David Martin Rader (born December 26, 1948) is an American former professional baseball player.[1] He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1971 through 1980, with the San Francisco Giants (1971–1976), St. Louis Cardinals (1977), Chicago Cubs (1978), Philadelphia Phillies (1979) and Boston Red Sox (1980).[1] He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.[1]
| Dave Rader | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: December 26, 1948 Claremore, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 5, 1971, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 5, 1980, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .257 |
| Home runs | 30 |
| Runs batted in | 235 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Major League career
editRader was selected by the San Francisco Giants as their number one pick in the 1967 Major League Baseball Draft.[2] He became the Giants' starting catcher in 1972, posting a .259 batting average in 127 games.[1] Rader finished as runner-up to Jon Matlack for the 1972 National League Rookie of the Year Award, and won The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award.[3][4]
The next season, he posted career-highs in home runs (9), runs (59), runs batted in (41) and fielding percentage (.991) but hit for only a .229 batting average in 148 games.[1] In 1974 and 1975 he averaged .291 each season.[1] In October 1976, Rader was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals where he served as a reserve catcher working behind Ted Simmons during the 1977 season.[1][5]
After one year with the Cardinals, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs in December 1977.[5] Rader became the Cubs' regular catcher during the 1978 season, playing in 114 games but, only managed to post a .203 batting average and, in February 1979, he would be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.[1][5] He served as a third string catcher with the Phillies, backing up Bob Boone and Tim McCarver. Rader would be traded a final time in March 1980 to the Boston Red Sox where he backed up regular Red Sox catcher, Carlton Fisk.[5] In November 1980, the Red Sox granted Rader free agency. He signed with the California Angels in February 1981 but was released two and a half months later.[1]
Career statistics
editIn a ten-year major league career, Rader played in 846 games, accumulating 619 hits in 2,405 at bats for a .257 career batting average along with 30 home runs and 235 runs batted in.[1] Rader had a career .983 fielding percentage.[1] Rader was the Giants catcher on August 24, 1975 when Ed Halicki pitched a no-hitter against the New York Mets.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Dave Rader". Baseball Reference. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ "1967 Major League Baseball Draft". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ "1972 National League Rookie of the Year Award ballot results". Baseball Reference. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ "Rookie Player of the Year Award by The Sporting News". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Dave Rader Trades and Transactions". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ "August 24, 1975 Mets-Giants box score". Retrosheet.org. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference
- Retrosheet