Clint Hartung was billed to be the “biggest thing to hit New York baseball since Babe Ruth”. He could pitch and hit homeruns.
Alas, World War II delayed his path to the New York Giants but he came with an impressive resume. He reportedly went 25-0 in military ball and hit .567.
1950 Clint Hartung
- .302
- .605 slugging
- “Clint Hartung Award” named after him by Bill James
Hartung did make it to the New York Giants in 1947. His career eventually took an interesting turn as he was a pitcher turned outfielder. The card you see here which represents his 1950 season, was during his transition from pitcher to outfielder.
The Giants were giving Hartung his last chance on the mound in 1950. He pitched a half season and on occasion, would fill in at first or in the outfield. I suppose having a good arm didn’t hurt when he played outfield.
On the mound he went 3-3 with a 6.61 ERA. He walked 44 while striking out 23.
| Split | W | L | W-L% | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 Totals | 3 | 3 | .500 | 6.61 | 20 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 65.1 | 87 | 56 | 48 | 10 | 44 | 23 |
We’re getting to the monster part.
At the plate though, Clint hit .302 and slugged .605 with three homeruns six overall extra base hits with 10 rbis in 44 plate appearances. That probably led the Giants to believe a transition away from the mound was in order.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 Totals | 32 | 44 | 43 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 13 | .302 | .318 | .605 |
Needless to say, Hartung’s pitching career was pretty much over after 1950 but he did survive a couple more years as an outfielder. Unfortunately for him, he never became a full time starter let alone the next Babe Ruth.
Condensed Clint
So yes, Clint Hartung of 1950’s card will not pitch well with a DW grade. That much is clear.
He could hit (albeit in a limited role) and it does make me wonder in my armchair mode if the Giants had brought him as a hitter all along, if would have had more success.
Hartung’s power numbers of 1-3-5-5-5 are insane. When he bats with a runner on second base, all five of those numbers leave the yard.
Looking past Hartung’s power, he also gets a 55-7 plus an extra 8 for a total of four.
And for some reason, Hartung is rated as a fast baserunner. I’m not disagreeing but curious to how that decision was made.
After playing just a handful of games in the field in 1950, Hartung saw more playing time in 1951 and 1952. His offense was just not quite up to keeping him on the New York roster.
If you want to do a deep dive on Clint Hartung, read Peter Gordon’s bio on him at SABR’s Bio Project. I found it worth the read.
