Will Hafey

Wilbert James Hafey

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.

• Born May 18, 1921 in Berkeley, CA USA
• Died April 18, 2009

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Will Hafey, who never came to the major leagues, pitched for the Oakland Oaks in the late 1940s. A two-way threat, he twice hit 25 or more homers in a season.

In 1946, Will played with the Idaho Falls Russets, batting .340/~.412/.462 in 58 games and going 5-6 with a 3.65 ERA in 13 mound appearances, completing 11 games as a starter. In the field, he mostly played first base (38 games).

In 1947, Hafey batted .280 with 4 HR and 24 RBI for the Oakland Oaks and had a mound record of 7-5, 3.28. He was part of the great 1948 Oakland Oaks team that came to be called the "Nine Old Men", although Hafey was only 24 at the time. For that team, Hafey's batting line was .282/.338/.420 in 75 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter and pitcher. He pitched in 30, completing 13 of 25 starts. His record was 13-10, 4.48 and he tied for second on the Oaks in wins. In 183 innings, he issued 102 walks, placing him 7th in the Pacific Coast League.

Hafey struggled on the mound in 1949. He went 1-2 with a 5.97 ERA for the San Diego Padres and hit .273 with six RBI and a homer. With the Oklahoma City Indians, Hafey went 0-5 with a 6.00 ERA while batting .271 with a homer and 13 RBI. He did not play in 1950.

In 1951, Hafey returned, solely as a position player. He hit .235/~.316/.490 with 4 homers in 17 games for Oakland but spent most of the season with the Wenatchee Chiefs, batting .282 with 24 HR and 102 RBI. He was sixth in the Western International League in RBI but easily led in home runs, 11 ahead of the closest competitor.

Hafey returned to the PCL once more in 1952 with the San Francisco Seals. He batted .252/~.324/.379 in 92 games, 47 in the outfield and again being used regularly off of the bench. In 1953, he had another big year in the WIL, this time with the Spokane Indians. He produced at a .310/~.406/.534 clip with 95 runs, 25 homers, 88 walks and 110 RBI. He was third in the league in RBI, six behind Charlie Mead, and was 4th in circuit clouts, also six back of Mead.

Will split 1954 between Spokane (.337, 9 HR, 54 RBI) and the Schenectady Blue Jays (.220, 5 HR, 27 RBI).

He was a cousin of Chick Hafey and Albert Hafey and the brother of Bud Hafey and Tom Hafey. Will and Tom both pitched in 1947 for the Oaks.

Sources: Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database, 1946, 1953 and 1954 Baseball Guides, Stephen Davis's 1948 PCL season for Diamond Mind Baseball