1976 Topps #94 - Jim Dwyer

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  Jim Dwyer had an 18-year career (1973-1990) as a pinch hitter and role player. He appeared in over 100 games only three times in his career. Jim had a great nick name (Pig Pen).

• Jim spent at least some amount of time in the minors every year from 1971-1977. He batted .332 with a .582 slugging percentage in 1977 for AAA Wichita, so at that point he had nothing left to prove as a minor leaguer.

• Dwyer started his major league career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1973. He played for the Cards until the middle of the 1975 season then was traded to Montreal. He had his best year to that point in '75, batting .272 in 206 at bats.

• Jim stayed with the Expos until the middle of the 1976 season and was traded to the New York Mets. His 1976 season was a pretty bad one (.181 in 105 at bats). He was traded to the Chicago Cubs after the season and spent most of 1977 in the minors. Dwyer was cut loose by the Cubs in September of 1977 and picked up by the Cardinals. He managed to get into a few games at the end of the season.

• In 1978 Dwyer split time between the Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants. He was sold to the Boston Red Sox in March of 1979 and had two pretty good years with them as a pinch hitter and backup OF (.265 in 1979 and .285 in 1980). Jim was granted free agency after the 1980 season and signed with the Baltimore Orioles.

• Dwyer had several successful seasons with the Orioles from 1981 to the middle of 1988. Jim's main weakness was a lack of power (only 78 lifetime HR in 18 seasons). His best year with the Orioles was probably 1987 (.274, 15 HR in 241 AB).

• Jim was traded to the Minnesota Twins in the middle of the 1988 season. He stayed with the Twins until late 1989, when he was traded to the Expos. He went back to the Twins in 1990 and finished his career with them.

• Dwyer had a good year as a pinch-hitter in 1989. He batted .315 in 235 AB. I was in an APBA league and made Jim a late-round draft pick. I was laughed at, but he got some key hits for me that year.

• After his playing career he coached and managed in the minor leagues, mostly in the Twins organization. Jim is currently the hitting coach for the class A Fort Myers Miracle.