Roy Hartsfield

Was a second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball; his MLB playing and managing careers each lasted three years. Hartsfield played his entire major-league career with the Boston Braves (now the Atlanta Braves) from 1950 to 1952. He was then traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers for outfielder Andy Pafko. Hartsfield spent the next 19 years in the Dodgers organization as a minor league player and manager and major league coach. In the latter role, he worked under Los Angeles skipper Walter Alston for three seasons.

He led the Jays to a record of 53–109. Hartsfield was fired after the season after failing to get 60 wins in any of his three seasons as manager. He compiled a record of 166–318 (.343) in 484 games, and finishing last in the American League East Division each season. Unpopular with the Blue Jays players, and having lost over 100 games in each of his three years as manager, Hartsfield was let go at the conclusion of the 1979 season and replaced by Bobby Mattick. “This year, we should win 10 more games on attitude alone,” enthused pitcher Mark Lemongello about the managerial change. In fact, the Jays improved by 14 games that year. This would be Hartsfield’s only managerial job in Major League Baseball.

Hartsfield managed in the Chicago Cubs organization in 1981, starting the season with the Triple-A Iowa Oaks and finishing with the Double-A Midland Cubs. Both teams ended up with losing records, as did the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians in 1983, which was Hartsfield’s final management job.

Hartsfield died from complications of liver cancer at his daughter’s home in Ball Ground, Georgia, on January 15, 2011, aged 85.