Hinrichs was born to a family of German descent in Marengo, Iowa, the son of a Lutheran pastor. He attended Concordia College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and enrolled at Concordia Seminary in Clayton, Missouri in 1943.
Hinrichs was signed to the Detroit Tigers organization in 1946, and first played in the West Texas–New Mexico League before going to the Dallas Rangers, the Tigers' Double A team. In 1948, ten minor league players within the Tigers farm system, including Hinrichs, were declared free agents after an investigation by Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler found that the organization was keeping more players in their farm system than they were permitted to.
Hinrichs then signed with the New York Yankees, and was the first player to be given a signing bonus by the team. The bonus was reported to be $75,000 at the time, though later estimates varied, and in a 2015 interview, Hinrichs only said that it was above $50,000. He played for their Double-A affiliate, the Kansas City Blues. However, his performance was hampered by an injury, and in the Rule 5 draft after the 1950 season, he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox.

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