finalyear bats death_date death_place birth_place debutyear finaldate statvalue position finalteam statlabel debutdate birth_date article_title debutteam name throws
1940 right 15 february 2007 orange , texas birmingham , alabama 1940 may 14 1 0 1 catcher philadelphia athletics games played plate appearances total chances may 14 30 august 1914 buddy hancken
 philadelphia athletics buddy hancken right
buddy hancken

morris medlock `` buddy '' hancken -lrb- august 30 , 1914 -- february 15 , 2007 -rrb- was an american catcher in major league baseball who played during the 1940 season .
hancken batted and threw right-handed .
he was born in birmingham , alabama .
hancken spent seven decades in professional baseball as a player , manager , coach , scout , and executive .
he began his career in the minor leagues in the late 1930s with the toledo mud hens and seattle rainiers .
then reached the majors when manager connie mack knew he could catch knuckleballs and wanted him as the fourth catcher for the philadelphia athletics .
hancken played his only major league game on may 14 , 1940 , getting an putout in the field , but he never had a chance to bat .
unfortunately , mack sent his two knuckleballers to the minors and hancken became expendable .
from 1942 to 1946 hancken served in the united states marines during world war ii , but he would not leave baseball behind forever .
he managed ten different minor league teams , spent time as a scout for several clubs , and served as a bench coach for the houston astros from 1968 through 1972 .
he then joined the astros front office staff in 1971 and 1991 -- 92 , being recognized as a mentor to players like enos cabell , larry dierker and art howe .
hancken died in orange , texas at the age of 92 .
at the time of his death , he was one of the oldest living former major leaguers .
