Chick Hafey

Charles James Hafey

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
• High School Berkeley High School
• Debut August 28, 1924
• Final Game September 30, 1937
• Born February 12, 1903 in Berkeley, CA USA
• Died July 2, 1973 in Calistoga, CA USA

Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1971

BR page

Biographical Information

"I always thought that if Hafey had been blessed with normal eyesight and good health, he might have been the best righthanded hitter baseball had ever known." - Branch Rickey

Hall of Famer Chick Hafey had a very short career by Hall of Fame standards with only 1,466 lifetime hits, but what he accomplished was done in spite of constant health problems and bad eyesight. He had severe sinus problems and headaches. His sinus problems required him to undergo several operations which apparently had some effect on his eyesight. He said his eyesight changed from day to day, so he had several pairs of glasses that he used. He was beaned a number of times early in his career, and that may have contributed to his problems.

He played his entire career in the National League, appearing in four World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was with the Cardinals in the days of Rogers Hornsby and then Frankie Frisch, and then was with the Cincinnati Reds in the days of Ernie Lombardi. Jim Bottomley was his teammate on both the Cardinals and the Reds.

Brother of Albert Hafey. Cousin of Bud Hafey, Tom Hafey, and Will Hafey.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (1933)
• NL Batting Average Leader (1931)
• NL Slugging Percentage Leader (1927)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 3 (1928-1930)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 3 (1928-1930)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 3 (1928-1930)
• Won two World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals (1926 & 1931)
• Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1971

Related Sites

• Chick Hafey at the SABR Bio Project