Henry Louis Aaron, nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank," is a retired American Major League Baseball (MLB) right fielder who serves as the senior vice president of the Atlanta Braves.

He played 21 seasons for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) and two seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League (AL) from 1954 through 1976. Aaron held the MLB record for career home runs for 33 years, and he still has several offensive forms.

He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973 and is one of only two players to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on its "100 Greatest Baseball Players" list.

Aaron played most of his MLB games in right field, though he appeared at several other infield and outfield positions. In his last two seasons, he was primarily a designated hitter.

Aaron was an NL All-Star for 20 seasons and an AL All-Star for 1 season, from 1955 through 1975. Aaron holds the record for the most seasons as an All-Star and the most All-Star Game selections (25) and is tied with Willie Mays, and Stan Musial for the most All-Star Games played (24).

He was a Gold Glove winner for three seasons. In 1957, he was the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) when the Milwaukee Braves won the World Series. He won the NL Player of the Month award in May 1958 and June 1967.

Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in (RBI) (2,297), extra-base hits (1,477), and total bases (6,856).

Aaron is also in the top five for career hits (3,771) and runs (2,174). He is one of only four players with at least seventeen seasons with 150 or more hits. Aaron is in second place in home runs (755), at-bats (12,364), and third place in games played (3,298). Aaron held most of the game's critical career power-hitting records at his retirement.

Since his retirement, Aaron has held front-office roles with the Atlanta Braves.

He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1999, MLB introduced the Hank Aaron Award to recognize the top offensive players in each league. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002.

He was named a 2010 Georgia Trustee by the Georgia Historical Society in recognition of accomplishments that reflect the ideals of Georgia's founders.

Aaron died in his sleep in his Atlanta residence on January 22 at 86. The manner of death was listed as natural causes.

His funeral was held on January 27, followed by his burial at South-View Cemetery.



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