1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #34 Stanley Hack

Sunday, February 6, 2022

#34 Stanley Hack - Chicago Cubs

Stanley Camfield Hack

Chicago Cubs

Third Base

Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 6'0" Weight: 170

Born: December 6, 1909, Sacramento, CA

Major League Teams: Chicago Cubs 1932-1947

World Series Appearances: Chicago Cubs 1932, 1935, 1938, 1945

As a Manager: Chicago Cubs 1954-1956; St. Louis Cardinals 1958

Died: December 15, 1979, Dixon, IL (70)

The popular Stan Hack, nicknamed "Smiling Sam," played his entire 16-year big league career with the Cubs and was regarded as one of the best third baseman of his era. Hack was a mainstay in the Cubs line-up between 1934 and his retirement in 1947, and he seemed to get better as he aged. He led the league in hits twice (1940 and 1941) and was a five-time All-Star, leading off and starting at third base for the National League squad in 1938, 1939, 1941 and 1943. Hack earned MVP votes in seven straight seasons between 1938 and 1945, finishing as high as seventh place in 1938. He helped lead the Cubs to four different World Series during his playing days, and while the Cubs would be defeated in each of those series, Hack batted .348 (24 for 69) in 18 total postseason games. He tallied over 100 runs scored in seven seasons and led the league in stolen bases in 1938 and 1939.

Hack was also a solid defensive third baseman, leading the league in putouts five times, assists twice and fielding percentage twice. He retired with a lifetime .301 average, 2,193 hits and 165 stolen bases. Hack's 1,944 putouts at third base are currently 15th all-time. Following his playing days, Hack was a minor league manager with several stops in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He managed the Cubs for three years, beginning in 1954, but they finished with losing records each season. Hack served as a batting coach for the Cardinals in 1957 and 1958, and took over the club for the final ten games of the 1958 season when manager Fred Hutchinson was fired. Hack was among the many members of the inaugural Cubs Hall of Fame class in 2021.

Building the Set

January 21, 2022 from Key West, FL (Quality Baseball Cards) - Card #41

Mid-January is never a fun time for me, and needing a break during a long work day I found myself on eBay looking for the remaining Dick Bartell (#15 and #101) variations I needed. I had recently added his most commonly found card from the set, noting his team as the Giants on the back, but I wanted to try to find his other two cards from the set as well.

In my travels, I found what I considered to be extremely unusual for this pandemic-induced collecting age - a large group of auctions from seller quality*cards from the Diamond Stars set with no bids, including the elusive Bartell card from the set's third series. I set my opening bids, and waited a few days for the auctions to close. Again, much to my surprise, there was little to no action on the auctions until their closing minutes. I lost a few auctions as the seconds ticked away, but I came away with six new cards overall, including this Hack card for $44.

Variations Available

1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright

The final 12 cards in the Diamond Stars set, released as part of series three in 1936, contain the exact same photos and players as earlier cards from the set. Hack shows up again as card #107, with the same text on the back save for his 1935 statistics at the bottom replacing his 1934 statistics. Also, the ink on the back of card #107 is blue, similar to all cards from the third series.

The Card / Cubs Team Set

I probably don't spend enough time in these posts discussing the background of each card, but I'll take time here to appreciate the fantastic background on Hack's card. The yellow cloud, blue sky and reddish city scape make this truly a wonderful looking baseball card. There's a strangely chosen tip on the back of this card for Hack, as we're taught how a first baseman should position himself at the bag in order to make sure he catches all throws from his infielders. Hack played 1,879 games on defense during his career, appearing at first base a grand total of 47 times, including 11 times in 1936 and 18 times in 1944. When this card came out, he had not yet played an inning at the position.

1935 Season

In his fourth season in the majors, Hack would appear in a then career-high 124 games, batting .311 with 133 hits. He drew 65 walks to only 17 strikeouts, the lowest total of the Cubs regulars. He was one of the Cubs' most productive hitters, along with catcher Gabby Hartnett (#134), second baseman Billy Herman (#136) and outfielder Augie Galan. Chicago would win 21 games in a row to stun the front-running Cardinals and Giants and capture the National League pennant. They'd fall to the Tigers in the 1935 World Series in six games, and Hack slumped in the series, hitting only .227 (5 for 22).