Highlighted Year: John Roseboro, 1958

Catcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

Age:  25 (May 13)

1^st season with Dodgers

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 5’11” Weight: 190 

Prior to 1958:

A native of Ashland, Ohio, Roseboro became a catcher in high school where he was also a fleet-footed starting halfback on the football team. Accepting a scholarship to Central State College, he drew the interest of a Brooklyn Dodgers scout and he signed for a $5000 bonus in 1952. The 19-year-old backstop was initially assigned to Sheboygan of the Class D Wisconsin State League where he broke a finger and was shifted to the outfield. With his smooth swing he batted .365 with 15 doubles, 5 triples, one home run, 49 RBIs, a .443 on-base percentage, and .473 slugging percentage while appearing in 68 games. Playing center field in 1953 for Great Falls of the Class C Pioneer League, he continued to hit well until he was drafted into the Army at midseason. Roseboro missed all of 1954 and returned to play for teams at the Class A and B level in 1955, where he hit a combined .247 with 6 home runs and 28 RBIs with a .399 OBP. He also returned to playing catcher as the Dodgers were looking to develop a replacement for star backstop Roy Campanella, who was in his mid-thirties. Promoted to the Montreal Royals of the Class AAA International League in 1956, Roseboro batted .273 with 25 home runs, 78 RBIs, a .400 OBP, and a .538 slugging percentage. He started 1957 with Montreal but was called up to Brooklyn in June due to an injury to first baseman Gil Hodges. Playing out of position, Roseboro played his first four games at first and then stayed on as the club’s third-string catcher and making ten appearances as a pinch-runner to take advantage of speed that was uncharacteristic of a backstop. In all he appeared in 79 games with the Dodgers and batted a disappointing .145 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs. Campanella’s career-ending car accident in the offseason led to Roseboro sticking with the club in its new location in Los Angeles in 1958. The Dodgers, who gambled on not trading for an established catcher, soon settled on Roseboro as the regular backstop in tandem with veteran backup Rube Walker and another rookie, Joe Pignatano.

1958 Season Summary

Appeared in 114 games

C – 104, PH – 9, LF – 4, CF – 1, PR – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 431

At Bats – 384

Runs – 52

Hits – 104

Doubles – 11

Triples – 9 [7, tied with Dick Groat, Bob Skinner & Ken Boyer]

Home Runs – 14

RBI – 43

Bases on Balls – 36

Int. BB – 2

Strikeouts – 56

Stolen Bases – 11 [11, tied with Ken Boyer]

Caught Stealing – 8 [5, tied with Johnny Temple & Don Hoak]

Average - .271

OBP - .333

Slugging Pct. - .456 [Non-qualifying]

Total Bases – 175

GDP – 5

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 4

Sac Flies – 5 [16, tied with eight others]

Midseason snapshot: 3B – 6, HR - 6, RBI - 19, AVG - .264, OBP - .338, SLG – .454

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Most hits, game – 3 on five occasions

Longest hitting streak – 7 games

HR at home – 2

HR on road – 12

Most home runs, game – 2 (in 6 AB) at Cincinnati 8/3 – 10 innings

Multi-HR games – 1

Most RBIs, game – 3 on five occasions

Pinch-hitting – 2 for 7 (.286) with 1 2B, 1 RBI & 1 BB

Fielding

Chances – 638

Put Outs – 594

Assists – 36

Errors – 8

Passed Balls – 3

DP – 5

Pct. - .987

Awards & Honors:

All-Star

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The relocated Dodgers went 71-83 to finish seventh in the NL, 21 games behind the pennant-winning Milwaukee Braves while leading the league in stolen bases (73), fewest hits (1297), lowest batting average (.251), and lowest OBP (.317). The Dodgers were in the NL basement by May 12 following a 9-16 start, rose as high as fourth during a 17-14 August but dropped in September to finish out of the first division for the first time since 1944. They still drew 1,845,556 fans to their ill-suited temporary home at the LA Memorial Coliseum, some 800,000 more than their last year in Brooklyn.

Aftermath of 1958:

The Dodgers won the NL pennant in 1959, and Roseboro, with a secure hold on the catching position, batted .232 with 14 doubles, 7 triples, 10 home runs, 38 RBIs, and a .322 OBP. Having taken some blame for the failures of the pitching staff in 1958, which were likely more affected by the odd configuration of the LA Memorial Coliseum, he gained esteem for his defense, featuring a strong throwing arm that was much in evidence in the World Series against the White Sox and their aggressive base-stealers who he held in check. He also led all NL catchers with 848 putouts. The ballpark configuration that hindered lefthanded batters likely kept Roseboro’s average and power totals low, although in the playoff against the Milwaukee Braves to decide the pennant, the young catcher’s home run in the sixth inning of Game 1 provided the margin for a 3-2 win. In 1960 his batting production fell further to .213 with a .323 OBP and 8 home runs with 42 RBIs. His defense remained steady and his hitting improved in 1961 as he batted .251 with 18 home runs, 59 RBIs, a .346 OBP, and a .459 slugging percentage. He was also an All-Star for the second time and received a Gold Glove for his play behind the plate. The team moved into the new Dodger Stadium in 1962 and missed winning the NL pennant by losing a season-extending playoff to the Giants. Roseboro remained a key contributor defensively and hit .249 with 16 doubles, 7 triples, 7 home runs, 55 RBIs, and a .341 OBP. With the Dodgers reliant on pitching, speed, and defense, Roseboro did his part as a reliable backstop who could run effectively, stealing 12 bases that included a theft of home. The club won the pennant in 1963 and Roseboro contributed by batting .236 with 13 doubles, 7 triples, 9 home runs, 49 RBIs, and a .291 OBP while handling pitchers well and continuing to perform solidly behind the plate. His three-run homer in Game 1 of the World Series against the Yankees gave starting pitcher Sandy Koufax all the runs he needed in putting together a 15-strikeout performance that kicked off a four-game sweep. LA dipped in the standings in 1964 but Roseboro’s batting average jumped to .287 along with 24 doubles, 3 home runs, 45 RBIs, and a .357 OBP. The Dodgers were back in a close pennant race with the Giants in 1965 and Roseboro became involved in one of the most notorious on-field incidents in baseball history. In an August game at San Francisco, ace RHP Juan Marichal of the Giants began throwing brushback pitches at Dodger batters. When Marichal next came to bat, Roseboro threw close to Marichal’s head in tossing the ball back to pitcher Sandy Koufax and after the two exchanged words, Roseboro began to rise from his crouch and Marichal struck him in the head three times with his bat, instigating a melee. While it was initially feared that the catcher had lost an eye, he ended up with a gash in his head and was back in action three days later. Marichal was fined and suspended for eight days, missing only one start. The Dodgers went on to win the pennant and Roseboro, the quiet catcher who was ironically tagged with the nickname “Gabby”, saw his batting production drop to .233 with 8 home runs, 57 RBIs, and a .289 OBP. He placed 26^th in league MVP voting, primarily appreciated for his defense, handling of pitchers, and clutch hitting. In 1966 Roseboro raised his average to .276 with 23 doubles, 9 home runs, 53 RBIs, and a .343 OBP for the light-hitting Dodgers, who repeated as NL pennant winners. He also caught in over 100 games for the eighth time with LA, the last six consecutive, and received a Gold Glove for his defensive prowess. He placed thirteenth in league MVP balloting. The Dodgers were swept in the World Series by the Baltimore Orioles. In the pitching-dominated Series, Roseboro only produced one single. He played one more season with the fading Dodgers in 1967 and hit .272 with 18 doubles, 4 home runs, 24 RBIs, and a .348 OBP while appearing behind the plate in 107 games. In the offseason, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins along with pitchers Bob Miller and Ron Perranoski for RHP Jim “Mudcat” Grant and shortstop Zoilo Versalles. Viewed as a short-term replacement for the retired Earl Battey, Roseboro caught in 116 games in 1968 and batted a mere .216 in a pitching-dominated season with 8 home runs, 39 RBIs, and a .300 OBP. With the division-winning Twins in 1969, Roseboro was behind the plate for 111 games and hit .263 with 3 home runs, 32 RBIs, and a .333 OBP. Released in the offseason, he caught on with the Washington Senators in 1970 but was released as a player in August, thus concluding his playing career, and finished out the season as a coach. His major league totals were a batting average of .249 with 1206 hits that included 190 doubles, 44 triples, and 104 home runs. He scored 512 runs and compiled 548 RBIs, 67 stolen bases, a .326 OBP, and a .371 slugging percentage. With the Dodgers the totals were 441 runs scored, 1009 hits, 162 doubles, 44 triples, 92 home runs, 471 RBIs, 59 stolen bases, a .327 OBP, and a .382 slugging percentage. Appearing in 23 postseason games, Roseboro hit .160 with a home run and 7 RBIs. A six-time All-Star, he also was awarded two Gold Gloves, and often playing through nagging injuries, he was a durable and much-appreciated presence behind the plate. Following his playing career, Roseboro coached but fell well short of achieving his desire to manage in the major leagues. He died in 2002 at the age of 69.  

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.