Smallest Cup of Coffee

[ALBB]

will have to research it but -

1980s/90s guy..Seattle Mariners...kid from NJ..became a dentist ?, something like had an AB..but game rained out..then got hurt and sent down..never made it back ??

[packs]

I think Larry Yount's career is still the saddest in MLB lore. Just three years removed from graduating high school, 21 year old Larry Yount, brother to Robin, was called up and put into a game by Houston in 1971. He hurt himself warming up and never threw a pitch. He played three more years in the minors and retired for good.

He is credited with an MLB appearance though.

[paul]

I think the guy with the brain tumor, Dick Wantz, beats out Larry Yount for saddest baseball story.

[packs]

On a personal level, sure. But we're talking about baseball careers. Wantz got to throw a pitch.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

It's all a matter of perspective, I suppose. If you were to ask Larry Yount, who is still very much with us, I'm guessing I'd know what his answer would be. But yes, we were talking baseball and not philosophy!

[packs]

No doubt. I just think that's a different discussion. There's a lot of tragedy in baseball. I thought we were talking about short careers. Even Moonlight Graham played an inning. Yount did not. He merely stood on the mound between innings.

[Rhotchkiss]

Here is Moonlight. This, and two other Moonlight items, are in Memory Lane’s Summer Auction. His stuff is super scarce, as you would expect from a guy who played 1/2 inning.

Cool thread

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by packs

I think Larry Yount's career is still the saddest in MLB lore. Just three years removed from graduating high school, 21 year old Larry Yount, brother to Robin, was called up and put into a game by Houston in 1971. He hurt himself warming up and never threw a pitch. He played three more years in the minors and retired for good.

He is credited with an MLB appearance though.

Just saw this thread and immediately thought of Larry Yount. He gets my vote.

[drmiraculous]

My man Ryan Brett got into five games in 2015 with the Tampa Bay Rays, which I know isn't as low a total as some others, or nearly as far back. But what impressed me was how Ryan managed just MLB two hits and a walk before getting injured diving back into first base on a pickoff play.

So he spent the rest of the season on the Tampa Injured List making bigleague money instead of being shipped back to Triple-A when their regular infielder he was filling in for returned. It was the best career move of his life, earnings wise, as he bounced around the minors a few years but never got back to the majors.

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by drmiraculous

My man Ryan Brett got into five games in 2015 with the Tampa Bay Rays, which I know isn't as low a total as some others, or nearly as far back. But what impressed me was how Ryan managed just MLB two hits and a walk before getting injured diving back into first base on a pickoff play.

So he spent the rest of the season on the Tampa Injured List making bigleague money instead of being shipped back to Triple-A when their regular infielder he was filling in for returned. It was the best career move of his life, earnings wise, as he bounced around the minors a few years but never got back to the majors.

He actually has a rough story with the timing. He got hurt four days after being called up on April 17th and went on the disabled list on April 22nd. He was sent on a quick rehab and then optioned to Triple-A on May 28th. That means he collected big league pay for 41 days. You need a minimum of 43 days for a pension, so he missed that by two days. He received $120,973 in big league salary that year, plus a little more than half that much in minor league salary, which was raised once he made the majors.

They sped up his rehab, letting it go four days total with two different teams, which kept him from getting a pension. He got a nice signing bonus out of HS though ($341,000)

[drmiraculous]

Originally Posted by z28jd

He actually has a rough story with the timing. He got hurt four days after being called up on April 17th and went on the disabled list on April 22nd. He was sent on a quick rehab and then optioned to Triple-A on May 28th. That means he collected big league pay for 41 days. You need a minimum of 43 days for a pension, so he missed that by two days. He received $120,973 in big league salary that year, plus a little more than half that much in minor league salary, which was raised once he made the majors.

They sped up his rehab, letting it go four days total with two different teams, which kept him from getting a pension. He got a nice signing bonus out of HS though ($341,000)

Yeah thats the guy! He was ticketed back to triple-A and would likely never have stuck for anywhere near long enough to sniff a pension were it not for the injury time. He had a recurring shoulder injury, it popped out of socket sometimes and must have been very painful, hopefully the club helped him have it fixed.

[jakebeckleyoldeagleeye]

A fellow I knew Eddie Phillips was up with the Cardinals in September of 1953 and pinch ran in 9 games and scored 4 runs. Eddie Stanky never let him bat one time. Thanks Stanky.

[WillowGrove]

Spring training 2011 I'm sitting next to a man with a jugs gun and we get to talking. He tells me his story...his name is John Sanders and he was with the 1965 KC A's. Second game of the season, bottom of the 7th one out, he goes in to pinch run at first base. Next two batters make out.

And that was his major league career.

He gave me his business card and years later I was able to send him a souvenir ruler from the 1965 A's with his photo on it. (See pic)

John had a long career as head baseball coach at University of Nebraska, where he helped develop Darin Erstad.

Nice man.