Ralph Allen Garr (nacido el 12 de diciembre de 1945), apodado " Road Runner ", es un ex jugador de béisbol , cazatalentos y entrenador estadounidense . Jugó en las Grandes Ligas de Béisbol (MLB) como jardinero desde 1968 hasta 1980 , sobre todo como miembro de los Bravos de Atlanta , y finalmente con los Medias Blancas de Chicago y los Angelinos de California .
Ralph Garr | |||
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Jardinero | |||
Nacimiento: 12 de diciembre de 1945 Monroe, Louisiana | |||
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Debut en la MLB | |||
3 de septiembre de 1968 para los Bravos de Atlanta | |||
Última aparición en la MLB | |||
4 de junio de 1980 para los Angelinos de California | |||
Estadísticas de MLB | |||
Promedio de bateo | .306 | ||
Jonrones | 75 | ||
Carreras impulsadas | 408 | ||
Equipos | |||
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Destacados y premios de la carrera | |||
El año de carrera de Garr fue 1974 , cuando fue un All-Star de la Liga Nacional (NL) y ganó el título de bateo de la Liga Nacional . Garr era un libertino libre [1] que podía confundir a las defensas golpeando a todas partes del campo. Bateó .300 o mejor cinco veces durante su carrera. En 2006, Garr fue incluido en el Salón de la Fama de los Bravos de Atlanta. [2]
Cara en la multitud
Garr nació en Monroe, Louisiana , y mientras crecía trabajaba como lustrabotas en una peluquería local. [3] Después de graduarse de Lincoln High School en Ruston, Louisiana , asistió a la históricamente afroamericana Grambling State University en Grambling, Louisiana . [4] En 1967 , como segunda base del equipo de béisbol Grambling Tigers , Garr lideró la Asociación Nacional de Atletismo Intercolegial con un promedio de bateo récord de .585 para llevar a su equipo a una marca de 35-1 en temporada regular. Su logro obtenido mención en Sports Illustrated ' 'Caras en la multitud' s [5] derecho a la misma hora que estaba siendo reclutado por los Bravos de Atlanta en la tercera ronda del proyecto de la Liga Mayor de Béisbol 1967 .
Primeros años
Aunque Garr era un corredor rápido y un buen bateador de contacto , era un infielder por debajo del promedio . [6] Se convirtió en jardinero con los Shreveport Braves en 1968 y permaneció en los jardines por el resto de su carrera. Después de dos temporadas de ligas menores en las que bateó .287 con 53 carreras impulsadas (RBI), Garr dio el salto de Doble A a las mayores en septiembre de 1968. El veloz Garr apareció en 11 juegos con los Bravos, pero nunca necesitó su guante. una vez, ya que fue utilizado como bateador emergente o corredor emergente en cada una de sus apariciones, y nunca se mantuvo en el juego. Independientemente, se ganó una invitación al entrenamiento de primavera de 1969 y comenzó la temporada como el jardinero izquierdo de los Bravos todos los días cuando Rico Carty se dislocó el hombro. [7] Tras el regreso de Carty, Garr fue enviado a su filial de Triple A, los Richmond Braves , [8] y luego regresó en septiembre cuando los rosters se expandieron. En general, bateó para .222 en 22 juegos.
Garr again made the Braves out of spring training 1970, and resumed the role he had at the end of the 1968 & 1969 seasons. He appeared in 16 games with the Braves through May, but had already earned a reputation as something of a defensive liability at this point in his career, and never once took the field. He was optioned back to Richmond at the end of May, and went on to bat an International League record .386 with seven home runs, 51 RBI, and a league best 39 stolen bases.[9] He returned to Atlanta in September as a fourth outfielder, and batted .302 in 91 plate appearances.
"Correcaminos"
In 1970, Rico Carty injured his left knee playing Winter ball in the Dominican Republic,[10] and was lost for the entire 1971 season. Garr seized the opportunity, batting over .400 through the middle of May, and earning the nickname "Road Runner" due to his speed. On May 17, against Tom Seaver and the New York Mets, Garr hit a solo home run with two outs in the tenth inning to tie the game. He hit a second home run in the 12th for the walk-off victory.[11]
Garr became so popular with fans in Atlanta that the Braves negotiated exclusive big-league baseball rights with Warner Bros. Cartoons to use animated scenes of the Looney Tunes character Road Runner on the scoreboard, while the calliope erected behind right field went "beep-beep" like the cartoon character every time Garr reached first base.[12] By the end of the season, Garr's batting average cooled off to .343, good for second best in the NL to the St. Louis Cardinals' Joe Torre. He also scored a career high 101 runs batting second in the Braves' batting order.
Unfortunately, Garr's defensive short-comings (he led N.L. outfielders with 11 errors) caused him to lose his starting job in left field when Carty returned to the Braves in 1972. He still appeared in 134 games and managed a .962 fielding percentage manning all three outfield spots. His .325 batting average was again second best in the league (this time to the Chicago Cubs' Billy Williams). At the end of the season, Carty was traded to the Texas Rangers, opening a permanent spot for Garr.[13]
Garr again put up solid offensive numbers in 1973 (.299 batting average, 11 home runs, 94 runs scored, and a career high 55 RBI and 35 stolen bases), but his weak glove made him trade-bait at the 1973 Winter meetings. Needing to strengthen their infield defense as well, the Braves had a deal in place that would have sent Garr to the Philadelphia Phillies for shortstop Larry Bowa,[14] however it fell through. Instead, he remained in Atlanta, and put together the best season of his career, flirting with a .400 batting average for much of the first half of the season. He had 149 hits heading into the All-Star break that year, a record which stands to this day, to earn selection to the National League All-Star team (he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout).[15] He ended the season with a league best .353 average, and also led the NL in hits (214) and triples (17).
Garr spent much of his early career believing he was greatly underpaid by the Braves, so after that career year Garr sought a raise to $114,500 for the 1975 season, more than double what he received in 1974, at which the Braves countered with $85,000.[16] The contract dispute went to arbitration, with Garr winning[17] to become the highest paid player on the team, and the first player in major league history to double his salary through arbitration.[18]
Despite an excellent spring, and going into the season with confidence,[19] Garr's average dipped to .278 in 1975. He did, however, lead the league in triples (11) for a second year in a row. Garr and Larvell Blanks were traded to the Chicago White Sox for Ken Henderson, Dick Ruthven and Dan Osborn on December 12, 1975.[20]
Medias Blancas de Chicago
Disarray was something of a theme for the 1976 White Sox as Jorge Orta, the second baseman with the 1975 team Chuck Tanner managed was used at third and left field in 1976 by new manager Paul Richards.[21] Likewise, Garr's role with the Chisox in 1976 was similar to the one he had with the Braves in 1972; he had no regular outfield position, and his playing time was split evenly between all three outfield spots. The formula proved unsuccessful as the Sox narrowly avoided a hundred losses in 1976. For his part, Garr batted an even .300, and was second on the team to Orta with 63 runs scored.
Bob Lemon replaced Richards at the helm in 1977,[22] returning Orta to second base, and returning Garr to left field. The Chisox did a complete 180 that year as they won ninety games to finish third in the American League West. Garr batted an even .300 for the second year in a row, while improving substantially in every other offensive category. His fielding also improved as he logged a career high .987 fielding percentage.
Garr had an off year in 1978, putting up career lows in just about every offensive category. His notoriously bad fielding was also becoming an issue again. He and pitcher Francisco Barrios became embroiled in a fight on August 10, following a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, over an incident in their August 7 match-up with the Kansas City Royals. With Barrios pitching, Garr threw a ball he fielded off the wall to the wrong base, allowing a runner to score.[23] It was the second run-in between the two.[24]
Garr started the 1979 season in left field, but shortly after Tony La Russa replaced Don Kessinger as White Sox manager, Garr was replaced by a revolving door of left fielders, with Alan Bannister, Thad Bosley, Junior Moore, and Wayne Nordhagen all manning the position at one point or another. Rumors circulated that it was by Garr's choice; he refused to take the field following an August 5 rock concert held at Comiskey Park that left the field in tattered condition[25] (American League (AL) President Lee MacPhail actually canceled games at Comiskey later in the month due to the poor conditions of the outfield). On September 20, with only nine games left on the schedule, Garr's contract was sold to the California Angels.
Garr was used as a designated hitter in California, but managed to bat just .167 in that role, and was released on June 6, 1980.
En retiro
Garr became part-owner and a part-time worker at Kaloche doughnut shop in Houston, Texas following his retirement. When the 1984 Winter meetings were held in Houston, Garr attended, seeking a scouting or coaching job. Baseball legend and Garr's former teammate, Hank Aaron, the Braves' director of player development, offered Garr a position as roving scout and minor-league base-running coach.[26]
Garr played profesisonal softball for Lima Steele's in the United Professional Softball League (UPSL) during their 1982 season.[27][28]
Garr was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1985,[29] Grambling State University Alumni Hall of Fame in 1991,[30] the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame in 2006[31] and the International League Hall of Fame in 2008.[32] In his 2012 film, Trouble with the Curve, Clint Eastwood's character, fictional Braves scout Gus Lobel, is credited with signing Dusty Baker, Dale Murphy, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, and Garr.[33] The scout who actually signed Garr was Mel Didier.[34]
Estadísticas de carrera
In 1,317 games over 13 seasons, Garr batted .306 (1,562-for-5,108) with 717 runs scored, 212 doubles, 64 triples, 75 home runs, 408 RBI, 172 stolen bases, 246 walks, an on-base percentage of .339, and a slugging percentage of .416. He compiled a .968 fielding percentage at all three outfield positions.
Ver también
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
Referencias
- ^ "Garr: Dumb Like a Fox". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. June 11, 1974. p. 5A. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Braves Hall of Fame Members". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ Ira Berkow (June 8, 1971). "Ralph Garr Didn't Know When He was Well Off". Times Daily.
- ^ "Ralph Garr (Grambling) – More than a "Face in the Crowd"". Black Pioneers of College Baseball & Legends of HBCU Baseball. June 22, 2009.
- ^ "Faces in the Crowd". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. June 26, 1967.
- ^ Don Delliquanti (May 10, 1971). "Two Beeps, A Cloud Of Dust". SI.com. Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Rico Carty Hurt as Braves Lose". Lewiston Morning Tribune. April 5, 1969.
- ^ "Carty is Restored to Braves' Roster". Milwaukee Journal. April 30, 1969.
- ^ "#272 Ralph Garr". 1980 Topps Baseball Card Project. May 8, 2010.
- ^ "Atlanta's Rico Carty has Multiple Knee Fractures". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. December 13, 1970.
- ^ "Box Score: Atlanta Braves 4, New York Mets 3". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. May 10, 1971. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ William Leggett; Roy Blount, Jr.; Don Delliquanti (April 12, 1971). "TK". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Braves Send Slugger Rico Carty to Rangers for Pitcher Panther". Montreal Gazette. October 28, 1972.
- ^ "Atlanta Seeks Help From Deals". Palm Beach Post. December 2, 1973. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "1974 All-Star Game Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. July 23, 1974.
- ^ "Why Can't They Treat Me Like the Best — Braves' Ralph Garr". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. February 22, 1975.
- ^ "Ralph Garr Wins Arbitration Case". Virgin Islands Daily News. February 26, 1975.
- ^ "Ralph Garr". MISC. BASEBALL, Gathering Assorted Items of Baseball History & Trivia.
- ^ "Garr Predicts Super Year for Ralph Garr". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. April 3, 1975.
- ^ "Veeck Triggers Wild Trade Spree". Gadsden Times. December 13, 1975.
- ^ Alan Lassila (March 2, 1976). "White Sox Plan to Experiment". Sarasota Journal.
- ^ "Lemon Named Chisox Pilot". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 16, 1976.
- ^ "Barrios, Garr Tangle in Clubhouse". Wilmington Morning Star. August 12, 1978.
- ^ "Sox Barrios Seeks Trade". Sarasota Journal. August 9, 1978.
- ^ "Evans Ponders Suit of Veeck". Telegraph Herald. August 31, 1979.
- ^ Winderman, Ira (May 29, 1985). "The Roadrunner Ralph Garr is Back in Baseball as a Coach & Scout". South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
- ^ "Clipped From The Cincinnati Enquirer". May 16, 1982. p. 28 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Clipped From News-Journal". May 20, 1982. p. 25 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ralph "Road Runner" Garr". Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Class of 1985.
- ^ "Alumni Hall of Fame". Grambling State University. Archived from the original on December 2, 2007.
- ^ "Turner Field Museum & HOF". MLB.com.
- ^ "Hall of Fame Inductee, Ralph Garr" (PDF). MiLB.com. Minor League Baseball. Class of 2008.
- ^ Glassey, Conor (September 23, 2012). "Movie Review: Trouble With The Curve". baseballamerica.com. Baseball America. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Veteran Scout Mel Didier Tells Us a Story". codball.com. Codball. September 23, 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
enlaces externos
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Ralph Garr at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Preceded by Tommy John | National League Player of the Month May 1974 | Succeeded by Buzz Capra |