Jim Hannan Passes Away

Former MLB pitcher Jim Hannan has passed away at 85, according to an announcement from the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.

A Jersey City native, Hannan attended Notre Dame before entering the professional ranks in 1961. The right-hander spent one year in the Red Sox system. He was drafted by the Washington Senators the following winter — in the early years of the draft, teams could select a player who had spent one year in another team’s farm system — and jumped to the majors the ensuing season. The 6’3″ right-hander would spend the bulk of his career in Washington.

Working in a flexible swing role, Hannan pitched parts of nine seasons with the Senators. He posted a career-low 3.01 ERA over 140 1/3 innings in 1968 and logged a personal-high 158 1/3 frames during the ’69 campaign. While the late 60s skewed very favorably to pitching, that’s solid production. Hannan won 10 games on a Senators team that finished 65-96 in 1968.

During the 1970-71 offseason, the Senators included him as part of a four-player return to the Tigers for two-time Cy Young winner Denny McLain. Detroit flipped him to the Brewers after just seven appearances. Hannan finished his playing days with 21 appearances in Milwaukee. He hung up his spikes with a 3.88 ERA over 822 big league innings. He struck out 438 hitters and won 41 games.

Hannan remained in the game long after his 10-year playing career came to an end. He helped found the MLB Players Alumni Association in 1982 and served as the organization’s first president. He held that role until 1986. Hannan remained involved with the MLBPAA long past that stint, serving as its chairman of the board from 1996 until this year.

“Our Alumni Association owes its existence and current status to Jim Hannan and his impact,” MLBPAA CEO Dan Foster said in a statement. “Since 1982, Jim has championed former players and the MLBPAA will continue to advocate for our players and uphold the integrity of the game on behalf of Jim and our founding members. The history of our organization is inseparable from Jim and his everlasting influence. His presence will be greatly missed, and our thoughts are with his wife Carol and children Coleen, Heather, Jimmy and Erin.”

MLBTR joins the MLBPAA and others around the game in sending our condolences to Hannan’s family, friends, loved ones and former teammates and colleagues.