This is a super-sized edition of Swings and Misses, which catalogs posts from players who do not return the survey. All five of these men signed the card though, which was pretty cool, all things considered. Don’t forget, you can click the link for their career stats.
Batting leadoff, we have Cleveland Indians infielder Ray Webster. Webster played just 47 games in the major leagues, 40 for Cleveland and the other seven for the Boston Red Sox. He hit .195 with two home runs in those games.
Mike Ryan caught for 10 seasons in the majors for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates. His .193 career average is the second lowest for a player with over 1,000 at bats. He was a member of the 1967 ‘Impossible Dream’ Red Sox’ team that played the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.
A six-time all star, Don Kessinger was a defensive wiz for the Chicago Cubs for much of the 1960’s and 1970’s. He won the Gold Glove in 1969 and 1970, finishing with MVP votes both of those seasons. In 16 years in the majors, Kessinger hit .252 with 14 career home runs.
Roger Metzger spent 11 seasons playing in the major leagues. He twice led the National League in triples and won the Gold Glove in 1973. He posted a career average of .231 with just five home runs.
Jim Shellenback compiled a 16-30 career record with a 3.81 ERA in 165 big league games, pitching for four different teams from 1966-1977. He won six games for the Washington Senators in 1970, which was his career high.
