I'm going to make an attempt to collect as many baseball cards as possible from 1976. I was 9 when the 1976 Topps baseball cards came out. I have most of those cards, but I'd like to expand and get the other cards from this great year.
Showing posts with label Cleveland Indians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cleveland Indians. Show all posts
After posting decent numbers in the minors from 1972-1974, Rick Manning earned a promotion to the majors at the age of 20 in 1975 after a good start in AAA Oklahoma City.
Rick's best two seasons were in 1975 and in 1976
In 1976 Manning won a Gold Glove award and batted .292 in 138 games
Pat Dobson was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Oscar Gamble after the 1975 season.
Dobson had one good year with the Indians in 1976. He went 16-12 with a 3.48 ERA in 35 starts.
Pat didn't do so well in 1977 (3-12, 6.14 ERA).
Dobson had a lower back injury and was assigned to AAA Portland during spring training in 1978. Pat never pitched in spring training or during the season and was released on April 14, 1978.
Larvell Blanks was the starting shortstop with the Atlanta Braves in 1975
Blanks was traded twice in one day. The Braves traded him to the Chicago White Sox on December 12, 1975. Later that same day Blanks was traded to the Cleveland Indians.
Larvell was used as a utilityman by the Indians from 1976-1978.
Blanks had his best season in 1976, batting .280 in 104 games.
John Lowenstein played in the majors for 16 years and was a valuable utilityman and platoon outfielder for several of those seasons. Lowenstein was drafted by the Clevleand Indians in 1968. John got his first chance to play in the majors as a September call-up in 1970 and batted .256 in 17 games.
Lowenstein started the 1971 season with Cleveland but was up and down between AAA Wichita and the Indians all season. John batted .320 in Wichita but batted only .186 in 58 games for Cleveland.
John batted .212 in 68 games in1972. In 1973 he had his first good offensive season, batting .292 in 98 games.
Lowenstein appeared in a career-high 140 games in 1974 and batted .242 with 8 home runs. John batted .242 again in 1975 and homered 12 times in 91 games.
John batted .205 in 93 games in 1976. After the 1976 season Lowenstein was traded with Rick Cerone to the Toronto Blue Jays for Rico Carty. The Blue Jays turned around and traded Lowenstein back to Cleveland for Hector Torres.
Lowenstein batted .242 in 81 games in 1977. After the 1977 season John was traded with Tom Buskey to the Texas Rangers for David Clyde and Willie Horton.
Lowenstein spent one season in Texas and batted .222 in 77 games. John was placed on waivers after the 1976 season and was selected by the Baltimore Orioles.
Orioles' manager Earl Weaver decided to platoon Lowenstein and Gary Roenicke in left field in 1979. It was an effective platoon -- Lowenstein batted .254 with 11 HR and Roenicke batted .261 with 25 HR. In the ALCS John went 1 for 6, but his one hit was a huge one --- he homered in the bottom of the 10th inning of game 1 to win it for the Orioles. Lowenstein went 3 for 13 (.231) in the World Series.
Lowenstein was mostly a pinch hitter and substitute outfielder in 1980 and batted .311 in 196 at bats.
John is listed as the starting LF in 1981, but he had only 189 at bats in 83 games. Lowenstein batted .249 with 6 HR in 1981.
Lowenstein played more regularly in 1982 and batted a career-high .320 in 122 games. In 1983 Lowenstein and Roenicke combined to hit 34 HR and knock in 124 runs. Lowenstein batted .281 with 15 HR during the regular season. John was 1 for 6 (.167) in the 1983 ALCS and went 5 for 13 (.385) in the World Series.
John's hitting started to tail off in 1984 as he batted .237 in 85 games. Lowenstein went 2 for 26 (.077) in 13 games in 1985 and was released on May 21.
Lowenstein was a color commentator on Orioles' broadcasts from 1986-1995. John now lives in Las Vegas.
Jack Brohamer played second base (and some third base) for three teams from 1972-1980. Brohamer was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1967. Jack was in the minors for five seasons before coming up to Cleveland in 1972. Brohamer had his career high in games (136) in 1972 and batted .233.
Brohamer started most of the time at second base in 1973 (.220 in 102 games) and in 1974 (.270 in 101 games).
In 1975 Duane Kuiper became the regular second baseman for the Indians and Brohamer was expendable. After batting .244 in 69 games in 1975 Jack was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Larvell Blanks.
Jack batted .251 in 119 games for the White Sox in 1976. Brohamer didn't play as much in 1977 since the White Sox moved Jorge Orta to second base and acquired Eric Soderholm to play third base. Brohamer backed up at both positions in 1977 and batted .257 in 59 games. On September 24, 1977 Brohamer hit for the cycle.
After the 1977 season Jack became a free agent and signed for a multi-year six-figure bonus with the Boston Red Sox. Jack was promised that he would be an everyday player when he signed, but the Red Sox acquired Jerry Remy ten days after Jack signed. Brohamer backed up at second base and third base and batted .234 in 81 games in 1978 and .266 in 64 games in 1979.
Brohamer started the 1980 season with the Red Sox and batted .316 in 21 games. Jack was sold to the Indians in late June and batted .225 in 53 games. Brohamer retired after the 1980 season.
George Hendrick played in the majors from 1971-1988. George was the #1 draft pick of the Oakland A's (and the first player taken) in 1968. Hendrick played in the minors from 1968-1971 and got a chance with the A's in June 1971. George batted .237 in 42 games for the A's in 1971.
In 1972 George was with the A's for the whole season except for an eight-game stint in AAA Iowa. Hendrick batted .182 in 58 games for the A's in 1972. George played in all five games in the 1972 ALCS and batted .143 in seven at bats. In the 1972 World Series George went 2 for 15 (.133) in five games. After the 1972 season Hendrick was traded with Dave Duncan to the Cleveland Indians for Ray Fosse and Jack Heidemann.
George was given the starting CF job in 1973 and batted .268 with 21 HR and 61 RBI. Three Straight Homers - Rarer Than No-Hitter - November 1973 Baseball Digest. In 1974 Hendrick was selected to the AL All Star team. He played center field after starter Bobby Murcer had two at bats. Hendrick went 1 for 2 in the game. George batted .279 with 19 HR and 67 RBI in 1974.
Hendrick was an AL All Star again in 1975. He entered the game as a pinch runner and stole a base. He then scored a run, stayed in the game in right field, and went 1 for 1. George batted .258 with 24 HR and 86 RBI for the Indians in 1975.
George batted .265 with 25 HR and 81 RBI in 1976. After the 1976 season Hendrick was traded to the San Diego Padres for John Grubb, Hector Torres, and Fred Kendall. The Indians expected Hendrick to play out his option and become a free agent so they traded him to get some value for him.
Hendrick played one full season and part of a second season with the Padres. In 1977 George batted .311 with 23 HR and 81 RBI. Hendrick was batting .243 with three home runs in 36 games when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on May 26 for Eric Rasmussen. George batted .288 with 17 HR and 67 RBI for the Padres to finish the 1978 season.
George moved over to right field in 1979 and batted .300 with 16 HR and 79 RBI. In 1980 Hendrick had his best year. He batted .302 with 25 HR and 109 RBI. Hendrick was 8th in NL MVP voting, won the silver slugger award in right field, and made his third NL All Star team (he played CF and went 1 for 2 with an RBI).
Hendrick batted .284 with 18 HR and 61 RBI in 101 games during the 1981 strike season. George batted .282 with 19 HR and 104 RBI in 1982 as the Cardinals won the World Championship. Hendrick batted .308 in three games in the 1982 NLCS and batted .321 in seven games in the 1982 World Series.
George made his fourth and final NL All Star team in 1983 (he didn't play in the game) and won a silver slugger award at first base. Hendrick batted a career-high .318, hit 18 home runs, and had 97 RBI.
Hendrick's production slipped in 1984. He didn't play after September 4 and batted .277 with nine HR and 69 RBI in 120 games. After the 1984 season George was traded with a minor leaguer to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Brian Harper and John Tudor.
George batted .230 in 69 games for the Pirates in 1985. On August 2 he was traded with John Candelaria and Al Holland to the California Angels for Mike Brown, Pat Clements, and Bob Kipper. Hendrick batted .122 in 16 games for the Angels in 1985.
In 1986 Hendrick played mostly in right field and also saw action in CF, at 1B, and at DH. George batted .272 with 14 HR and 47 RBI in 102 games in 1986. Hendrick played in three games in the 1986 ALCS and went 1 for 12 (.083).
George was a part-time player in his last two seasons in California. In 1987 he batted .241 in 65 games and in 1988 he batted .244 in 69 games. Hendrick retired after the 1988 season.
After his playing career George coached for various major and minor league clubs. He was a first base coach, outfield coach, and hittting coach during his coaching career. Hendrick is now the first base coach and outfield coach for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Liked to face: Steve Carlton (.345 in 110 AB); Mark Langston (.515 in 33 AB); Craig Swan (.429 in 42 AB)
Hated to face: Elias Sosa (.063 in 16 AB); Greg Minton (.105 in 19 AB); Gaylord Perry (.120 in 25 AB)
Roric Harrison pitched in five seasons from 1972-1978. Harrison was signed by the Houston Astros in 1964. Roric pitched in the Houston system from 1965-1969 without a whole lot of success. Harrison only pitched in three minor league games in 1969. On August 24, 1969 Harrison was traded (with Dooley Womack) to the Seattle Pilots for Jim Bouton.
Harrison pitched in the minors for the Milwaukee Brewers organization (the Pilots had moved to Milwaukee) in 1970. At the end of spring training in 1971 Roric was traded with a minor leaguer to the Baltimore Orioles for Marcelino Lopez. Harrison pitched for AAA Rochester in 1971 and had a 15-5 record with a 2.81 ERA. Harrison wrenched his knee at the end of the 1971 season and that injury cost him a late-season promotion to the Orioles.
Roric made the Orioles' staff in 1972. He went 3-4 with four saves and had a 2.30 ERA in 39 games (2 starts). On October 3 Harrison hit a solo home run and ended up being the last AL pitcher to hit a home run in an American League game before the DH rule was put in place in 1973.
After the 1972 season Harrison was traded (with Pat Dobson, Davey Johnson, and Johnny Oates) to the Atlanta Braves for Earl Williams and Taylor Duncan. Roric started the 1973 season in the bullpen and was moved into the starting rotation in late May. Harrison went 11-8 with a 4.16 ERA in 38 games (22 starts) in 1973.
Harrison made 20 starts in 1974 but was injured on July 16 and didn't pitch for the rest of the year. Roric ended up going 6-11 with a 4.71 ERA in 1974.
Roric split the 1975 season between the Braves and the Cleveland Indians. Harrison went 3-4 with one save and a 4.77 ERA in 15 games (7 starts) for the Braves. On June 7 Roric was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Blue Moon Odom and Rob Bellior. Harrison became a starter for the Indians and went 7-7 with a 4.79 ERA in 19 starts.
At the end of spring training in 1976 Harrison was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Harry Parker. Roric ended up spending the season in AAA Tulsa. He made only 15 appearances in 1976.
Harrison was released during spring training in 1977. Roric signed with the Detroit Tigers and pitched for AAA Evansville.
The Tigers released Harrison during spring training in 1978. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 30 but was released on April 9. Roric signed with the Minnesota Twins and was assigned to AAA Toledo. Harrison pitched in nine games (0-1, 7.50 ERA) for the Twins in July and that was it for his career.
Duane Kuiper played for the Cleveland Indians and the San Francisco Giants from 1974-1985. He is better known now for his announcing with the San Francisco Giants. Duane is the only player with over 3,000 career at bats and only one career home run.
Kuiper was drafted by the Indians in 1972. Duane had previously been drafted five times between 1968 and 1971 but never signed. He played in the minors from 1972-1974 and batted .310 for AAA Oklahoma City in 1974. Kuiper had a short stint with the Indians at the end of the 1974 season and batted .500 in 22 at bats.
Duane spent the first two months of the 1975 season in the minors. He came up in early June and took over at second base. Kuiper batted .292 in 90 games in 1975. He had the best stolen base percentage of his career in 1975 when he stole 19 bases and was caught 18 times. Duane was usually thrown out more often than he was successful.
Kuiper had four solid but powerless seasons for the Indians from 1976-1979. He batted .263 in 1976, .277 in 1977, .283 in 1978, and .255 in 1979 and played in at least 135 games in each of those seasons. Kuiper hit his only major league home run off of Steve Stone on August 25, 1977. He also is one of only three players to hit two bases-loaded triples in the same game (he did it in Yankee stadium on July 27, 1978).
Duane was off to a good start in 1980 (.282 in 42 games) when he was injured on June 1. Kuiper missed the rest of the 1980 season and didn't get back into action until May of 1981. Duane batted .257 in 72 games in 1981 and was traded to the Giants for Ed Whitson after the season.
In 1982 Kuiper was a pinch hitter and backup to Joe Morgan at 2B and batted .280 in 218 at bats. Duane batted .250 in 176 at bats in 1983 and .200 in 115 at bats in 1984.
Kuiper was at the end of the line in 1985. After making eight pinch hitting appearances (3 for 5) he was released on June 28.
After his playing career Kuiper started broadcasting for the Giants. He started in radio and eventually was teamed with Mike Krukow to form the "Kruk and Kuip" team on Giants' television broadcasts. Duane has won five Emmy awards for his broadcasting work.
Liked to face: Don Aase (.533 in 15 AB); Dick Tidrow (.526 in 19 AB); Francisco Barrios (.480 in 25 AB)
Hated to face: Ken Kravec/Lary Sorenson (.105 in 19 AB); Jack Morris (.111 in 18 AB)
Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow bobblehead race. It would have been interesting to hear them "announce" the race.
Eric Raich pitched for the Cleveland Indians in 1975 and 1976. Raich was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1969 but he didn't sign. Raich played baseball and football for the USC Trojans -- USC won four straight NCAA Baseball championships from 1968-1971. Eric was then the first player selected in the 1972 draft and signed with the Cleveland Indians. Raich pitched in the minors from 1972-1975.
Raich came up to the Indians in late May 1975 and went 7-8 with a 5.52 ERA in 17 starts. Here is an interesting story (from an article about official scorers) about Eric in his rookie season: "Schneider, who covered the Indians for the Cleveland Plain Dealer for more than 20 years, was one of the last full-time beat writers to work double duty as an official scorekeeper.In 1979, newspaper editors began to forbid their reporters from doing the extra job, citing conflict-of-interest concerns. Schneider saw that conflict first-hand in 1975 when his son-in-law, Eric Raich, was promoted to the Indians, and Schneider was the official scorer for one of the pitcher's first games. In the fourth inning, Raich had yet to give up a hit, and Billy North of the A's hit a grounder in front of the plate. Both Raich and catcher Alan Ashby ran toward the ball, and both pulled back, thinking the other would field it. Ashby finally picked the ball up and threw it to first, but North was safe. Schneider ruled the play a base hit, and the press-box phone immediately rang. "How could you call that a hit?" the female caller yelled to Schneider. Who was the mystery woman on the line? "It was my wife, who was watching the game on TV with my daughter," Schneider recalled with a laugh."
Eric was in the minors for most of the 1976 season and came back to the Indians in September. Raich allowed 5 runs in 2.2 innings in a relief appearance on September 12 and that was it for his major league career.
Eric pitched in the minors in 1977 and 1978 without much success.
Frank Robinson was in his second year as manager of the Cleveland Indians. The Indians finished slightly above .500 (81-78) but they were well off the pace set by the New York Yankees. The Indians had good fielding and average batting and pitching, but a lack of power did them in.
Robinson was a player/manager for the Indians in 1975 and 1976, finishing 4th in the AL East in each season. He was dismissed in 1977 after starting 26-31 and in 5th place in the AL East. Frank became the manager of the San Francisco Giants in 1981 and managed them until August of 1984. Robinson took over a wretched Baltimore Orioles ballclub in 1988 and led them to a second place finish in 1989. He continued to manage the Orioles until May of 1991. Frank's last managerial job was with the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals. He took over the club in 2002 and managed it through the 2006 season. The Expos finished second in the NL East in 2002 but finished either 4th or 5th in the other seasons. Robinson managed all or parts of 16 seasons and had a lifetime record of 1065-1176 (.475).
Team Record: 81-78 (4th in AL East, 16 games behind New York)
Team Batting: .263 (4th in AL)
Team HR: 85 (7th in AL)
Team ERA: 3.47 (7th in AL)
Team Fielding .980 (2nd in AL)
Team Batting Leader: Rico Carty - .310
Team HR Leader: Boog Powell - 25
Team RBI Leader: Rico Carty - 83
Team Wins Leader: Pat Dobson - 16
Team Losses Leader: Pat Dobson/Dennis Eckersley - 12
Team ERA Leader: starter: Jim Bibby - 3.20; reliever: Dave LaRoche - 2.24
Ed Crosby played in parts of six seasons from 1970-1976. Ed was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1969. He batted .295 in 1969 and .300 in 1970 to earn a July promotion to the Cardinals in 1970. Crosby batted .253 in 38 games for the Cardinals in 1970.
Crosby spent the entire 1971 season with AAA Tulsa. Ed was a utility infielder for the Cardinals in 1972 and batted .217 in 101 games. In 1973 Crosby started with the Cardinals and batted .128 in 22 games. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on July 27. Ed batted .216 in 36 games for the Reds and went 1 for 2 in the 1973 NLCS. After the 1973 season Crosby was picked by the Philadelphia Phillies in the Rule 5 draft.
The Cardinals purchased Crosby from the Phillies during spring training in 1974. He played in 31 games for AAA Tulsa before being traded to the Cleveland Indians on June 1. Ed played in 10 games for AAA Oklahoma City and then finished the 1974 season with the Indians (.209 in 37 games).
Ed batted .234 in 61 games for the Indians in 1975. Crosby batted twice in 1976 (1 for 2) and was in AAA for the rest of the year. Ed played in AAA for various organizations for the next three years and retired after the 1979 season.
After his playing career Ed scouted for several years. He has a son (Bobby Crosby) who is currently a major league infielder. Another son (Blake) played college baseball for Brigham Young University and Sacramento State College. Ed wasn't happy about how the Oakland A's handled Bobby's career.
Rick Waits pitched in the majors in 1973 and from 1975-1985, mostly for the Cleveland Indians. Waits was drafted by the Washington Senators in 1970. He pitched in the minors from 1970-1975. Rick pitched one inning for the Texas Rangers in 1973.
Waits started the season pitching for the Rangers' AAA Spokane club. On June 13 he was traded with Jim Bibby, Jackie Brown and $100,000 to the Cleveland Indians for Gaylord Perry. The Indians assigned Rick to AAA Oklahoma City. He had a 1-6 record for Oklahoma City but the Indians still brought him up in late July. Waits went 6-2 with a 2.94 ERA in 16 games (7 starts) for the Indians in 1975.
Waits missed about six weeks in 1976 with an injury. He pitched in 26 games (22 starts) and went 7-9 with a 4.00 ERA. In 1977 Waits was used as a reliever and fifth starter. Rick went 9-7 with a 3.99 ERA in 37 games (16 starts).
Rick had his best season in 1978. He was 13-15 with a 3.20 ERA in 32 starts. Waits was 16-13 with a 4.44 ERA in 1979 and 13-14 with a 4.45 ERA in 1980. Don't Feel Sorry for Major League Lefties - June 1980 Baseball Digest
In the strike-shortened 1981 season Rick went 8-10 with a 4.92 ERA in 21 starts. Waits had a really rough year in 1982 -- he was 2-13 with a 5.40 ERA in 21 starts and didn't pitch after September 4.
Waits started the 1983 season with the Indians (0-1, 4.58 in 8 games) and was traded with Rick Manning to the Milwaukee Brewers for Ernie Camacho, Jamie Easterly and Gorman Thomas on June 8. Rick went 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in 10 games (2 starts) for the Brewers in '83.
Waits was mostly a reliever with the Brewers. In 1984 he pitched in 47 games (1 start) and went 2-4 with 3 saves and a 3.58 ERA. Rick started the 1985 season in the minors. After starting 16 games and having a 2.87 ERA Rick was brought back to the Brewers in July. In 20 games Waits was 3-2 with one save and a 6.52 ERA.
Rick was released by the Brewers after the 1985 season. He tried out with the San Francisco Giants in 1986 but was cut during spring training. Waits pitched for the Brewers' AAA Vancouver club in 1986 but never made it back to the majors.
Charlie Spikes is a great name for a ballplayer. Charlie Spikes was drafted in the first round by the New York Yankees in 1969. Spikes played in the minors from 1969-1972. He had a great year in AA in 1972 -- Charlie batted .309 with 26 HR and 23 stolen bases. Charlie was brought up to the Yankees at the end of the 1972 season and went 2 for 4 in his first major league game. Spikes batted .147 in 34 at bats for the Yankees in '72. After the 1972 season Charlie was traded to the Cleveland Indians as part of the big trade that brought Graig Nettles to the Yanks.
Spikes was the starting LF for the Indians in 1973 and batted .237 with 23 HR in 140 games. Charlie Spikes New Hope for the Indians? -- June 1973 Baseball Digest. Charlie had his best year in 1974. As the starting RF he batted .271 with 22 HR and 80 RBI in 155 games.
Charile really struggled in 1975 as new manager Frank Robinson made him a special project. He had a tough time with Robinson's criticism and was batting .151 at the end of April. Spikes didn't get his average above the Mendoza line until June 9. Spikes played in 111 games and batted .229 with 11 homers. In 1976 Spikes batted .237 with 3 HR in 101 games.
Spikes didn't get much playing time in 1977. He spent about nine weeks in the minors. Charlie batted .232 in 95 at bats for the Indians in '77. After the 1977 season Spikes was traded to the Detroit Tigers for Tom Veryzer. In 1978 Charlie started the season with the Tigers and batted .250 in 28 April at bats. He played in 16 games for AAA Evansville and that was it for his 1978 season. Spikes was released on September 25.
Charlie signed with the Atlanta Braves and spent two seasons as a pinch hitter and occasional outfielder. He batted .280 in 93 at bats in 1979 and .278 in 36 at bats in 1980. Spikes became a free agent after the 1980 season and signed with the Chunichi Dragons in Japan. Charlie played in 26 games in 1981 and then retired.
Spikes doesn't blame Robinson for his career downturn. Charile said that he put too much pressure on himself. He was working at a textile factory until a few years ago when he suffered a back injury and had to go on disabilty. Here is a link to a bit about Charlie in More Tales from the Tribe Dugout.
Liked to face: Pat Dobson (.417 in 24 AB); Jim Colborn (.361 in 36 AB); Mike Cuellar (.333 in 57 AB)
Hated to face: Mike Torrez (.000 in 14 AB); Bill Champion (.080 in 25 AB); Wilbur Wood (.111 in 36 AB)
John Ellis was a catcher/first baseman from 1969-1981. Ellis was signed by the New York Yankees in 1966. He played in the minors from 1967-1969 and was promoted to the Yankees after batting .333 with 8 HR in 38 games at AAA Syracuse. John batted .290 in 22 games for the Yankees in 1969.
The Yankees had Thurman Munson at catcher and Danny Cater at first base in 1970. Both of them hit over .300 so there wasn't much room for Ellis. John played in 78 games and batted .248 with 7 HR in 226 at bats. In 1971 Ellis split time with Cater at first base and batted .244 in 83 games.
The Yankees traded Cater after the 1971 season but they had Ron Blomberg to play first in '72. Ellis played in 52 games in 1972 and batted .294. After the 1972 season John was traded to the Cleveland Indians as part of the big trade that sent Graig Nettles to the Yankees.
Ellis got a chance to play every day in Cleveland and had his two best years in 1973 and 1974. John batted .270 with 14 HR and 68 RBI in 1973. In 1974 he batted .285 with 10 HR and 64 RBI. Ellis lost some playing time in 1975 when the Indians promoted Alan Ashby. John batted .230 with 7 HR in 92 games in '75. After the 1975 season Ellis was traded to the Texas Rangers for Ron Pruitt and Stan Thomas.
John was off to a great start in 1976 (.419 in 11 games) but he was injured and didn't play after May 9. For the rest of his career Ellis was a part-time C/1B and DH. John batted .235 in 49 games in 1977 and .245 in 34 games in 1978.
In 1979 Ellis played in over 100 games for the last time. He batted .285 with 12 HR and 61 RBI in 111 games (62 DH, 30 1B, 7 C). John was mostly a pinch hitter / DH in 1980 and batted .236 in 73 games. Ellis had a rough year in 1981 -- he batted .136 in 23 games. Ellis was released by the Rangers during spring training in 1982 and retired.
Buddy Bell has had a long career as a player and as a manager. His father (Gus Bell) played in the majors as did two of his sons (David and Mike). Buddy was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1969. He played in the minors from 1969-1971 and then made the Cleveland club at the age of 20 in 1972. Bell spent most of the season playing right field (they had some guy named Graig Nettles at third base) and batted .255 with 9 HR and 36 RBI in 132 games.
Bell moved to third base in 1973 and had a good sophomore year. He made the AL All Star team and tripled in a pinch-hitting appearance. Buddy batted .268 with 14 HR and 59 RBI. He had a tough time on the basepaths -- he stole 7 bases and was caught 15 times.
Bell batted .262 with 7 HR and 46 RBI in 116 games in 1974. He missed about three weeks in May/June and another three weeks in August with injuries. In 1975 he batted .271 with 10 HR and 59 RBI in 153 games. Buddy batted .281 with 7 HR and 60 RBI in 1976. Bell suffered from seizures during the early part of his career and decided to seek medical help after falling out of a golf cart and breaking his nose in 1976. It was originally thought that he might have a brain tumor, but it was found that he suffered from epilepsy. He started taking epilepsy medication and he hasn't had problems since.
Buddy was injured again in 1977 and missed the last 3 1/2 weeks of the season. He batted .292 with 11 HR and 64 RBI in 129 games. Bell batted .282 with 6 HR and 62 RBI in 1978. After the 1978 season Bell was traded to the Texas Rangers for Toby Harrah.
Bell hit his peak with the Rangers. He won six straight Gold Gloves (1979-1984) and earned at least some MVP consideration in each of those seasons. In 1979 Bell batted .299 with 18 HR and 101 RBI. He also had 200 hits that season and hit a career-high 42 doubles.
In 1980 Bell batted .329 with 17 HR and 83 RBI. He made the AL All Star team that year and was 0 for 2. Buddy missed three weeks in June with an injury. Why Doesn't Buddy Bell Get More Recognition? - January 1981 Baseball Digest.
Buddy batted .294 with 10 HR and 64 RBI in 97 games in 1981. He was an All Star and was 0 for 1 with a sacrifice fly. In 1982 Bell was an All Star again (0 for 3 with two strikeouts) and batted .296 with 13 HR and 67 RBI. Winning, Top Baseball Priority for Buddy Bell - February 1982 Baseball Digest.
In 1983 Bell batted .277 with 14 HR and 67 RBI. He played in his last full season for the Rangers in 1984. Buddy made his last All Star team (0 for 1) and won the Silver Slugger Award at third base. He batted .315 with 11 HR and 83 RBI.
Bell started poorly with the Rangers (.236, 4 HR, 32 RBI in 84 games) in 1985 and was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Duane Walker and Jeff Russell on July 19. He didn't do very well for the Reds either (.219 with 6 HR and 36 RBI in 67 games). Buddy did much better in 1986, batting .278 with 20 HR and 75 RBI.
The 1987 season was Buddy's last season as a regular. He batted .284 with 17 HR and 70 RBI. In 1988 he started slowly (.185 in 54 at bats) and he was traded to the Houston Astros for a minor leaguer on June 19. Buddy batted .253 with 7 HR and 37 RBI for the Astros and was released after the season. Buddy received the 1988 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. Bell signed with the Rangers for the 1989 season but retired after batting .183 in 82 at bats (his last game was June 17). Buddy Bell: A Class Performer at Third Base Bows Out - October 1989 Baseball Digest
After his playing career Bell worked as a coach for the Reds and Indians. Bell managed the Detroit Tigers for 2 1/2 years (1996-1998), the Colorado Rockies for 2 seasons and one month (2000-2002), and the Kansas City Royals for 2 1/2 years (2005-2007). In between his Colorado and Kansas City tenures he worked as a coach for the Indians. Buddy dealt with tonsil cancer at the end of the 2006 season and resigned as the Royal manager after the 2007 season to spend more time with his family.
Jim Bibby was signed by the New York Mets in 1965. He pitched in the Mets organization through the 1971 season and then was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in a multi-player deal. He started the 1972 season with AAA Tulsa and was called up in September 1972. Jim was 1-3 with a 3.35 ERA in six starts for the Cardinals in '72.
Bibby started the 1973 season with the Cardinals but wasn't very effective (0-2 with a 9.56 ERA in six games). On June 6 Jim was traded to the Texas Rangers. Bibby put up pretty good stats for the awful 1973 Rangers -- he was 9-10 with a 3.24 ERA in 26 games (23 starts). On July 30, 1973 Jim pitched a no-hitter against the Oakland A's. In 1974 Jim started 41 games (which didn't even lead the league) and was 19-19 with a 4.74 ERA.
Bibby started the 1975 season with the Rangers. He was 2-6 with a 5.00 ERA in 12 starts when he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in part of the deal that brought Gaylord Perry to the Rangers. Jim was 5-9 with a 3.20 ERA for Cleveland in 24 games (12 starts).
Jim had a swingman role in 1976. He pitched in 34 games (21 starts) and was 13-7 with a 3.20 ERA. Bibby was 12-13 with a 3.57 ERA in 37 games (30 starts) in 1977. On March 6, 1978 Jim was granted free agency and a week later he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 1978 Bibby was a 5th starter / middle reliever type of pitcher for the Pirates. He was 8-7 with one save and a 3.53 ERA in 34 games (14 starts). Jim had the same role in 1979 and was 12-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 34 games (17 starts). Bibby started game 2 of the NLCS and allowed 1 run in 7 innings (the Pirates won the game in the 10th inning). Jim started games 4 and 7 of the 1979 World Series and had a 2.61 ERA in the two games but wasn't involved in either decision.
Bibby was on the NL All Star team in 1980 (he pitched a scoreless 8th inning) and finished 3rd in Cy Young Award voting. Jim was 19-6 with a 3.32 ERA in 34 starts. In 1981 Bibby was 6-3 with a 2.50 ERA in 14 starts. On May 19, 1981 Jim allowed a hit to leadoff batter Terry Harper of the Braves. He then retired the next 27 batters in a row to end up with a 1-hit shutout. Bibby missed a lot of time due to an August rotator cuff injury (and because of the strike).
Bibby missed the entire 1982 season. In 1983 he struggled, going 5-12 with an ERA of 6.69 in 24 games (12 starts). Jim became a free agent after the season and signed with the Rangers. In 1984 Bibby pitched in eight games for the Rangers and had an ERA of 4.41. He was released on June 1 and he signed with the Cardinals on June 9. Bibby spent a month with the Cards' AAA Louisville club but was released on July 1 and that was it for his career.
Jim is the oldest brother of former NBA player Henry Bibby and the uncle of NBA player Mike Bibby. Here is a March 2, 1981 Sports Illustrated article about Jim and Henry.
Liked to face: Glenn Hubbard (.048 in 21 AB); Jeff Burroughs (.083 in 24 AB); Ken Henderson (.107 in 28 AB)
Hated to face: Ted Simmons (.667 in 15 AB); Claudell Washington (.436 in 39 AB); Gene Tenace (.410 with 5 HR in 39 AB)
Jackie Brown was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1962. He pitched in the Phillies' system from 1962 until he was released in May 1968. Brown was signed by the Washington Senators and he pitched better in the Washington organization. Jackie made it to the majors in 1970 at the age of 27. He pitched in 27 games (5 starts) and was 2-2 with a 3.95 ERA.
Brown went back and forth between Washington and Denver in 1971. For the Senators he was 3-4 with a 5.94 ERA in 14 games (9 starts). Jackie was back in Denver for the entire 1972 season. In 1973 Brown was in AAA Spokane until early July then was called up to Texas where he was 5-5 with two saves and a 3.92 ERA in 25 games (3 starts).
Jackie had his best season in 1974 when he was inserted into the Texas rotation. He was 13-12 with a 3.57 ERA in 35 games (26 starts). Brown started the 1975 season with Texas and was traded to the Cleveland Indians as part of a package for Gaylord Perry on June 13. For the two clubs Jackie was 6-7 with one save and a 4.25 ERA in 42 games (10 starts).
Brown was mostly a starter for the last two years of his career. In 1976 he went 9-11 with a 4.25 ERA in 32 games (27 starts). After the '76 season Jackie was traded to the Montreal Expos for Andre Thornton (whoops!!). For the Expos in 1977 Brown was 9-12 with a 4.51 ERA in 42 games (25 starts). The Expos released Jackie after the 1977 season and he signed with the Texas Rangers. Brown spent the 1978 season in AAA Tucson but didn't make it back to the majors.
Liked to face: Aurelio Rodriguez (.179 in 39 AB); Al Kaline (.095 in 21 AB); John Mayberry (.091 in 22 AB)
Hated to face: Amos Otis (.565 in 23 AB); Freddie Pated (.423 in 26 AB); Robin Yount (.346 in 26 AB)
