Walter John Hriniak (born May 22, 1943, at Natick, Massachusetts) is a former catcher in American Major League Baseball who — despite a very brief MLB playing career and a batting average of only .253 — became one of the most prominent batting coaches in the game during the last two decades of the 20th century. As a player, he stood 5'11" (180 cm) tall, weighed 178 pounds (80.7 kg), batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Hriniak was a three-s...
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Walter John Hriniak (born May 22, 1943, at Natick, Massachusetts) is a former catcher in American Major League Baseball who — despite a very brief MLB playing career and a batting average of only .253 — became one of the most prominent batting coaches in the game during the last two decades of the 20th century. As a player, he stood 5'11" (180 cm) tall, weighed 178 pounds (80.7 kg), batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Hriniak was a three-sport sensation at Natick High School where he was a first-team All-State selection in all three sports: as quarterback in football, center in hockey, and shortstop in baseball. He was also voted the outstanding hockey player in eastern Massachusetts and some speculated that he could have pursued a career in professional hockey. Instead, he chose baseball and signed a $75,000 bonus contract with the Milwaukee Braves in 1961. Initially a shortstop in the pros, Hriniak batted over .300 in each of his first two professional seasons, but in 1964,...
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