2023 In Memoriam (Part 2)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Carl Duser (d. January 5) — Carl Duser was a pitcher for the Kansas City Athletics. He appeared in a total of 3 games for the A’s in 1956 and 1958, and he was 1-1 with a 7.88 ERA. He suffered a serious knee injury in a car accident while pitching in the minors, and he was unable to continue his career after that.

David Elder (d. January 31) — Elder debuted with the Cleveland Indians as a reliever in 2002. He appeared in a total of 19 games with Cleveland over the next two seasons and had a 1-3 record and 4.62 ERA. After spending time in the minors and the Atlantic League — and enduring multiple arm surgeries — Elder retired in 2007. He was working as an instructor in a training academy in Georgia at the time of his death at age 47.

Jean Faut (d. February 28) — Jean Faut was one of the greatest pitchers in AAGPBL history and is the only professional pitcher to throw two perfect games. She also threw multiple no-hitters and finished her 8-year career with a 140-64 record and a 1.23 ERA. Faut was named the AAGPBL Player of the Year in 1951 and 1953, and only she and Doris Sams won the award twice.

Larry Foster (d. May 7) — Larry Foster’s major-league pitching career lasted for 12 batters — 2 innings in a game against Minnesota on September 18, 1963. Foster, a Detroit Tigers rookie, allowed 3 earned runs in 2 innings of work. He also won 49 games in the minors before a sore arm ended his career. Foster became a Lutheran pastor and mentored church leadership across the country.

George Frazier (d. June 19) — After a 10-year career as a reliever in the majors, George Frazier became a long-time color commentator for the Colorado Rockies. He pitched in 415 major-league games, all in relief, for the Yankees, Indians, Cubs and Twins, compiling a 35-43 record and 29 saves. He experienced the highs and lows of postseason play; he lost 3 games in the 1981 World Series with New York but ended his career by throwing 2 scoreless innings in the Twins’ World Series win in 1987.

Dave Frost (d. April 17) — In 1979, Frost won 16 games with the California Angels, tied with Nolan Ryan for the team lead. It was the most successful season of his 6-year career, spent with the White Sox, Angels and Royals, as he couldn’t stay healthy enough to replicate his success. He retired with 33 career wins and a 4.10 ERA. He became an in-demand counselor in Orange County, CA. Frost, 70, died from injuries sustained in a car accident.

Joe Gaines (d. May 30) — Joe Gaines debuted with the Cincinnati Reds in 1960 and had a 7-year stint in the majors with the Reds, Orioles and Astros. The outfielder batted .241 and hit 21 home runs. He also played briefly with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan in 1969.

Rob Gardner (d. October 21) — During his 8-year career, pitcher Rob Gardner was traded for 2/3 of the Alou brothers — Felipe and Matty. Gardner played for 6 major-league teams but saved his best work for the 1972 New York Yankees, when he won 8 games with a fine 3.06 ERA. In his career, he won 14 games and lost 18, with a 4.35 ERA. After retiring from baseball, he became a fireman and paramedic in New York, as well as a representative of Broome County’s 5th District.

Bob Garibaldi (d. May 13) — Garibaldi signed with the San Francisco Giants as a $150,000 “bonus baby” but made a total of 15 pitching appearances with the team over the span of the 1960s. He lost his only 2 decisions but saved 2 games and had a 3.08 ERA. He also won 96 games in 10 minor-league seasons.

John Glenn (d. June 4) — John Glenn debuted as an outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals as a 31-year-old rookie in 1960. He hit .258 in 32 games (and 32 plate appearances) in his only season in the majors. Glenn spent 14 seasons in the minors and hit .275. His minor-league stats are incomplete, but he’s credited with 143 stolen bases and 127 home runs.

Dick Groat (d. April 27) — Shortstop Dick Groat was a 2-time World Series champion, an 8-time All-Star and the 1960 National League MVP. He led MLB in batting that season with a .325 mark and helped lead his Pittsburgh Pirates to a World Series championship. Groat played for the Pirates, Cardinals, Phillies and Giants in his 14 seasons in the majors. He was also a college basketball star at Duke and played briefly for the Detroit Pistons before turning his attention to baseball full time. Groat topped the .300 mark 4 times in his career and retired with a .286 career batting average, with 2,138 hits.

Mario Guerrero (d. July 2) — On the field, Mario Guerrero was an infielder for the Red Sox, Cardinals, Angels and Athletics between 1973 and 1980. He was a lifetime .257 hitter. Off the field, he helped his brother Epy Guerrero create a baseball pipeline in their native Dominican Republic. They were responsible for bringing a wealth of talent to Major League Baseball — though not without some controversy along the way.

Bobby Guindon (d. October 26) — Bobby Guindon played in 5 games for the 1964 Red Sox. He debuted weeks after his 21st birthday and had a double in 8 at-bats. He might have had the talent to resurface in the majors as a pitcher, but he was on in an era when two-way players weren’t even a consideration, and Boston never gave him a chance.

Dick Hall (d. June 18) — Dick Hall made it to the majors as an outfielder but didn’t hit well enough to make much of an impression. After giving pitching a try, he became a very valuable reliever and was part of two World Series-winning Baltimore teams. Hall’s 19 years in the majors resulted in 93 wins, a 3.32 ERA and 71 saves. He also batted .210 with 4 homers — clearly sticking with pitching was the right move.

Roger Hambright (d. April 15) —  Roger Hambright’s 10-year career in professional baseball included 18 games pitched for the New York Yankees in 1971. He won 3 games and saved 2 more, and he fanned 14 batters in 26-2/3 innings. He never returned to the majors, and he finished his career pitching for Juarez in the Mexican League for 3 seasons.

Preston Hanna (d. November 20) — The Atlanta Braves took pitcher Hanna with its First Round pick in the 1972 Amateur Draft. He reached the majors with the Braves in 1975 and played for them until 1982, through a few turbulent episodes, before closing out his career with a few games for Oakland at the end of the ’82 season. He was primarily a reliever in his career and went 17-25 with a 4.61 ERA.

Bob Harrison (d. January 11) — Harrison pitched in a game for the Boston Red Sox in both the 1955 and ’56 season. In 3-2/3 innings, he allowed 5 runs on 5 hits and 9 walks.

Roric Harrison (d. September 17) — Roric Harrison is the answer to the trivia question, “Which pitcher hit the final home run in the American League before the AL adopted the designated hitter?” He accomplished the feat on October 3, 1972, while pitching for Baltimore. Harrison also played for Atlanta, Cleveland and Minnesota, ending his major-league career in 1978. He pitched in 140 games, half of which were starts, and had a 30-35 record with 10 saves, 12 complete games and a 4.24 ERA.

Tom Harrison (d. July 26) — Harrison made into 2 games with the Kansas City A’s in 1965 — one as a pitcher and one as a pinch-runner. He gave up a run in the only inning he pitched in the majors and was erased in a double play in his one time on the basepaths.

Willie Hernandez (d. November 20) — One of the unlikeliest Cy Young Award/MVP Award winners of all time has to be Guillermo “Willie” Hernandez. Prior to 1984, he was known as a solid reliever for the Cubs and Phillies. But with the Detroit Tigers in ’84, he turned into the best closer in baseball, with 32 saves and a 1.92 ERA. Hernandez routinely pitched 2 or more innings throughout the season, and his heroics helped propel the Tigers to win the AL pennant and then the World Series. Hernandez was a 3-time All-Star with Detroit before losing his effectiveness. In 13 seasons, he saved 147 games and had a 3.38 ERA.

Alex Herrera (d. February 16) — Venezuelan southpaw pitcher Herrera played for Cleveland in 2002 and ’03. In 15 games, he had no record and a 5.11 ERA. Along with playing for numerous minor-league and independent teams, Herrera later pitched in China, Italy, Mexico and Venezuela. He also represented Venezuela in the Caribbean Series in 2010-11.

Joe Hicks (d. December 2) — An outfielder and pinch-hitter in the majors, Joe Hicks played for the Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators and New York Mets. His busiest season came in 1962 with the Senators, when he batted .224 in 102 games with 6 home runs.

Dennis Higgins (d. November 3) — Higgins pitched in nearly 250 games as a major-league reliever in the 1960s and ’70s. In his major-league debut on April 12, 1966, he threw 2-2/3 scoreless innings against the Angels and rushed to the airport to get married the very next day. In 7 seasons with the White Sox, Senators, Indians and Cardinals, Higgins recorded 46 saves and had a 3.42 ERA. His cousin, Joe Crede, also played for the White Sox.

Paul Hinrichs (d. April 9) — Paul Hinrichs pitched in 4 games for the 1951 Boston Red Sox, allowing 8 runs in 3-1/3 innings for a 21.60 ERA. He later became a Lutheran minister, a Model A Ford enthusiast and a harpsichord restorer.

Ron Hodges (d. November 24) — For 12 seasons, 1973 to 1984, Hodges was a reliable backup catcher for the New York Mets. He topped 100 games played in a season just once in all those seasons, but he was a reliable constant for the team. Hodges batted .240 with 19 home runs in his career.

Vern Holtgrave (d. May 8) — Holtgrave pitched in 1 game for the Detroit Tigers in 1965, allowing 2 runs in 3 innings of work. His playing career came to an early end thanks to arm injuries. Later in life, Holtgrave was elected to the Clinton County (IL) Board in 1998 and held the seat for 20 years. 

Don Hood (d. June 10) — A former first-round draft pick by the Baltimore Orioles, Hood had a 10-year career in the majors with Baltimore, Cleveland, New York (AL), St. Louis and Kansas City. He was a swingman throughout his career, making a total of 72 starts and 225 relief appearances. He had a 34-35 record with 6 saves; his career ERA was 3.79, and his ERA+ was 101. Hood became a park ranger after pitching in the short-lived Senior League.

Frank Howard (d. October 30) –Standing 6’7″ and weighing more than 250 pounds, Howard was one of the most physically intimidating sluggers of the 1960s and ’70s. He was given a multitude of nicknames — Hondo, The Capitol Punisher, The Washington Monument — thanks to his size and the fact that his best seasons came with the Washington Senators. In 16 seasons, Howard smashed 382 home runs and batted .273. Despite his size, he was known as one of the nicest and most gracious ballplayers around. Howard also managed the Padres in 1981 and Mets in 1983, and he worked as a coach until 1999 and a roving instructor into the 2000s.

Mike Ivie (d. July 21) — The San Diego Padres drafted Mike Ivie as the first player selected in the 1970 Amateur Draft. Taken as a catcher, he was compared favorably to Johnny Bench. However, he struggled with the stress and expectations that were placed upon him as a No. 1 draft pick. He was moved to first base, and then moved off the field entirely as a designated hitter. Ivie played for the Padres, Giants and Tigers from 1971 to 1983. He hit a career-high 27 home runs with San Francisco in 1979, with 89 RBIs and a .286 batting average. For his career, Ivie was a .269 hitter with 81 homers.

Deacon Jones (d. May 7) — Grover Jones’ father was a deacon in White Plains, NY, and he preferred the nickname of “Deacon” to his given name. Jones played for the Chicago White Sox in 1962-63 and 1966 as a pinch-hitter and first baseman. He hit .286 with a home run in 40 games. Jones became a scout and an instructor for the White Sox, and he became one of the first Black managers in the minor leagues. Jones later moved to the Houston and was integral in bringing a professional baseball team to Sugar Land with the Skeeters of the Atlantic League. The team is now the Sugar Land Space Cowboys and is part of the Houston Astros organization.

Fred Klages (d. March 30) — As a high school quarterback, Pennsylvania native Klages clashed frequently with another star QB in the area, Joe Namath. Klages entered into pro ball as a pitcher and reached the majors with the Chicago White Sox in 1966 and 1967. He appeared in 14 games, 12 of which were starts, and had a 5-4 record and 3.28 ERA. Shoulder soreness kept him from returning to the majors, and he retired in 1970. His daughter Kim is an award-winning minor-league executive.

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