Bill Plummer had one of the most thankless tasks in all of baseball: he was the backup catcher to Hall of Famer Johnny Bench. As a result, Plummer played in about 50 games per year. However, he did it well enough that he stayed in the major-leagues for 10 years and was a part of two World Series-winning teams. Plummer died on March 12 after suffering a heart attack at his home in Redding, CA, according to the Associated Press. He was 76 years old. Plummer played for the Chicago Cubs (1968), Cincinnati Reds (1970-77) and Seattle Mariners (1978). He also managed the Mariners in 1992.
William Francis Plummer was born in Oakland on March 21, 1947. His father, Bill, was a minor-league pitcher who played in the Pacific Coast League for five seasons in the 1920s. Plummer was first recognized as a top-tier catcher while attending Anderson Union High School in Anderson, CA, in the 1960s. He was named to the Shasta Dam Area All-Star Team which also featured John Strohmayer, who pitched for the Expos and Mets in the early 1970s. Plummer was a starter on Anderson’s basketball team, but it seems like whenever there was an announcement of various area baseball all-stars, he was invariably the catcher. In fact, after he was part of a 1964 Northern California All-Star Team that played a group of San Francisco high school students in a game sponsored by the San Francisco Examiner, Redding Record-Searchlight Sports Editor Max Norris suggested that the Giants take a good look at Plummer.
Plummer graduated from Anderson High and attended Shasta Junior College, but the St. Louis Cardinals signed him with “a substantial bonus” in April 1965. Plummer joined the Cedar Rapids Cardinals of the Class-A Midwest League and had 2 hits in 15 at-bats before he was sent to the team’s Florida Rookie League team. Plummer batted .265 in 42 games there. Plummer hit his first professional home run in July 1966 while playing for the Eugene Emeralds; it was a 3-run blast that won the game 3-2 for Eugene. Plummer struggled to hit much else that season, ending the campaign with a .144 batting average in 46 games. He fared better in 1967, when he played in 120 games for Modesto of the Class-A California League and hit .234 with 11 home runs and 56 RBIs. Plummer also performed well behind the plate, and the Chicago Cubs were so encouraged by his progress that the team selected him from St. Louis in the offseason minor-league draft.
Plummer made his major-league debut as a pinch-hitter on April 19 and struck out against Cardinals pitcher Hal Gilson. That was half of the big-league action he saw all year. The Cubs had to keep Plummer on the major-league roster for the entire 1968 season or offer him back to St. Louis for half of the $25,000 that the Cubs paid to draft him. The Cubs were loathe to do that. “Plummer is only 20 years old, and despite three mediocre seasons at bat is regarded as an outstanding receiver with a rifle arm,” wrote The Chicago Tribune. However, the team was managed by Leo Durocher, who didn’t believe in resting his starters — ever. Four of the regular eight position players played in 160 games or more, and that included catcher Randy Hundley. Of the 1,453-1/3 innings logged by Cubs catcher in 1968, Hundley accounted for 1,385, or 95%, of all innings caught. John Boccabella caught 28 innings and Randy Bobb caught 24-1/3 as the only other Cubs catchers with double-digit innings totals. Plummer made it into one game behind the plate, on May 12, in the second game of a doubleheader. Hundley caught the first game, and with the Cubs losing 10-0 in the second game, Durocher “rested” his starting catcher by letting Plummer work the final two innings. He caught 2 strikeouts from reliever Ramon Hernandez and flew out to right in his only at-bat. Plummer never took the field with the Cubs again to finish with an 0-for-2 record. He sat on the bench for the rest of the season and later said that Durocher never even bothered to learn his name. The Cubs included Plummer in a trade with Cincinnati on January 9, 1969, with minor-leaguer Ken Myette and outfielder Clarence Jones in exchange for reliever Ted Abernathy. Plummer went from backing up a very good catcher to one of the greatest catchers of the 20th Century in Johnny Bench.
While Plummer was watching Cubs games in 1968, Bench was busy putting up Rookie of the Year numbers for Cincinnati. The Reds targeted Plummer and a catcher they drafted from the California organization, Jim Hibbs, to develop in Triple-A Indianapolis as insurance. “Although we have the top guy [Bench] and a good backup man in Pat Corrales in Cincinnati, we now feel we have two potential catchers pushing them at Indianapolis,” said Seldon “Chief” Bender, Cincinnati director of player personnel. Plummer was content to go to the minors if it meant he would play regularly. “I just want to play a year in Triple-A ball. I haven’t been in Triple-A. I feel I need that experience,” he said.
Plummer spent most of the next three seasons in Indianapolis, getting a couple of call-ups, too. He batted .248 in 1969 and improved his batting average to .260 in 1970 and .266 in ’71. He also hit 7 home runs in both 1969 and ’70 before exploding with 17 long balls in 1971, demonstrating that the defense-first catcher had some pop in his bat as well. Plummer’s first chance to join the Reds came in September of 1970. He played in a total of 4 games, including 2 starts as catcher while Bench was playing in right field and first base. Plummer went hitless in his first 8 plate appearances, including a hit by pitch, before singling off Atlanta’s Ron Reed in the ninth inning of an 11-2 loss on September 20. It was his first major-league hit and last appearance of 1970. He started 1971 with Cincinnati and made a couple of starts at third base in April before being sent back to Indianapolis. Plummer had a couple of stints with the Reds that year but went hitless in 19 at-bats, spread out over 10 games. It wasn’t until 1972 that he had the opportunity to spend the entire year with the Reds.
Had Plummer started back in Indianapolis in 1972, he likely would have retired, he said. The Reds got a bit of a reprieve when Plummer got hurt in spring training and opened the season on the disabled list. He returned in May, and the Reds demoted and then traded Corrales to keep Plummer in the majors. “Bill has got to find out if he can play in the major leagues,” said Reds manager Sparky Anderson, who proceeded to give the bulk of the catching to Bench. Through August 4, Plummer had appeared in 10 games and had 2 hits in 21 at-bats.
“I want to play, and I feel that I can play. It’s just something that, maybe, you just have to wait your turn,” Plummer said. As it turned out, he didn’t wait long. Anderson gave Plummer a couple of starts in mid-August to rest Bench, but then Bench broke the pinky finger on his left hand and couldn’t catch. The versatile Bench moved to right field, and Plummer had almost three weeks of uninterrupted playing time. He was hitting .095 when he started playing regularly and brought his average up to .208 on August 22, when he hit his first career home run against Montreal’s Mike Marshall. “I always felt I wouldn’t embarrass myself if I played every day,” Plummer said. He did cool off and returned to his backup role once Bench could catch again. In 38 games, Plummer hit .186 with 2 home runs.
From that point forward, Plummer’s seasons were much the same. He appeared in 50 to 60 games a year, getting time at third base every once in a while. But he never had more than 200 plate appearances in a season. On the bright side, the Reds were turning into the Big Red Machine, with stars at nearly every position (Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez), so the team made regular trips to the postseason. The Reds lost to Oakland in the 1972 World Series, but won back-to-back championships in 1975 and 1976. Plummer never once got into a postseason game but was able to watch some classic World Series moments from one of the best seats in the stadium.
In an interview with Tom McEwen of the Tampa Tribune, Plummer said that his typical day included warming up the starting pitcher, shagging fly balls while the starters took batting practice, and then standing by during the game to warm up and relievers. “I guess in catches, I do about the same amount of receiving in a day-night as John, only not in the game,” he said. “Sometimes the night is very long.” Plummer held no resentment toward his counterpart, saying, “John’s not the best now, he’s the best ever. I don’t think any catcher ever will do the things he’s done so quickly.”
Plummer demonstrated that if given regular playing time, he had the potential to hit well, at least for a few weeks. But with Bench staying remarkably healthy, it was tough for Plummer to get regular work. Consequently, his offensive numbers suffered. Plummer batted .151 for Cincinnati in 1973, going hitless in 19 at-bats for the month of September. While that performance might doom another player, Anderson understood Plummer’s situation and didn’t dock him for an occasional error or strikeout. “I know his job isn’t an easy one,” Anderson said, comparing Plummer to Charlie Silvera, a former catcher whose main claim to fame was winning a bunch of World Series with the Yankees as Yogi Berra’s backup. “The better a No. 1 catcher on the club is, the better off — security-wise, at least — the No. 2 catcher is.”
Plummer had his heroic moments. The only 2 home runs he hit in 1974 came in the same game against the Philadelphia Phillies… and their ace, Steve Carlton. “After that second homer I had to fight Bench to keep him from taking the catching equipment away from me,” Plummer joked. That year, he topped the .200 mark for the first time in his major-league career and slashed .225/.258/.333. Plummer reached career highs in 1975 by playing in 65 games and driving in 19 runs, but he hit just .182. That fall, he collected his first of two championship rings when Cincinnati defeated Boston in the classic 1975 World Series.
Plummer had his best season at the plate in 1976, when he slashed .248/.311/.379. He hit a career-best 4 home runs and drove in 19 runs once more. Bench missed about a week’s worth of games in early June, so Plummer got the rare opportunity to start 5 games in a row. On June 6, he single-handedly wrecked the St. Louis Cardinals, driving in 7 runs in a 13-2 game. Plummer had an RBI single in the second inning, hit a bases-loaded triple in the third inning — the only triple of his career — and belted a 3-run homer off Danny Frisella in the sixth inning.
“I think everybody who’s an extra man dreams about days like this,” Plummer said after the game. “I can say for one day at least, I carried the Reds.”
The Reds won the World Series again in 1976, but the success the Reds enjoyed didn’t trickle down to Plummer. Over the offseason, he asked for a $10,000 raise to $40,000 and was rejected by the Reds. He said it was the first time he had asked for a substantial raise. “They tell me they have to pay the big guys, but that’s not my problem. I have mouths to feed, too,” he said in January 1977. “I don’t know where to turn. I hate to even mention the word ‘option,’ but if Cincinnati doesn’t even feel I’m worth ten thousand more dollars…”
Plummer’s batting average tumbled to .137 in 1977. In the offseason, he asked to be traded, but when the Reds could find no takers, the team released Plummer in March 1978. He had just turned 31 and wasn’t ready to retire just yet. “I want one last chance to prove to myself if I can play of not,” he said after he was cut. About a week after his release, Plummer signed a minor-league contract with Seattle. He spent the first part of 1978 playing for San Jose of the Pacific Coast League, and while he didn’t hit, the Mariners brought him to the majors in May. Plummer split playing time with Bob Stinson and batted .215 in 41 games. After a final season of playing at Triple-A Tacoma in 1979, Plummer called it a career.
In 10 seasons in the majors, Plummer played in 367 games and slashed .188/.267/.279. He had 168 hits, including 37 doubles, 1 triple and 14 home runs. He drove in 82 runs and scored 72 runs. He had a career OPS of .546 and an OPS+ of 53.
Plummer went straight from playing in the Mariners’ minor leagues to managing in them. He had two very successful seasons in 1980 and ’81 at Class-A and then spent a few years as Seattle’s bullpen coach. Starting in 1984, Plummer returned to the minors to manage Seattle’s teams in Double-A Chattanooga (1984-85) and Triple-A Calgary (1986-88). His teams were usually right around the .500 mark, and as he gained more experience, Plummer mellowed as a manager. “He’s more calm now,” said Calgary infielder Mario Diaz, who had spent 4 straight years with Plummer, starting in Chattanooga. “In Chattanooga, he used to scream at the players. He changed personalities a lot… If you made a bad mistake, he would stare at you. He still does it sometimes but not so much anymore. Plum and I get along pretty good. He’s a good manager. I think he will be in the big leagues some day.”
While at Calgary, Plummer instituted a “Plum’s Reward System,” which gave players a little extra cash if they did on-field things like show outstanding hustle, make relay throws or move a baserunner over. On the flip side, there were on-field and off-field fines too, anything for missing a sign to failure to back up a base to bringing hard liquor on the bus. Plummer was not above the rule system, as he could get fined $5 for bonehead managing. He was called up to the majors in July of 1989 when Seattle fired manager Dick Williams and hired Jim Snyder. One of Snyder’s first decisions was to make Plummer his new third base coach. Snyder himself was dismissed at the end of the season, and Plummer was a candidate for manager until the team hired Jim Lefebvre. Plummer was kept on as a bullpen coach, and by 1989, he had been a Mariner longer than he had been a Red. “I’ve been in this organization a long time and I feel like everybody else here. I’d like to be around when we do start to win. That’s my goal,” he said. “If it can’t be as a manager, that’s fine.”
Plummer was around to witness the arrival of an old Reds teammate, Ken Griffey Sr., to the team, as well as his son, Ken Jr. He saw the growth of Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez and the trade that brought Randy Johnson to Seattle. The Mariners had a wealth of talent but couldn’t quite make it show up in the AL West Standings. Lefebvre was fired after the 1991 season, and Plummer was hired as his replacement. The announcement was made in October 1991, and Plummer said he wanted to the ’92 season to start the next day. “I feel I’m the right man. It’s nice to see an organization take a chance on someone who doesn’t have experience here.”
Plummer had managed many of the Mariner veterans in the minors, and the 1992 training camp was described as “fun” by hitting coach Gene Clines. “And that’s been something that has been lacking for the last three years,” he added. “Bill brings a real positive attitude to the camp. He has loosened up the players and they are having fun doing their jobs.”
The fun ended once the season started. The team’s pitching staff, long considered a weakness, was a major disappointment. Starting pitcher Erik Hanson lost 17 games, and Rich DeLucia pitched himself out of the starting rotation early in the year with an ERA around 10. Would-be closer Mike Schooler saved just 13 games, and Plummer also feuded with Johnson after the pitcher took himself out of a game after 2 innings, while pitching on short rest. Seattle ended up with the American League’s worst record at 64-98. Plummer and his coaching staff were fired at the end of the season. “It comes with the territory,” was Plummer’s sole comment about being dismissed.
Following his departure from the Mariners organization, Plummer spent spent two seasons as the bullpen coach in Colorado. He also managed the Jacksonville Suns, the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, for a couple of years and spent some time in independent baseball, including manager of the Chico Heat in 1997-99 and the Yuma Bullfrogs in 2000-01. He began working for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2002 in various capacities, including a manager at various levels of the minors and a minor-league catching coordinator. During his time managing the Yakima Bears in 2003, a player who made a bad mistake could expect to get “Plummerized,” as the players called it. “He’s old school, but a good old school,” said outfielder Conor Jackson. “He expects the most out of you and if he doesn’t get it, he chews your ass out. But if you do a good job, he’ll pat you on the back.”
Plummer left the Diamondbacks in 2017, having spent a total of 53 years in baseball as a players, manager and coach. His grandson, Connor Menez, pitched for the Giants and Cubs between 2019 and 2022 and most recently played for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan.
Follow me on Instagram: @rip_mlb
Follow me on Facebook: ripbaseball
Follow me on Bluesky: @ripmlb
Follow me on Threads: @rip_mlb
Follow me on X: @rip_mlb
Support RIP Baseball
RIP Baseball 