Highlighted Year: Danny Cater, 1968

First Baseman, Oakland Athletics

Age:  28

3^rd season with Athletics (2^nd complete)

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’0”    Weight: 170 

Prior to 1968:

A native of Austin, Texas, Cater played football, as well as baseball, at William B. Travis High School. Following graduation in 1958, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for a reported $24,000. Starting out with Johnson City of the Class D Appalachian League he played shortstop and was the short-season league’s Player of the Year after leading the circuit in runs scored (70), home runs (14), and RBIs (68). Earning a promotion in 1959 to Bakersfield of the Class C California League, Cater was shifted to second base and batted .308 with 38 doubles, 7 triples, 11 home runs, 99 RBIs, a .364 on-base percentage, and a .451 slugging percentage. Advancing to Williamsport of the Class A Eastern League in 1960, he hit .266 with 33 doubles, 12 home runs, 69 RBIs, a .303 OBP, and a .404 slugging percentage. He also played at first base and led all Eastern League first sackers with a .990 fielding percentage. Remaining with Williamsport in 1961, Cater made another position change, this time to second base, which didn’t bother his hitting as he batted .343 with 28 doubles, 9 triples, 16 home runs, 80 RBIs, a .382 OBP, and a .511 slugging percentage. He was named a league All-Star and in 1962 was promoted to the Buffalo Bisons of the Class AAA International League where he played third base and hit .288 with 21 doubles, 7 triples, 12 home runs, 67 RBIs, a .320 OBP, and a .424 slugging percentage. Low-key and laid back, he was told in the minors that he needed to be more of a “holler guy”, which did not fit his nature. With a high-pitched voice, he was referred to by teammates as the “Texas Tenor”. But his bat and versatility in the field worked in his favor. Staying in the International League with the Arkansas Travelers in 1963, Cater played in the outfield and batted .291 with 23 doubles, 5 triples, 14 home runs, 58 RBIs, a .324 OBP, and a .450 slugging percentage. A line-drive hitter with a closed stance, Cater made the Phillies as a utility player in 1964, seeing most of his action in left field and as a pinch-hitter. He appeared in 60 games and batted .296 as a rookie with 9 doubles, a home run, 13 RBIs, and a .325 OBP, although he missed significant time during the summer due to a broken arm. In the offseason he was sent to the Chicago White Sox as part of a trade for RHP Ray Herbert. Seeing considerable action in left field in 1965, Cater got off to a fast start with his hitting and finished at .270 with 14 home runs, 55 RBIs, and a .316 OBP. His laid-back demeanor got him on the wrong side of new manager Eddie Stanky in 1966. Little used, he was hitting .183 when dealt to the then-Kansas City A’s late in May. Used regularly at first and third base as well as left field, he batted .292 for the A’s and ended up at .278 with 17 doubles, 7 home runs, 56 RBIs, and a .317 OBP.  1967 was a chaotic season for the A’s off-the-field, which led to disappointing results on the field. Cater started the season at first base and eventually split time at third base and left field. Off to a good start offensively, he cooled off and finished at .270 with 17 doubles, 4 home runs, 46 RBIs, and a .317 OBP. A beaning ended his season in mid-September. The franchise moved west to Oakland in 1968.

1968 Season Summary

Appeared in 147 games

1B – 121, LF – 19, PH – 16, RF – 2, 2B – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 550

At Bats – 504

Runs – 53

Hits – 146 [15, tied with Willie Horton & Del Unser]

Doubles – 28 [7, tied with Frank Howard]

Triples – 3

Home Runs – 6

RBI – 62 [15, tied with Ken McMullen & Roy White]

Bases on Balls – 35

Int. BB – 3

Strikeouts – 43

Stolen Bases – 8

Caught Stealing – 7 [14, tied with ten others]

Average - .290 [2]

OBP - .336 [15, tied with Joe Foy]

Slugging Pct. - .393 [20]

Total Bases – 198

GDP – 21 [2]

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 5

Sac Flies – 4 [20, tied with twenty-one others]

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 9, HR - 3, RBI - 24, AVG - .263, OBP - .333

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) vs. Boston 7/15, (in 4 AB) vs. Baltimore 8/13, (in 5 AB) at California 9/1, (in 5 AB) vs. Cleveland 9/8

Longest hitting streak – 10 games

HR at home – 2

HR on road – 4

Most home runs, game – 1 on six occasions

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 4 vs. Boston 5/29

Pinch-hitting – 5 for 12 (.417) with 3 R, 3 2B, 1 RBI & 3 BB

Fielding (1B)

Chances – 1058

Put Outs – 985

Assists – 68

Errors – 5

DP – 89

Pct. - .995

Awards & Honors:

19^th in AL MVP voting, tied with Tony Oliva, Minn. (5 points, 2% share)

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The relocated Athletics went 82-80 to finish sixth in the AL, 21 games behind the pennant-winning Detroit Tigers, while leading the league in hits (1300), stolen bases (147), and batting (.240). The resurgent A’s.climbed as high as third place in June prior to a seven-game losing streak that moved them back into the middle of the pack. Still, they finished with their best record since 1952, when they were still in Philadelphia, which was not enough to save manager Bob Kennedy’s job. Attendance at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum was a disappointing 837,466, presaging many years of mediocre returns at the gate. Cater became the regular first baseman during May and, in a season dominated by pitching, he challenged for the AL batting title. His .290 average placed second to Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski who won the batting championship with a record low figure of .301. He excelled defensively at first base where his .995 fielding percentage topped all AL first sackers.

Aftermath of 1968:

Cater was unable to sustain a strong start in 1969 and finished at .262 with 24 doubles, 10 home runs, 76 RBIs, and a .296 OBP, while again performing well in the field. In the offseason he was traded to the New York Yankees for LHP Al Downing and catcher Frank Fernandez. He primarily started at first base in 1970, but also saw action at third. At bat he was leading the Yankees in batting and RBIs by the end of June and ended up hitting .301 with 26 doubles, 6 home runs, 76 RBIs, a .340 OBP, and a .393 slugging percentage. In 1971 Cater again split time between first and third base and batted .276 with 25 extra-base hits that included 16 doubles and 4 home runs, 50 RBIs, and a .308 OBP. Prior to the 1972 season Cater was dealt to the Boston Red Sox for relief pitcher Sparky Lyle. Playing at first base, he hit a disappointing .237 with 8 home runs, 39 RBIs, and a .270 OBP. He was benched for a time in August. With Lyle starring for the Yankees, Cater became a target of fan disappointment. 20 pounds lighter in 1973, he saw scant action in returning to a utility role but batted a solid .313 with 24 RBIs and a .348 OBP. Following one more insignificant season with the Red Sox in 1974, Cater was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1975 to back up young first baseman Keith Hernandez. Seeing scant action and being sent down to Class AAA, he was released in July, thus ending his playing career. For his major league career Cater batted .276 with 1229 hits that included 191 doubles, 29 triples, and 66 home runs. He scored 491 runs and compiled 519 RBIs, a .316 OBP, and a .377 slugging percentage. With the Athletics he batted .277 with 566 hits, 85 doubles, 12 triples, 27 home runs, 236 RBIs, a .319 OBP, and a .370 slugging percentage. Cater never appeared in the postseason and only received MVP votes in 1968. Following his playing career he worked in the Texas comptroller’s office. A versatile player who was typically a decent hitter, he came close to winning a batting championship in a pitching-dominated season.

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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.