Thomas Frank Haller (June 23, 1937 – November 26, 2004) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and executive.
He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1961 to 1972, most notably as a member of the San Francisco Giants where he made two of his three All-Star teams.
[6] The two teams ended the season tied for first place and met in the 1962 National League tie-breaker series.
[9] Haller continued to platoon with Bailey through the 1963 season, finishing the year second to Johnny Edwards among National League catchers in fielding percentage.
[16] Haller ended the 1967 season second to Tim McCarver among NL catchers in assists and in fielding percentage, and guided the Giants' pitching staff to the lowest team earned run average (ERA) in the National League, as Giants pitcher, Mike McCormick, won the National League Cy Young Award, with a 22-10 record.
[20] In February 1968, the Giants were in need of good infielders, and with four young catching prospects, including Dick Dietz and Dave Rader, club president Chub Feeney decided to trade Haller along with a player to be named later, to the Dodgers, for infielders Ron Hunt and Nate Oliver.
[21][22] The trade was the first between the two teams since their move to the West Coast in 1958, and also the first since the one that would have sent Jackie Robinson from the Dodgers to the Giants after the 1956 season.
[22] Haller played well in 1968, posting a .285 batting average, in 144 games, and earned his third consecutive All-Star berth.
[34] Baseball historian Bill James ranked Haller 26th all-time among major league catchers.
[2] After his playing career ended, Haller worked for the Giants as a coach (1977–1979), and was their vice president of baseball operations (1981–1985).