Grady Hatton Jr., who played in the majors from 1946-60 and later managed the Houston Astros, passed away Thursday from cancer-related causes, his daughter-in-law told the Beaumont Enterprise.
He was 90 years old.
Hatton, primarily a third baseman, had his best seasons right away after arriving in the majors with the Reds as a 23-year-old in 1946, hitting .271/.369/.422 with 14 homers and 69 RBI in 436 at-bats as a rookie and .281/.377/.448 with 16 homers and 77 RBI as a sophomore in 1947.
Those turned out to be the highest marks of his career, though he remained a solid regular through 1950. Ironically, his one All-Star Game came in 1952, his worst year as a starter. He ended up hitting .212/.319/.312 in 433 at-bats that year.
Hatton was essentially done at age 33, but he came back four years later in 1960 and hit .342 in 38 at-bats for the Cubs. He finished his career with a .254/.354/.374 line, 91 homers and 533 RBI in 4,206 at-bats.
After his playing career, Hatton spent time as a coach and manager. He managed the Astros for three seasons in 1966-68, going 164-221. Despite his poor record, he remained with the club afterwards, first as a scout and then back on the field as a first-base coach.
