Hank Peters

Henry John Peters

• Born September 16, 1924 in St. Louis, MO USA
• Died January 4, 2015 in Boca Raton, FL USA

Biographical Information

Hank Peters was General Manager of the Kansas City Athletics in 1965 following his stint as the A's farm director from 1960 to 1964. He was the farm director for the Cleveland Indians in 1966, assistant GM from 1967 to 1969, and scouting director from 1970 to 1971. He was a World War II veteran, then joined the scouting department of his hometown team, the St. Louis Browns, and followed them to Baltimore when they became the Baltimore Orioles.

Peters went to the National Association as president from 1972 to 1975.

He later returned to the Baltimore Orioles, where he was GM from 1975 to 1987. With Baltimore, he was named The Sporting News Executive of the Year in 1979 and 1983. After being fired by the Orioles, he became the Cleveland Indians General Manager, a job he held from 1988 to 1991. With Baltimore, he was known as the center of quiet in the eye of a storm, ensuring balance with fiery manager Earl Weaver and equally emotional owner Edward Bennett Williams. he was instrumental in putting together the Orioles team' that reached the World Series in 1979 and were World Champions in 1983. When he joined the Indians, they were a perennially losing franchise, and he helped put together the basis that would turn them into winners in the second half of the 1990s.

Preceded by Pat Friday

Kansas City A's General Manager 1965

Succeeded by Pat Friday

Preceded by Frank Cashen

Baltimore Orioles General Manager 1976-1987

Succeeded by Roland Hemond

Preceded by Joe Klein

Cleveland Indians General Manager 1988-1991

Succeeded by John Hart

Further Reading

• Tracy Ringolsby: "Peters built career on being 'the calm in the storm': Former GM, who died at the age of 90, found success with A's, O's and Indians", mlb.com, January 4, 2015. [1]

Related Sites

• Hank Peters at the SABR Bio Project