Highlighted Year: Tom Burgmeier, 1971

Pitcher, Kansas City Royals

Age: 28 (Aug. 2)

3^rd season with Royals

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 5’11” Weight: 185 

Prior to 1971:

A Minnesota native, Burgmeier went to Cathedral High School in St. Cloud where he participated in wrestling, ice hockey, basketball, and bowling in addition to baseball. During his junior year in 1960, Cathedral advanced to the state championship game in baseball and lost despite Burgmeier’s good pitching performance. The school won the title in 1961 and Burgmeier contributed seven wins, including three no-hitters. Following high school he played American Legion ball and joined an amateur team in the area. In the fall of 1961 he signed with the expansion Houston Colt .45s, who would join the National League the following year. In 1962 he was assigned to Modesto of the Class C California League where he started in 27 of his 34 appearances and produced a 12-11 record with a 4.34 ERA, 10 complete games, and 210 strikeouts over 197 innings pitched. With two teams at the Class A and AA levels in 1963, he was used exclusively as a starter with disappointing results, posting a combined tally of 4-13 and an ERA of 5.24 with 62 strikeouts over 110 innings. Back with Modesto in 1964 he was released by the Colt .45s but was picked up by the Los Angeles Angels who assigned him to San Jose of the California League where his record was 8-7. After playing in the Arizona Instructional League, he advanced to Seattle of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1965 where, primarily a starting pitcher, he again went 8-7 and had a 3.21 ERA, 6 complete games, and 94 strikeouts over 129 innings. Splitting the 1966 season between Seattle and El Paso of the Class AA Texas League, Burgmeier produced a combined 6-13 record and 5.37 ERA with 4 complete games, 2 shutouts, and 63 strikeouts over 114 innings. He was back with Seattle in 1967 and went 11-14 with a 2.78 ERA. His 15 complete games led the league and he struck out 114 batters over 230 innings. In 1968 he finally reached the major leagues as a member of the Angels bullpen. He appeared in 56 games and produced a 1-4 record with 5 saves and 33 strikeouts over 72.2 innings. In the offseason he was chosen by the Royals in the expansion draft as both leagues added two teams apiece. Burgmeier was effective for the first-year Royals in 1969, pitching in 31 games and compiling a 3-1 tally with 23 strikeouts over 54 innings. While he spent part of 1970 in Class AAA with Omaha of the American Association, Burgmeier relieved in 41 games for the Royals and went 6-6 with one save, a 3.16 ERA, and 43 strikeouts over 68.1 innings. His repertoire consisted of a sinker, slider, and fastball.

1971 Season Summary

Appeared in 68 games

P – 67, PR – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 67 [3]

Games Started – 0

Games Finished – 34 [6]

Complete Games – 0

Wins – 9

Losses – 7

PCT - .563 [19]

Saves – 17 [4, tied with Rollie Fingers]

Shutouts – 0

Innings Pitched – 88.1

Hits – 71

Runs – 23

Earned Runs – 17

Home Runs – 3

Bases on Balls – 30

Strikeouts – 44

ERA – 1.73 [Non-qualifying]

Hit Batters – 7 [9, tied with five others]

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 2

Midseason Snapshot: 4-3, G – 38, SV – 6, ERA - 1.57, SO – 25 in 46 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 3 on five occasions

10+ strikeout games – 0

Batting

PA – 21, AB – 20, R – 2, H – 5, 2B – 2, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 1, SO – 7, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .250, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 36

Put Outs – 7

Assists – 28

Errors – 1

DP – 3

Pct. - .972

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The Royals went 85-76 to finish second in the AL Western Division, 16 games behind the division-winning Oakland Athletics. The pitching staff led the league in saves (44) and fewest home runs allowed (84). The Royals, in their first full season under manager Bob Lemon, got off to an 11-11 April start and played consistently well throughout the season. The addition of shortstop Freddie Patek significantly improved the infield defense and he combined well with veteran second baseman Cookie Rojas, who was in his first full season in Kansas City.

Aftermath of 1971:

The Royals faltered in 1972, and pitching took much of the blame. Burgmeier appeared in 51 games and posted a 6-2 record and 9 saves along with a 4.23 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 55.1 innings. Off to a poor start in 1973, Burgmeier was sent down to Omaha in May where the situation failed to improve. Having apparently fallen out of favor with the Royals, in the offseason he was traded to the Minnesota Twins, returning him to his home state. In 1974 he became part of an effective lefty-righty bullpen tandem with RHP Bill Campbell and, appearing in 50 games, his record was 5-3 with 6 saves and a 4.52 ERA. While Minnesota pitchers struggled for the most part in 1975, the Burgmeier and Campbell tandem remained effective, and Burgmeier went 5-8 with 11 saves and a 3.09 ERA in 46 appearances. Utilized more in long relief in 1976, Burgmeier registered only one save but finished with an 8-1 tally and 2.50 ERA in 57 appearances, with 45 strikeouts over 115.1 innings. With Campbell gone in 1977, Burgmeier returned to a setup role but was mediocre after passing a kidney stone in June and finished with 61 appearances that produced a 6-4 record and 7 saves with a 5.09 ERA and 35 strikeouts over 97.1 innings. A free agent in the offseason he signed with the Boston Red Sox. With Boston in 1978, Burgmeier made 35 appearances and compiled a 2-1 tally with 4 saves and 24 strikeouts over 61.1 innings. In 1979 he appeared in 44 games and had a 3-2 record and 4 saves with a 2.74 ERA and 60 strikeouts over 88.2 innings. A strong first half in 1980 propelled Burgmeier to his only career All-Star selection and although hindered by a bout of tendinitis in the season’s second half he finished with 62 appearances and a 5-4 tally to go along with 24 saves, a 2.00 ERA, and 54 strikeouts over 99 innings. With the Red Sox in 1981, in the strike-interrupted year he made 32 appearances for a 4-5 mark and 6 saves with a 2.87 ERA and 35 strikeouts over 59.2 innings. Burgmeier spent one more season with Boston in 1982, and as part of a strong bullpen, he was typically used in long relief and made 40 appearances and produced a 7-0 record and 2 saves with a 2.29 ERA and 44 strikeouts over 102.1 innings. As a free agent in the offseason, the 39-year old veteran hurler signed with the Oakland Athletics. As a senior member of a youthful pitching staff in 1983, Burgmeier made 49 appearances and produced a 6-7 tally and 4 saves along with a 2.81 ERA and 39 strikeouts over 96 innings. Off to a good start in 1984, an injury to his left shoulder put him on the disabled list from May until August. He pitched in six games after his return and retired. For his major league career, Burgmeier pitched in 745 games, only three of which were starts, and produced a 79-55 record with 102 saves, a 3.23 ERA, and 584 strikeouts over 1258.2 innings. With the Royals he appeared in 196 games and went 24-16 with 28 saves and 132 strikeouts over 276 innings. He never appeared in the postseason and was an All-Star only once. In 1991 he returned to the Royals organization as video coordinator and then served as a minor league pitching coach for a few years.

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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.