All-Star Lineup of Players Whose Last Names Begin With H

The letter H used to be meaningless when it came to baseball jargon. About the only time it appeared was regarding the schedule, which indicated whether a game was Home or Away. The letter H gained some prominence, though controversial still, with the advent of the DH (Designated Hitter).

More recently the letter has become a meaningful stat for pitchers. Any reliever who comes into a game and leaves without giving up his team's lead is credited with an H, which stands for Hold. It is a valuable stat for middle relievers, who rarely close out games for saves and rarely get credited with wins.

Any manager could get a lot of wins, however, if he could put together a lineup of all the best players whose last names begin with H. Here is how such a lineup might look, even without All-Stars such as Keith Hernandez, Gil Hodges and knuckleballer Charlie Hough.

First Base - Ryan Howard: He has tremendous power and plays impeccable defense for a guy his size. Plus, he already has led the Phillies to a World Series championship, and he is still young enough to experience a few more.

Second Base - Billy Herman: The Reds sensation of the 1930s finished with a career batting average of .304 and possessed tremendous speed in an era that cherished the long ball.

Shortstop - Rogers Hornsby: The Hall of Famer did it all. He had 300 career homeruns and a .358 batting average during a standout career for the Cardinals.

Third Base - Stan Hack: The Stan who could really "Hack" manned the hot corner for the Cubs during the 30s and 40s, finishing his career with a batting average of .301.

Outfield 1 - Rickey Henderson: The Hall of Famer revolutionized the running game and the the role of the leadoff hitter. He has many base stealing records, including most steals in a season and in a career. He also had surprising power, setting the record for most home runs to lead off a game.

Outfield 2 - Frank Howard: The giant man possessed tremendous power, crushing over 500 home runs during the 60s and 70s.

Outfield 3 - Willie Horton: He led the roaring Tigers of the late 60s and early 70s with good power and a very respectable batting average. He also helped guide the early days of the Mariners franchise as their DH toward the end of his career.

Designated Hitter - Gil Hodges: He was the face of the Brooklyn Dodgers as well as the team's most powerful hitter, crushing over 300 home runs during his career.

Catcher - Gabby Hartnett: The Cubs backstop maintained a batting average close to .300 while clubbing almost 250 home runs during his career.

Pitcher 1 - Carl Hubbell: The Hall of Famer is most recognized for whiffing three fellow Hall of Famers consecutively in an All-Star game. His career 256 wins and low ERA makes him the asy number 1 arm in this rotation.

Pitcher 2 - Catfish Hunter: He pitched a perfect game in the 60s. He won consecutive World Series in the 70s. He had one of the greatest nicknames in the history of the game, and he earned over 200 victories.

Pitcher 3 - Mel Harder: No Indians pitcher was "harder" to beat than this guy for twenty years between 1928-1947. He finished with 223 career wins.

Relief Pitcher - Guillermo Hernandez: He had along career with many saves, but his standout season was 1984. He led the Tigers to the World Series championship and was recognized as the league MVP.