#Shortstops: Hank’s Silver Bat

By the time the 1959 season rolled around, Hank Aaron was already a four-time All-Star with the 1957 National League MVP Award in his trophy case.

At 25 years old, Aaron had established himself as a premier player in Major League Baseball, having played five seasons for the Milwaukee Braves. However, Aaron managed to add to his resume with an unforgettable season. In 1959, Aaron led Major League Baseball in hits, batting average, slugging percentage, on-base plus slugging percentage, OPS+ and total bases. The outfielder had a total of 223 hits, with a .355 batting average, a .636 slugging percentage, and an OPS of 1.037.

This was a special season for Aaron as he posted several single-season career highs. Aaron also helped lead Milwaukee to an 86-68-1 record, good for a tie with Los Angeles for first place in the NL. The Dodgers, however, swept the three-game playoff series in two games to deny Aaron and the Braves a third straight World Series appearance.

Due to his outstanding performance, Aaron was awarded his second Silver Bat Award in 1959. The Silver Bat Award was given to the batting champion in each respective league. Aaron beat out the Cardinals’ Joe Cunningham for the award, who had the second-highest batting average in the National League at .345. The overall 1959 season batting average leader came down to the wire as Aaron and Detroit’s Harvey Kuenn were neck and neck. By Sept. 22, both Aaron and Kuenn had a .357 batting average. With only six games left in the season, Aaron dropped two batting average points, while Kuenn only had four games remaining. However, Kuenn's batting average dropped to .353 in these four games, allowing Aaron to maintain the highest batting average in either the American or National League. Kuenn won the Silver Bat Award in the American League.

The Silver Bat that Aaron received is inscribed with lettering on the center of the barrel saying "Batting Champion 1959 / National League / B.A .355." On the end of the barrel, the bat is also inscribed with the words "Genuine / Henry Aaron / Louisville Slugger."

While Aaron had many fantastic seasons in the big leagues, 1959 stands out for his consistency and dominance as he was at the top of the American and National Leagues in most major hitting statistics. While Aaron may not have won the MVP Award in 1959, it was arguably his best season. The Silver Bat is preserved at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, where Hank Aaron donated his entire collection.

Jayden Trawick-Junta was a 2024 programming intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Leadership Development