- Joe Lovitto played for the Texas Rangers from 1972-1975. Joe was the first round pick (second overall) of the Washington Senators in 1969. Lovitto played in the minors from 1969-1971 and played well enough to earn a shot at the major league club in spring training in 1972.
- Lovitto was the starting center fielder for much of the 1972 season and batted .224 in 117 games. He had a run-in with Texas manager Ted Williams during the season.
- Joe started the 1973 season with the Rangers but suffered a leg injury in June. After some time off Lovitto played in AAA for the rest of the 1973 season. Joe ended up batting .136 in 44 at bats for the Rangers in '73.
- Joe started 73 games in center field in 1974. Lovitto played in a total of 113 games and batted .223 in 283 at bats.
- In 1975 Lovitto played sparingly. He batted .208 in 50 games.
- After the 1975 season the Rangers traded Joe to the New York Mets for Gene Clines. Lovitto didn't make the Mets ballclub in 1976 and was cut during spring training
- Joe Lovitto died of cancer after battling it for eight years at the age of 50 on May 19, 2001.
A video tribute to Joe Lovitto:
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That was a cool video.
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