Who is the man: Ken Rudolph split his 1970 season between the majors and minors. On the Cubs, he was the catching backup to the backup (J.C. Martin) to the backup (Jack Hiatt). (FYI: Randy Hundley was the starter).
Can ya dig it: Not much imagination with this photo.
Right on: I like the look of that old-style Cubs cap.
You see that cat Rudolph is a bad mother: Rudolph was selected by the Cubs in the second round of the first major league amateur draft in 1965. He was chosen 26th overall. Meanwhile, Johnny Bench was selected 36th overall (To be fair, six catchers were drafted before Bench).
Shut your mouth: Rudolph was one of many major league players who left their teams in 1970 to serve required military duty. Terms of service ranged from two weeks in summer camp to weekend meetings with reserve units.
No one understands him but his woman: Rudolph was a high school baseball coach in Phoenix, Ariz., until recently. He retired two years ago.
(A word about the back): I think those stats say he wasn't in the majors for his hitting.
I had to go see who he'd taken deep in 1969. Turns out it was Dock Ellis.
ReplyDeleteRemarkably, given his slow start, Rudolph was in the majors on and off through 1977. I did not know that. A backup-backup catcher who doesn't get too injured and doesn't demand too much money can knock around for a while.