Chicago Cubs: ‘Smiling’ Stan Hack remains an all-time organizational great

Chicago Cubs: Humble beginnings

Hack made his professional debut in the 1932 seasons, playing in 72 games during his rookie season. Forgotten about due to his lack of size at the time, especially for playing third base, Hack slashed a mediocre .236/.306/.365 with a pair of home runs and 19 RBI.

Lack of exposure during his first year played a significant part in his downed production, but also Hack was learning how to get his feet wet before diving fully into the deep end. Amazingly when you look at that first-year line, Hack was relatively strong despite the low batting average.

He struck out at an incredibly low rate of 8.1 percent while drawing free passes at a rate of 8.6 percent. He was doing something right during that first year as he managed to showcase his patience and tenacity at the dish.

The Cubs made it to the World Series in Hack’s rookie season. However, he saw action in only one game, as a pinch-runner, and an anti-climactic end to the year following a four-game sweep at the hands of the mighty New York Yankees ended an up-and-down rookie season for Hack.

Chicago Cubs: The calm before the storm

Hack began his second year of professional baseball in Albany, for the Senators, the Double-A club in the International League. Spending majority of the season in Albany, Hack batted .299 with a .419 slugging percentage. Following his stint there, Hack was re-called by the Cubs for the final 20 games, slashing .350/.451/.483 with an 11.2 percent walk rate and a 4.2 percent strikeout rate.

From that point on, Hack never looked back. In his second full season in Chicago, Hack played in 111 games and hit .289 with a .363 on-base percentage. As the leadoff man, Hack recorded 116 hits, with 23 of those hits going for extra bases. He was never a power threat, and Charlie Grimm, who managed the team at the time, took advantage of his grit to get on base.

From 1935-1937, Hack slashed an impressive .301/.396/.397 with a .793 OPS and a 112 OPS+. His consistency in that span was nothing short of impressive, having seasons of 149 games and 154 games, and doing a good job to avoid significant injuries. By the time 1938 rolled around, Hack was beginning to catch fire.

Chicago Cubs: From unknown to All-Star

At the beginning of Hack’s age 28 season, nobody, including Hack, had an idea of what was on the horizon. Hack was coming off an impressive year prior, in which he hit .297 and was about to explode onto the scene once and for all.

Hack set career highs in every offensive category in 1938, earning an All-Star nod after slashing .320/.411/.432, including an .843 OPS and a 129 OPS+. Hack finished seventh in MVP voting, finishing well ahead of teammate Gabby Hartnett. The Cubs, as a team, finished the year with three of their guys in the top ten in overall voting.

From 1938-1943, Hack slashed .307/.396/.412 with a 127 OPS+ and a 5 percent strikeout rate, in 892 games. Hack managed a 27.9 WAR in that span, eclipsing a five WAR season on four separate occasions and finishing in the top 15 of MVP voting three different seasons, along with four all-star appearances.

Chicago Cubs: One ‘Hack’ of a career

Hack will go down as one of the least talked about Cubs in history. It is just a fact. However, the scrawny third baseman from Sacramento will also go down as one of the best in Cubs history. Not only did Hack manage to stay in the major leagues for 16 years, but he also accomplished the rare feat of playing with the same team his entire career.

Throughout his seasons in 1945 and 1946, Hack managed a whopping 130 OPS+, hitting .310 with 182 free passes to just 62 strikeouts. He worked walks 16.4 percent of the time while striking out at a lowly 5.6 percent rate. Hack also accomplished this at the brisk ages of 35 and 36 years old, respectively.

The 1945 season was a culmination of sorts for Hack’s career as the club won the National League pennant. While the team ultimately fell to the Detroit Tigers in the World Series, in seven games, it was not without a fight. A moment which should never be forgotten is Hack’s game-winning double, which squeaked past outfielder and Hall-of-Famer Hank Greenberg, in the 12th inning to catch the victory. It became a defining moment in Hack’s career.

By 1947, at the age of 37, Hack was nearing his time to hang up the cleats. He still somehow managed a single-digit strikeout rate and a slightly below league average 93 OPS+, but all of that did not matter. Hack finished his career with a 12.8 percent walk rate to a 5.5 percent strikeout rate and hit .301 over 1,938 career games. Relative to his teammates and the league, Hack’s memory will remain in Cubs lore and give fans something to discuss even 73 years later. Hats off to you ‘Smiling’ Stan Hack.