Hank Sauer; All-Star Outfielder in ‘50s for Chicago Cubs

Hank Sauer, 84, the National League’s most valuable player in 1952 and a two-time all-star outfielder for the Chicago Cubs, died Friday of unknown causes on the first tee of a golf course in Burlingame, Calif., near San Francisco.

Sauer was the first player in major league history to be named MVP while on a team that finished in the second division. In 1952, he topped the National League with 121 RBIs and tied Ralph Kiner for the league lead in home runs with 37. Still, the Cubs finished fifth among eight teams.

Sauer hit .266 with 288 home runs and 876 RBIs in a 15-year career with Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis and San Francisco. An original member of the 1958 Giants, he retired after the 1959 season but remained a scout and coach until 1993.

Sauer was an all-star in his first year with the Cubs in 1950 and also in 1952. In 1954, he hit .288 with a career-high 41 homers and 103 RBIs.

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