/walterhriniak.html. In 2004, he was also elected to his high school's Wall of Achievement which honors alumni for their exceptional achievements and contributions to society. http://www.natickps.org/NatickHigh/GeneralInfo/wallofachievement.cfmProfessional career
Initially a shortstop in the pros, Hriniak batted over .300 in each of his first two professional seasons, but in 1964, while playing for AustinAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
in the AA Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
, he was severely injured in a car accident that took the life of a teammate (pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Jerry Hummitsch) 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 Charlie Lau
Charlie Lau
Charles Richard Lau was an American catcher and hitting coach in Major League Baseball....
, who soon would become the most celebrated batting instructor in Major League Baseball during 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 season at the major league level, for the Braves (by then based in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
) and the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
. He appeared in 47 games, batted
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
99 times, and hit .253 with no home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, 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
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
organization.
Becoming a batting coach
At age 30, Hriniak became a major league coach for the first time, coaching first base for Gene MauchGene Mauch
Gene William Mauch was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers , Pittsburgh Pirates , Chicago Cubs , Boston Braves , St...
's Expos in -75
1975 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Cincinnati Reds over Boston Red Sox ; Pete Rose, MVP*All-Star Game, July 15 at County Stadium: National League, 6-3; Bill Madlock and Jon Matlack, MVPs-Other champions:...
. After Mauch's firing, Hriniak was reassigned to the minor leagues by Montreal in 1976, then was hired as bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
coach by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
for the 1977 season
1977 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Los Angeles Dodgers ; Reggie Jackson, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: None*National League Championship Series MVP: Dusty Baker...
. He earned a reputation as a tireless worker, especially as a batting practice pitcher. He threw so many innings of "BP," he damaged his right shoulder permanently.
Although the Red Sox had no formal batting coach until Johnny Pesky
Johnny Pesky
John Michael Pesky , nicknamed "The Needle" and "Mr. Red Sox", was a Major League Baseball shortstop, third baseman, and manager. During a 10-year career, he played in 1942 and from 1946-1954 for three different teams. He missed all of the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons while serving in World War...
's appointment to that job in , some Boston players began approaching Hriniak about his theories on hitting, and he began to work with them before and after games. By the early 1980s, Boston players Dwight Evans
Dwight Evans
Dwight Michael Evans , nicknamed "Dewey", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and right-handed batter who played with the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles in Major League Baseball....
and Rich Gedman
Rich Gedman
Richard Leo Gedman is a former Major League Baseball catcher and left-handed batter who played with the Boston Red Sox , Houston Astros and St...
were Hriniak disciples. With Pesky's retirement after the season, Hriniak was promoted to Red Sox batting coach.
Differing hitting philosophies
Hriniak's batting theories had many adherents among Red Sox players, but he also had detractors. Ted WilliamsTed Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
, the Hall of Fame hitter and all-time Boston great, was outspoken in his criticism of Hriniak's methods. Williams and his followers felt that Hriniak robbed his hitters of extra-base power by teaching them to hit the ball up the middle, "swing down on the ball," or to take the upper hand off the bat at the end of their swing — which may have been oversimplifications of Hriniak's philosophies.
"I don't have a problem with Ted Williams," Hriniak told Yankee Magazine in 1986. "He teaches his way, and I teach mine. I don't teach a level swing, a downward swing, or an uppercut swing. Hitters are all different, so I teach all three ... You don't have to hit my way, you don't have to hit his way. Just make up your minds. Don't keep changing lanes. You can't hit when you're confused."
Finally, after 12 years with Boston, four as the team's official batting coach, Hriniak moved to the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
in as one of the highest-paid coaches in baseball. (Lau was the White Sox' batting coach in 1984 when he succumbed to cancer. Hriniak wore Lau's old No. 6 in tribute during his Chicago tenure.) Hriniak coached another seven years, through , before opening his own hitting school and becoming a private batting instructor. Former Chisox slugger Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas (AL baseball player)
Frank Edward Thomas, Jr. , nicknamed "The Big Hurt", is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter and first baseman....
was one of his most loyal adherents. When basketball great Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
surprised the sports world in 1994 by signing a minor league baseball contract with the White Sox, Hriniak was brought in to help him with his batting technique. Jordan's baseball career was a brief one, batting only .202 for the Birmingham Barons
Birmingham Barons
The Birmingham Barons are a minor league baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox major-league club....
, the White Sox AA affiliate.
In 1989, Hriniak authored A Hitting Clinic: The Walt Hriniak Way, which outlined his theories of batting and included participation from Evans, Gedman and Hall of Fame hitter Wade Boggs
Wade Boggs
Wade Anthony Boggs is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays...
.
Sources
- Allen, Mel, "Hit Man of Fenway Park," Yankee Magazine, September 1986.
- Balzer, Howard, ed., The Baseball Register, 1980 edition. St. Louis: The Sporting NewsThe Sporting NewsSporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
. - Howe News Bureau, Boston Red Sox 1983 Organization Book.
- Padilla, Doug, Slumping Thomas Turns to Hriniak, Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Sun-TimesThe Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, April 14, 2003.