Granny Hamner

Granville Wilbur "Granny" Hamner (April 26, 1927 – September 12, 1993) was a shortstop and second baseman who spent fifteen-plus years with the Philadelphia Phillies. A Richmond, Virginia native who came to the club at seventeen during World War II, Hamner became the youngest player ever to start an Opening Day game in 1945, a record that still stood as of 2022. A right-handed hitter with moderate power, he drove in more than 80 runs four times and was a key figure on the 1950 NL champion "Whiz Kids." He batted .429 in that year's World Series and was named team captain in 1952, the same year he earned the first of three consecutive All-Star selections as the NL's starting shortstop.