#463 Hal McRae
Here is a card of Hal McRae that I got signed at All Star Game Fanfest last summer. Hal was slotted in the last signing of the four day event and that was the day of the All Star Game. Since my dad went with me to Fanfest, I had been able to get two autographs from each individual thanks to my dad's help. But, at that time, Freddie Patek was also signing at the other end of the convention center. Since we needed to get going to head out to the game, we split up and I got Hal and my dad got Freddie. I needed both of them for this project. But, more importantly, both guys are Royals Hall of Famers and I did not have a single autograph from either of them.
Hal played in the Majors for nineteen seasons, spending all but four with the Royals. He played a little bit of outfield, but spent the majority of the time as the Royals designated hitter. He was a three-time All Star and won the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award (now called the Edgar Martinez Award) three times. His best season came in 1982 when he hit .308 with 46 doubles, 27 home runs, and 133 RBI. The 133 RBI lead the league and was the club record until broken by Mike Sweeney in 2000.
Like Larry Gura, Hal is in the top ten for many Royals all-time lists and single season records. He still holds the mark for doubles in a season (55) and is second on the all-time board for RBI and extra base hits. Some guy named George seems to be number one on most of those club records.
Hal was elected into the Royals Hall of Fame in 1989.
'81 Donruss Tracker: 148/100
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