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Ronald Lavern Hansen
Chicago White Sox
Shortstop-Third Base
Born: April 5, 1938, Oxford, NE
Signed: Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams: Baltimore Orioles 1958-62; Chicago White Sox 1963-67; Washington Senators 1968; Chicago White Sox 1968-69; New York Yankees 1970-71; Kansas City Royals 1972
Ron Hansen spent over half his career with the Chicago White Sox, roaming their infield for seven seasons between 1963 and 1969 with a brief stay with the Senators during the 1968 season. Hansen won American League Rookie of the Year honors in 1960, the same season he started at shortstop for both All-Star Games, when he batted .255 with 22 home runs and 86 RBIs. He'd hit 20 home runs in 1964, but he'd never come close to those power numbers again during his career. A smooth fielding shortstop, Hansen led the league four times in overall assists and finished in the top five among all shortstops in fielding percentage five times. While playing for the Senators on July 30, 1968, Hansen turned the eighth unassisted triple play in major league history. His stint with the Senators was unusual in that he was dealt to the club on February 13, 1968 with infielder Tim Cullen (#586) one of the players coming to the White Sox. Less than six months later on August 2nd, Hansen and Cullen were again swapped, this time straight-up with Hansen returning to the White Sox.
Hansen retired following the 1972 season with 1,007 hits and a .234 lifetime batting average to go along with 106 home runs and 501 RBIs. He had an impressive .968 fielding percentage. Hansen would serve as the first base coach for the Brewers between 1980 and 1983, and with the Expos between 1985 and 1989. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Hansen served as an advance scout first for the Yankees and then for the Phillies, retiring after the Phillies won their World Championship in 2008.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #479
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
The Card / White Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
With Luis Aparicio (#75) back at shortstop for the White Sox and Bill Melton (#481) taking over at third base, Hansen served as a back-up infielder for the White Sox in 1969. He appeared in 85 games, making 42 starts - 17 at first base, 16 at second base, five at shortstop and four at third base. Hansen batted .259 with 22 RBIs. His White Sox career came to an end at the start of spring training in 1970, when his contract was sold to the Yankees.
Phillies Connection
It looks as if Hansen's last season with the Phillies came in 2008, as he's present in the team's 2008 Yearbook but missing from the 2009 edition.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1959 Topps #444
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14): 1959-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2021 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-RH
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables. The aim was simple: Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664. In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the 35th of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than a dollar.
The Card / White Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
Hanson wore #4 throughout his years with the White Sox, and his uniform number can be seen on the front of his jersey. The cartoon on the back isn't accurate, as Hansen was re-acquired by the White Sox in the summer of 1968, August 2nd, to be exact. His Rookie of the Year honors and multiple All-Star Game appearances in 1960 are highlighted in the write-up.
Accuracy Index: Hansen's card earns a now fairly standard +5.
1969 Season
With Luis Aparicio (#75) back at shortstop for the White Sox and Bill Melton (#481) taking over at third base, Hansen served as a back-up infielder for the White Sox in 1969. He appeared in 85 games, making 42 starts - 17 at first base, 16 at second base, five at shortstop and four at third base. Hansen batted .259 with 22 RBIs. His White Sox career came to an end at the start of spring training in 1970, when his contract was sold to the Yankees.
Phillies Connection
It looks as if Hansen's last season with the Phillies came in 2008, as he's present in the team's 2008 Yearbook but missing from the 2009 edition.
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First Mainstream Card: 1959 Topps #444
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14): 1959-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2021 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-RH
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 96 in the Beckett online database as of 3/7/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog
1965 Topps Blog
#565 Hoyt Wilhelm - California Angels / #567 Pirates Rookie Stars
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