The young New York Giant pitcher-turned-right-fielder had the misfortune of becoming the epitome of the over-hyped and under-performing rookie. A few years ago, Bill James, famous "Sabermetrician" and author of the influential Historical Baseball Abstract, created the "Clint Hartung Award," given to the one rookie in each decade who failed to live up to great expectations. Hartung, who played from 1947 to 1952, was retroactively granted the award for the 1940s. Before Hartung's 1947 debut for the Giants, he was considered a potential superstar, amazingly both on the mound and at the plate. But after a brief and modest career, Giants fans were under-whelmed. "Hartung made one mistake," sportswriter Tom Meany wrote at the time. "He stopped at the Polo Grounds," referring to the Giants's stadium. "He should have gone right to the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown."
FINAL VERDICT: Buckled under the pressure
(Photo: Getty)
