[2] He was generally known as a good natured ballplayer and a decent hitter who had his best years with the Giants, hitting over .300 for four consecutive seasons in New York.

[2] A native of Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1924 Hogan played for the Osterville town team in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Hogan batted .385 on the season, was named team MVP, and reportedly smashed the "longest home run ever seen" at Osterville's West Bay Field.

[3][4][5] Playing alongside his Somerville High teammate and fellow future-major leaguer Danny MacFayden, the pair led Osterville to the league title.

[6][7] Hogan was signed by the Boston Braves on June 18, 1925 as an amateur free agent at the age of 19, and made his major league debut five days later as an outfielder.

[8][9] He appeared in 71 games for the Braves in 1927, with 66 hits (including 17 doubles, a triple and three home runs) in 229 at-bats for a .288 batting average.

[1] His strong throwing arm was evident as he led National League catchers with an impressive 58.1% caught stealing percentage.

In a controversial decision on January 10, 1928, the Giants owner, Charles Stoneham, traded Rogers Hornsby, one of the best hitters in the major leagues, to the Braves in exchange for Hogan and outfielder Jimmy Welsh.

"[12] The controversy resurfaced in 1929 when the Giants filed suit against their former treasurer, Francis McQuade, stating that he had hurt the club with his poor decisions regarding trades.

[14] He was part of a vaudeville act, telling jokes and singing parodies with Andy Cohen, a Jewish teammate from the Giants who played second baseman for the team.

His performance was aided by the introduction of a lively ball wound with special Australian wool, resulting in a league batting average that was above .300 for the only time in baseball history.

[25][26] Between May 1933 and August 1934, Hogan set a since-broken National League record for catchers by playing in 121 games without committing an error.