Roy Staiger | |
---|---|
Third baseman | |
Born: Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. | January 6, 1950|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 12, 1975, for the New York Mets | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 23, 1979, for the New York Yankees | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .228 |
Home runs | 4 |
Runs batted in | 38 |
Teams | |
Roy Joseph Staiger (born January 6,1950) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. He was part of the first player trade between the New York Mets and New York Yankees that did not also involve a third team. [1]
Staiger was born &raised in Tulsa,Oklahoma,and was a standout athlete at Will Rogers High School.,and attended Bacone College in nearby Muskogee,Oklahoma. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifteenth round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft but did not sign. Seven months later,he was drafted by the New York Mets in the first round (24th overall) of the 1970 January Secondary Amateur Draft. [2]
After a subpar first season with the California League's Visalia Mets in 1970 (.239 avg.,7 HR,34 RBI in 76 games),Staiger displayed the power that led the Mets to make him a first round pick his second season in Visalia. In 139 games,he clubbed 19 home runs and 18 doubles,while driving in 83 runs with a .282 batting average and .445 slugging percentage.
As a franchise,the Mets were notoriously unstable at third base throughout their brief history. Staiger's improved production prompted the Mets to use him,who had split the 1970 season pretty evenly between second,third and shortstop,primarily at third base in 1971. Likewise,he was used exclusively at third in 1972 with the double A Memphis Blues. Injuries limited Staiger to just 81 games,in which he hit three home runs and once again batted .282 with 38 runs batted in. His slugging percentage dropped to .379,and he registered an on-base percentage of .306.
Staiger spent the next three seasons stuck at triple A. In 1973,his first season with the International League's Tidewater Tides,he appeared in 136 games. He had a batting average of .249,a slugging percentage of .339 and an on-base percentage of .302. Although the Mets had several injuries to their infielders on the Major League team,Staiger was passed up in favor of other Tidewater infielders —Brian Ostrosser and Lute Barnes —and did receive time in the majors that season.
In 1974,he again played in 136 games,and improved his batting average to .272,his slugging percentage to .343 and his on-base percentage to .343. In his third consecutive season at Tidewater in 1975,he improved his batting average and slugging percentage again to .282 and .418,respectively. This earned Staiger a promotion to the Mets major league team that September.
When Staiger made his major league debut on September 12,against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium,he became the 50th third baseman in Mets history. [3] He went 0-for-4 in his debut, [4] however,the following day,he got his first major league hit,a double off Cards closer "The Mad Hungarian" Al Hrabosky,and scored his first major league run on a Mike Phillips single the next batter. [5] He collected just two more hits,both singles,over the rest of the season,giving him three hits in nineteen at bats for a .158 batting average.
Staiger began the 1976 season in a platoon with Wayne Garrett at third until midway through the season,when Garrett was dealt to the Montreal Expos with Del Unser for Pepe Mangual and Jim Dwyer. At the time of the trade,Staiger was batting an even .200 with no home runs and six RBIs in 34 games,however,Mets manager Joe Frazier had managed Staiger at Tidewater the previous season,and believed in Staiger's ability to serve as the Mets' full-time third baseman. He showed modest improvement following the trade,batting .230 with 20 RBIs over the rest of the season. He hit his first career home run off Expos pitcher Woodie Fryman on August 2. [6] Three days later,he hit his only other home run of the season off the Pittsburgh Pirates' Kent Tekulve. [7]
After the 1977 Mets got off to a 15-30 start,Frazier was fired as manager,and replaced with player/manager Joe Torre. Under Frazier,Staiger was the Mets' starting third baseman,and batted .236 with two home runs and eight RBIs. Torre,however,favored Lenny Randle,acquired from the Texas Rangers earlier in the season. [8] Staiger garnered just two more plate appearances before being demoted to Tidewater. In 73 games with Tidewater he batted .287 with 15 home runs to earn a call back up to the Mets that September. In fifteen at bats,he collected six hits,three RBIs and three runs scored.
Staiger was traded by the Mets to their cross-town rival New York Yankees for Sergio Ferrer at the Winter Meetings on December 9,1977. [9] Staiger spent the entire 1978 season with the Yankees' triple A affiliate,the Tacoma Yankees. Though he batted .283 with 19 home runs and 85 RBIs,it was not enough to earn him a call up to the World Series champions that September. He did,however,receive a brief call up to the Yankees in September 1979. In his second game as a Yankee,Staiger missed a hit and run call,resulting in a triple play. [10] He appeared in four games for the Yankees,getting three hits in eleven at-bats. In 1980 Staiger played once again for the Columbus Clippers. After batting .234 in 90 games,he ended his professional baseball career.
Joseph Edward Collins was an American Major League Baseball player born in Scranton,Pennsylvania.
Hubert "Hubie" Brooks is an American former professional baseball right fielder,third baseman,and shortstop. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1980 to 1994 for the New York Mets,Montreal Expos,Los Angeles Dodgers,California Angels,and Kansas City Royals. Brooks was selected third overall in the 1978 Major League Baseball draft by the New York Mets and went on to play for five different teams over a 15-year career,and was twice named an All-Star. MLB pitcher Donnie Moore was Brooks' cousin.
David Arthur Kingman,nicknamed "Kong","King Kong",and "Sky King",is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder,first baseman,third baseman,and designated hitter who was a three-time MLB All-Star with 442 career home runs and 1,210 runs batted in (RBI) in 16 seasons. In his career,Kingman averaged a home run every 15.11 at bats,tied for 14th best all-time.
Howard Michael Johnson,nicknamed "HoJo",is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played for the Detroit Tigers,New York Mets,Colorado Rockies,and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1982 to 1995. He has also coached in MLB for the Mets and Seattle Mariners.
James Lloyd Spencer was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. Born in Hanover,Pennsylvania,the left-handed Spencer was recognized for his excellent fielding ability,but also served in later years as a designated hitter.
Robinson JoséCanóMercedes is a Dominican-American professional baseball second baseman for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League;he also captains the Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Professional Baseball League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,Seattle Mariners,New York Mets,San Diego Padres,and Atlanta Braves.
John Claiborn Mayberry Sr. is an American former Major League Baseball player who was active from 1968 to 1982 for the Houston Astros,Kansas City Royals,Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees. He was a two-time All Star.
Gary Steven Roenicke is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder for the Montreal Expos (1976),Baltimore Orioles (1978–85),New York Yankees (1986) and Atlanta Braves (1987–88).
Leonard Shenoff Randle is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchise,New York Mets,New York Yankees,Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners from 1971 to 1982.
Chase Jordan Headley is an American former professional baseball third baseman. A switch-hitter,Headley made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the San Diego Padres in 2007,and also played for the New York Yankees.
George Farley "Boots" Grantham was an American Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs,Pittsburgh Pirates,Cincinnati Reds,and New York Giants between 1922 and 1934.
Mark Andrew Reynolds is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks,Baltimore Orioles,Cleveland Indians,New York Yankees,Milwaukee Brewers,St. Louis Cardinals,Washington Nationals,and two stints with the Colorado Rockies. A right-hander both when batting and throwing,Reynolds was known for his frequent and long home runs,high strikeout totals,and defensive versatility,having been primarily a third baseman before transitioning to first base while playing for the Orioles.
Roy Lee Howell is an American former professional baseball third baseman,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1974–1984 for the Texas Rangers,Toronto Blue Jays,and Milwaukee Brewers.
Jay Allen Bruce is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds,New York Mets,Cleveland Indians,Seattle Mariners,Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees. The Reds drafted Bruce in the first round,12th overall pick,of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft;he made his MLB debut in 2008. Bruce was named an All-Star three times during his career,and won the Silver Slugger Award twice.
Todd Brian Frazier,nicknamed "The Toddfather",is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds,Chicago White Sox,New York Yankees,Texas Rangers,New York Mets,and Pittsburgh Pirates from 2011 to 2021. Frazier was an MLB All-Star in 2014 and 2015.
Charles William Smith was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers,Philadelphia Phillies,Chicago White Sox,New York Mets,St. Louis Cardinals,New York Yankees,and Chicago Cubs from 1960 to 1969.
Thomas Steven Ashford is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman. He was drafted second overall in the 1974 January Draft by the San Diego Padres. In addition to the Padres,Ashford also played for the Texas Rangers (1980),New York Yankees (1981),New York Mets (1983) and Kansas City Royals (1984).
Martin Roman Perez is a former shortstop and second baseman for the California Angels (1969–70),Atlanta Braves (1971–76),San Francisco Giants (1976),New York Yankees (1977) and Oakland Athletics (1977–78).
Jonathan Gregory "J.D." Davis is an American professional baseball third baseman in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros,New York Mets,San Francisco Giants,Oakland Athletics,and New York Yankees. Davis played college baseball at California State University,Fullerton,and was drafted by the Astros in the third round of the 2014 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Astros.
Louis Linwood Voit III is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,St. Louis Cardinals,San Diego Padres,Washington Nationals,and Milwaukee Brewers.