Bill Hands

William Alfred Hands Jr.
(Froggy)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 185 lb.
• School Fairleigh Dickinson University, Ohio Wesleyan University
• High School Rutherford (NJ) High School
• Debut June 3, 1965
• Final Game August 10, 1975
• Born May 6, 1940 in Hackensack, NJ USA
• Died March 9, 2017 in Orlando, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Bill Hands was a very capable starting pitcher with the Chicago Cubs of the 1960s and early 1970s. The durable right-hander won 20 games in 1969 and 18 in 1970. Often maligned for their bad trades, such as the trade of Lou Brock to the St. Louis Cardinals, Hands was involved in one of the Cubs' best trades in a generation as he was acquired, along with catcher Randy Hundley, from the San Francisco Giants on December 2, 1965 for pitcher Lindy McDaniel and outfielder Don Landrum. He was later dealt to the Minnesota Twins for Dave LaRoche and became ineffective thereafter.

Hands struck out 14 times in a row between June 9 and July 11, 1968.

He ran a gas station for many years in Orient, NY following his playing career. Hands passed away in March 2017.

Notable Achievements

• 15 Wins Seasons: 3 (1968-1970)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1969)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 4 (1968-1971)
• 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1969)

Further Reading

• Bill Hands (as told to George Vass): "The Game I'll Never Forget", Baseball Digest, July 1995, pp. 57-58. [1]

Related Sites

• Obituary