Former All Star catcher Hank Foiles died late last month at the age of 94, as noted by various sources including Jami Frankenberry of The Virginian-Pilot. A veteran of 11 major league seasons, Foiles played for the Reds, Indians, Pirates, Athletics, Tigers, Orioles, and Angels throughout his time in the major leagues.
Foiles began his professional career at the age of 19 as a member of the Yankees organization back in 1948, but did not make his major league debut for several years. He was selected in the 1951 Rule 5 draft by the Reds but did not make his major league debut with the club until 1953. He appeared in only 12 games at the major league level that season between Cincinnati and Cleveland and collected three hits in his own. 20 major league at-bats. Foiles would not play at the major league level in 1954 but split time with Hal Naragon as a backup to five-time All Star Jim Hegan in 1955. In 132 plate appearances that year, Foiles hit .261 with a solid .354 on-base percentage.
Foiles would appear in just one game with Cleveland before being traded to Pittsburgh for the 1956 season. Although he had a down season at the plate in his first year with the team, his years in Pittsburgh would prove to be pivotal in his career as he earned the job of everyday catcher for the Pirates in 1957 and 1958. Foiles is lonely. The All Star appearance of his career came in 1957 when he combined his first glove profile with above-average offense to slash .270/.352/.431 in 109 games.
On the 1957 NL All Star team, he joined such legends of the game Stan Musial, Frank Robinsonagain Henry Aaron opposite AL legends like Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantleagain Ted Williams. Foiles pinch-hitter in the bottom of the ninth inning with a Willie Mays at third base and drew a wild pitch to score Mays and bring the NL within two before delivering a single against the longtime White Sox ace. Billy Pierce. Foiles later scored from second on a single by Ernie Banksalthough NL would go on to lose the game 6-5.
Foiles would stay in Pittsburgh for two more seasons following his All Star season, and although his offense regressed with a .209/.314/.355 line over the next two campaigns, he still made 157 plate appearances and 402 trips to the plate. in both seasons. The 1960s saw Foiles change clubs several times, as he was traded from the Pirates to the Kansas City Athletics during the 1959-60 season but appeared in only six games with the club before being traded back to the Pirates. He was then traded to Cleveland for their role before a late July deal sent him to the Tigers. He finished the 1960 season in Detroit but was selected in the Rule V Draft for the second time in November, dealing him to five different organizations within one calendar year.
Over the next two years, Foiles would find his groove at the plate again as a backup catcher for the Orioles and Reds with a combined slash line of .275/.338/.482 across 43 games. Foiles found himself on the road again in 1963 when he joined the Angels, and appeared in 45 games for the team over the next two seasons with a slash line of nearly .216/.289/.386. He played his last major league game a month before his 35th birthday on May 2, 1964. A career .243/.321/.392 hitter in 608 major league games, Foiles had 353 hits, 3 home runs, 46, and 166 RBI during a solid major league career.
We at MLBTR extend our condolences to the Foiles family and to his friends, fans, and others who mourn him in this game.
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