St. Louis Browns 1B Hank Arft was born on January 18, 1922 in Manchester, Missouri. The St. Louis area native would spend his entire career in the Browns organization where he consistently fought for opportunities and acknowledgement. A career streak-hitter, Arft would have moments of legendary performances followed by deep struggles at t
St. Louis Browns 1B Hank Arft was born on January 18, 1922 in Manchester, Missouri. The St. Louis area native would spend his entire career in the Browns organization where he consistently fought for opportunities and acknowledgement. A career streak-hitter, Arft would have moments of legendary performances followed by deep struggles at the plate.
Arft's professional baseball career began as an 18-year old prospect discovered by Browns scout, Eddie Gilliland, in 1940. He ascended through the Browns' minor league affiliates with a strong bat and agility on defense. He played for the Paragould Browns (batted .298 in 1940), St. Joseph Autos (.303 in 1941), and the Springfield Browns (.252 in 1942).
Hank Arft enlisted in the US Navy after the 1942 season and served in the military for over three years. After basic training in the Great Lakes, he was assigned to the USS Gross in the Pacific Theater. He survived kamikaze attacks off the coast of the Philippines, participate in the attacks on Japan, and was in Tokyo Bay during the V-J celebration on September 2, 1945. He was finally discharged from service on June 7,1946.
He returned to the Browns who reassigned him to Springfield to get back in baseball shape. After batting .272 for Springfield in the second half of the 1946 season, he followed it with a .366 effort in 1947. After starting the 1948 season with the Toledo Mud Hens, Hank Arft made his MLB debut on July 27, 1948. He would go 2-for-4 including a triple and home run in the Browns' 4-0 win over the Yankees.
The following day, Browns fans chanted his name "ArftArftArft", which would lead to his "Bow Wow" canine nickname. Arft would go on a 12-game hitting streak to start his career. He would hit .400 in his first 19 MLB games. Many thought he would lead the Browns for the next few years. Then he batted a dismal .176 over the next 46 games and his support began to slide.
Over the next four seasons (1949-52), it seemed the Browns kept bringing in first basemen to challenge Arft for the spot, but none of them lasted very long. At the same time, he was never able to lock down the position with consistent performances. From 1950-51, he would appear in 210 games, where he batted a combined .262 with just eight home runs and 74 RBIs.
A fluke head injury during batting practice on May 24, 1953, resulted in a concussion to Arft and he was forced to sit for two weeks. The Browns sent his contract to the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League on June 7, ending his MLB career. He would play three final seasons for the Beavers (1952-54), where he hit 29 home runs, 138 RBIs, in 349 games.
After retiring from baseball in 1954, Hank Arft returned to his hometown of St. Louis where he helped in the family funeral business. He would continue to stay involved in MLB alumni association, the St. Louis Browns Historical Society and several other community based organizations.
Today's Browns Quote
“We were playing the Yankees and the first time up I flied out to Joe DiMaggio. The next time up I struck out, but my third time at bat I hit a triple to drive in two runs off Tommy ByrneMy last time up I hit a home run off Frank Hiller! We shut out New York 4-0. That was a great feeling.”
~ Hank Arft, July 28, 1948,
Today's Browns Quote
“We were playing the Yankees and the first time up I flied out to Joe DiMaggio. The next time up I struck out, but my third time at bat I hit a triple to drive in two runs off Tommy ByrneMy last time up I hit a home run off Frank Hiller! We shut out New York 4-0. That was a great feeling.”
~ Hank Arft, July 28, 1948, the day the public began chanting "Bow Wow" for him
BROWNS' BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1906 - SS Lyn Lary (1935-36, 40)
1922 - 1B Hank Arft (1948-52)
1916 - RHP Bob Muncrief (1937, 39, 41-47)
St Louis Browns Top Five Players Third Basemen
The St. Louis Browns had 764 players proudly wear the uniform. Many of these players would make an historical impact on the franchise and Major League Baseball. The list of great third basemen to play for the Browns includes Hall of Famers, World Champions, and pioneers at the position. The following is a list of the Top Five players at the "Hot Corner" to play for the St. Louis Browns. These players can also be found in the Top 100 Browns of All-Time list that is found on this site
1) Harlond Clift (1934-43) Considered by many to be the "first modern third baseman". It is safe to say that if he played his career in an eastern city, he could easily be in the Hall of Fame. In his tean years with the Browns he averaged 144 games a year. His 1463 hits, 294 doubles, 62 triples, 170 home runs, and 769 RBIs ranks him in the top 5 in each category among third basemen in that same era. He was an exceptional fielder leading the American League in fielding twice (1938, 40). He also led the league in putouts (1937-38, 41), double plays (1937, 40), and assists (1937, 40) from the third base position. His career 41.9 career War is higher than Hall of Famers Pie Traynor (38.7) and George Kell (37.6)
2) Bob Dillenger (1946-49) "Duke" led the American League in steals for three seasons (1947-49). He led the league with 207 hits in 1948. He had an 18-game hitting streak in 1946, and a 28-game streaking 1948. He was an American League All-Star in 1949
3) Jimmy Austin (1911-23, 25-26, 29) He was the best third baseman in the league from 1914-19. In his first season with the Browns, he would lead the league in assists (337), putouts (228), double plays (27), and sacrifice hits (34). He was described as never stopping in the field, which may have helped him to lead the league in errors three times (1911, 12, 15)
4) Bobby Wallace (1902-15) Elected to the MLB Hall of Fame in 1953, splitting time between third base and shortstop. His 70.4 career War is just above the legendary Scott Rolen (70.1). He led the American League in Defensive WAR twice (1902, 08) and fielding percentage (1904, 07). He was the greatest defensive shortstop of his generation.
5) Gene Robertson (1919, 22-26) He has been called the most prominent MLB player to come out of St. Louis University. The 5'7" third baseman was skilled in every aspect of the game. His 14 home runs in 1925 would rank him eighth in the league, That same season he would led the league in double plays (41) and putouts (201) by a third baseman. He had a combined .278 batting average inhis six seasons with the Browns.
The 1916 St. Louis Browns offensive was made up of young players that had yet to reach their full potential, and seasoned veterans that were teaching them in the game. This would be the first season after the merger where players from the former St. Louis Terriers of the Federal League joined with the Browns. There would be an adjustment
The 1916 St. Louis Browns offensive was made up of young players that had yet to reach their full potential, and seasoned veterans that were teaching them in the game. This would be the first season after the merger where players from the former St. Louis Terriers of the Federal League joined with the Browns. There would be an adjustment period that lasted most of the season. Players like George Sisler, Hank Severied, and Jack Tobin would be just starting their careers, while Del Pratt and Burt Shotton were leading the younger players. This team would lead the league in strikeouts and walks, while showing off their speed stealing bases. The team would finish in bottom half of the league in most offensive slugging categories.
Batting Leaders
(American league rankings)
Team Statistics
Player Statistics