Hal McRae

Harold Abraham McRae, born July 10, 1945, is an American former designated hitter, outfielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball. He batted and threw right-handed. Selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth round of the 1965 draft with the 117th overall pick, he reached the majors with Cincinnati, playing for the Reds in 1968 and from 1970 to 1972 before joining the Kansas City Royals, where he spent the remainder of his playing career from 1973 to 1987.

During the offseason before the 1969 season, while playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, McRae suffered a multiple leg fracture sliding on the basepaths. In the words of Bill James in The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, "Before the accident, McRae was a burner, a center fielder who could fly...after the accident, his speed was major league average." He was considered a below-average outfielder with the Reds.

Following a 1987 stint on the Royals' coaching staff as a player-coach, McRae managed Kansas City from 1991 to 1994 and later led the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 2001 to 2002. Between 1990 and 2009 he served in various coaching roles for the Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals. He is the father of former Major League outfielder Brian McRae.